Champions League 2021 Semi-Final First leg!

Chelsea 1–1 Real Madrid

Chelsea are the visitors coming into this game and, having dispatched Porto in the quarterfinals, are full of confidence. Real Madrid had just won against Liverpool in the earlier round, so they had the wind in their sails as well. 

Chelsea played their hearts out in the first 30 minutes of the game. They tore up the scripts, dominating ball possession. The Blues had spells of brilliance where they would make a series of sharp passes that were inch perfect, even in tight spaces. This allowed for them to get high up the field on numerous occasions. If it weren’t for the bumbling dunce that was Timo Werner, Chelsea could have put this tie to bed; the German cluelessly second-guessed himself in his usual style. On the bright side, it was an amazing performance from N'Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic. Kante was all over the field, dispossessing Real Madrid and defusing their attacks; for this, he won  Man of the Match. Captain America (aka Pulisic) was also on fire. He was fearless throughout his time on the field. He used his trademark pace to get in behind Real Madrid's defense with ease. His well taken goal in the opening minutes boosted Chelsea’s confidence. All in all, a great team performance.

Chelsea's goal was a moment of magic from Captain America. Antonio Rüdiger clipped a delicious ball over the Madrid defense for Pulisic. The 21-year-old tried to get it under control first time, but couldn't. Just when it seemed like the chance had gone, he got control of the ball. Pulisic rounded Thibaut Courtois, before slotting the ball into the net. A moment of pure composure, on the highest stage. Pulisic really is the future of football in America. 

Even before scoring, Pulisic could have gotten an assist, but Werner happened. Pulisic got on the end of Mason Mount’s cross, and headed the ball to the German, in front of goal. Werner had all of the net to aim at, but he somehow hit it straight at Tibo Courtois’s legs. While Chelsea’s finishing left something to be desired, the same could be said for their defense. They’ll be kicking themselves that they didn’t fully cover Karim Benzema, who scored the equalizer later on. Still, they head to Stamford Bridge for the second leg with a slight advantage.

Real Madrid weren’t themselves on the night. They weren’t aggressive enough in the early stages of the game. Their midfield was nowhere to be seen for much of this game, which is saying something, because it contained Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro. In fact, it was a dispossession of Casemiro that resulted in the build up to Chelsea’s goal. I believe that Real Madrid's issue was that there isn’t any pace in their midifield. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric are 31 and 35, compared to Chelsea's midfield: Mount, Jorgino, and Kanté are 22, 29, and 30 respectively. Sometimes your technique isn’t everything, and they were exposed. Another issue is Marcelo. The Brazilian is a liability now. He’s a club legend, but he’s 32, and making some questionable defensive decisions. And of course it was Karim Benzema who pulled Los Blancos out of their rut. The Frenchman almost scored two golazos, striking the post from a far out effort on his first attempt. As long as he is fit, he’ll be banging in goals.

Real Madrid’s goal came from nothing, but at the same time you totally saw it happening. From a short corner, Marcelo crossed the ball into the penalty area. Raphael Varane and Éder Militão both got their heads to hit, before it reached Benzema. He headed the ball to his foot, and volleyed the ball right past Edouard Mendy. Oh yeah, did I also mention that he had his back turned, and that he had defenders surrounding him? The awareness and the finish had to be spot on. He did both. Los Blancos’ defense was solid today, but they desperately need Sergio Ramos. Militão isn’t a good enough replacement, even though he’s putting up good performances. Ramos is more defensively stout, plus his leadership and the fear that he stokes into his opponents when they have to face him. He’s also a goalscorer at heart. He is irreplaceable for Zinedine Zidane, which is why he needs to come back into the starting XI as soon as he is fit. 

Chelsea take a slight advantage back for the second leg, having scored a crucial away goal. Real Madrid will be concerned that they didn’t score more goals at home, but know that they still have a chance to go through.

Manchester City 2–1 Paris Saint-Germain

Man City and PSG are both in fantastic form coming into this game. Man City have won 17 straight away games, which is why they will fancy themselves to be on the scoresheet tonight. However, PSG’s defense is one of the best in the world, and Neymar and Mbappe are both fit. A mouthwatering encounter for sure.

Man City came from behind to put themselves within touching distance of their first ever Champions League final. They had a wretched first half, wasting good chances in PSG’s half, never closing down PSG’s players when they had the ball. It was crazy to see Kevin De Bruyne only a few feet from his opponent, yet not making an effort to win the ball. They didn’t even make a good enough effort to stop PSG from scoring the opener. However, all of the criticism quickly evaporated, when the second half started. Both City’s attack and defense improved, with Ruben Dias stopping Mbappe in his tracks, Riyad Mahrez’s lethal partnership with De Bruyne coming to life once again. While some may say that City don’t deserve to be winning the tie based on the goals they scored, City still had to create the chances that led to the PSG errors. Many teams wouldn’t be able to get back onto the field with such hunger after a really horrific first half display. Not many teams are Manchester City.

Manchester City’s first goal was a freak of nature--from way outside of the penalty box, De Bruyne clipped in a ball for someone to try and get a head to it. Nobody was able to make contact with the cross, but the amount of bodies created a smokescreen for the ball, and Navas could only watch as the ball nestled into the corner. It was another superbly succulent supplement for scorers, yet somehow it snuck past the seldomly sucky center backs. 

City’s second goal stemmed from a PSG lapse. It looked like De Bruyne would be taking a free kick from decent range, after Idrissa Gueye fouled Phil Foden. However, it was Mahrez who stepped up, and he delivered. His shot was hit with real venom, so much so that Presnel Kimpembe and Leandro Paredes, who were in the wall, jumped out of the way. Again, Navas didn’t have any time to react, and the shot sailed in. Maybe not the most deserved goals, but City won’t care a bit. Pep Guardido will be over the blue moon.

PSG have shot themselves in the foot, to be frank. While Man City played terribly in the first half and played phenomenally in the second, it was the complete opposite for the Parisians. In the first 45, PSG were in the driver's seat. Les Parisians almost toyed with City’s defense, passing so exquisitely that Man City never got in the way. In the rare instances that PSG gave up the ball, Marco Verratti and Neymar would win back possession. I really enjoyed Verratti’s performance. He fought hard for each loose ball, and I don’t remember him passing sideways once. But in the second half, they crumbled. PSG spent most of the second 45 minutes trapped in their own half. Their midfield, sharp in the first half, was now blunt. Because of this, long balls seemed the only option. Man City won many of the loose balls as a result. While the two goals PSG conceded were unlucky, you can’t say that they weren’t coming. 

PSG’s goal of the night came in the first half, surprise surprise. From a corner, Angel Di Maria put in a high quality cross. Marquinos broke away from his marker, and got to the ball before anyone else. He flicked the ball into the opposite corner with lots of power. It was a beautiful goal, clearly sculpted on the training ground. PSG fluffed other chances to score, like when Mbappe failed to control a pass from Verratti. It was a very disappointing display from Mbappe, particularly in the second half where he kept getting bullied off the ball; he will want vengeance in the return leg.

Manchester City take a huge advantage coming into the second leg. While things may seem bleak for those in the French capital, remember that they beat Bayern Munich 3–-2 and Barcelona 4–-1, both away. And as long as they have Neymar and Mbappe, a tie is never over.