Champions League 2021 Semi-Final Second Leg!

Man city 2–0 PSG (4-1 Aggregate)

Emirates Stadium

May 4th, 2021

Pre Game

Man City’s 2–1 win in Paris, gives them a huge chance of going through to the final. But PSG know how to score away goals, too.

Post Game

Man City are through to their first ever Champions League final, after another dominant display. It was City’s game to lose, and they held on, unlike other years, but they were tested all night by PSG, who desperately needed goals. But it’s hard  to score against someone like Ruben Dias. Tonight, he threw himself at every loose ball and made back-breaking tackles to prevent PSG from scoring. It was only a year ago that City were relying on the likes of Ottomendi and Benjamin Mendy, who couldn’t produce. Now, after a successful transfer market, City seem to have no weak link. However, it did get pretty nerve racking when City almost conceded a few times. They have the bar to thank, as Marquinos’s header ricocheted off of it. Angel Di Maria had a golden chance to score on an empty net, but his shot was wide. Besides those hair-raising plays, it was a very good showing from their backline.

Man City’s first goal came at the beginning of the match. From inside of his box, Ederson pinned a super ball to Alexander Zinchenko who was inside opposition territory, and unmarked. Zinchenko played it back to Kevin De Bruyne, and his deflected shot fell to Mahrez. The Algerian was calm, and slotted the ball underneath Keylor Navas’s legs from a tight angle. That’s what makes Man City so deadly. You think you have them where you want them, and then, BAM! One of their players does something magical and puts you on the ropes. Man City drove the last nail into PSG’s coffin with a devastating counter attack. De Bruyne received the ball from his own half, and found Foden with space. Foden then played a one-two with De Bruyne, and crossed the ball in. Mahrez was on the end of it, again unmarked, and fired it beyond a helpless Navas. City’s performance earns them a spot in the biggest game in the world.

PSG put up a good fight, but their first-leg nightmare came back to haunt them. Mauricio Pochettino’s side knew that they needed goals right from kick off, pushing players higher than they normally would have. This in turn left them exposed in the back. I don’t blame his decision, because on my football team, my coach likes to push players up when we are down by some goals. The worst thing that can happen is them scoring more against us. However, I think that PSG’s defending was very questionable. For both goals that they conceded, they failed to mark Mahrez. Even after going 1–0 down because of his goal, they didn’t mark him for the counter attack. Pochettino will definitely be concerned with that aspect. 

If there was one part of PSG that I liked, it was their midfield. Marco Verratti and Leandro Paredes passed well, and retained good ball possession. PSG’s midfield was fouled many times throughout the game, a clear sign the opposition is having difficulty containing those players. If it weren’t for them, then PSG wouldn’t have had chances to score, such as Marquinos’s missed header. Still on the topic of midfield, I need to talk about Di Maria’s very disappointing performance. The Argentinian has gotten lots of praise from me, because he’s such an excellent player, week in and week out. The second leg was a night to forget. He played so many poor passes, seeming like a shadow of himself. And then, he decides it's ok to stamp on the heel of a City player out of frustration. I know that other PSG players also angrily fouled Man City too, but from a man of his experience, I expected Di Maria to be more calm and composed, in arguably the most important game of the season. 

Man City move on to the Champions League final, where they play either Chelsea or Real Madrid! The treble is still in sight for Pep and his team. As for PSG, they will now fully focus on defending the League A title. It's not going to be easy, as Lille are in first place, a point ahead of them.

Chelsea 2–0 Real Madrid (3–1 Aggregate)

Stamford Bridge

May 5th, 2021

Pre Game

Chelsea are looking to turn heads by knocking Real Madrid out of the Champions League. Chelsea scored an away goal (which counts as 2), but Real Madrid only have to score once to bring themselves level.

Post Game

Chelsea are through to the final, with one of the best displays this season! The Londoners never let Real Madrid find their rhythm. In defense, they were quick to compress, and when attacking, they sprung into the opposition half. Many players performed well for Chelsea, but the best player was undoubtedly N’Golo Kante. Kante really has a habit of making the world’s best players look Sunday league quality. Kante intercepted pass after pass, humiliating Toni Kross and Casimiro. I have no doubt in my mind that an in-form Kante is the best in his position. Two other players who impressed me a lot as well were Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic. The way that these two youngsters handled the experienced Madrid players, really encapsulated their form at the moment. Mount was influential in almost every attack, passing well, and finding space in-between the Madrid defenders. Pulisic has become an impactful substitute for Chelsea, injecting his energy when the opposition is tiring to deadly effect.

If I had one criticism of Chelsea, it would be that they couldn’t score. Many golden opportunities were missed, or were saved by Thibaut Courtois. They managed to put the game to bed, but it could be a slight concern when they face Manchester City. Chelsea’s first goal was created by Kante. The France International played a one-two with Timo Werner, then found Kai Havertz who was unmarked on the in the box. His clipped shot bounced back off the bar, but rebounded to Timo Werner. The German couldn't miss (unlike every other time he’s missed) heading into an empty net. The Blue’s second goal was again thanks to Kante. The 30-year-old won a 50/50 with Nacho Fernandes, then played the ball to Pulisic. Captain America was flooded with defenders, yet somehow picked out Mount inside the 6 yard box. The Englishman sent the ball beyond Courtois, and sent Chelsea beyond Real Madrid. It's yet another fantastic night for Chelsea.

Real Madrid are headed back to Spain with their heads bowed. Los Blancos needed to dominate, if they were to find the back of the net. Instead, Madrid were frail, static, and couldn’t break down a confident Chelsea squad. As a comparison, in the first leg, Real Madrid burst into life after a poor first 45. Modric and Kroos sparked life into Madrid during that game, helping them equalize. Not so the second leg. Substitute Rodrygo tried to bring energy into their midfield 3, but it was too little too late. Give credit where credit is due, and Courtois deserves high praise for his saves. He denied Haverts and Kante who were both through on goal. He almost never disappoints nowadays. Even in pressure cooker situations, he’s as cool as a cucumber. On the other hand, his teammate and also former Chelsea teammate, Eden Hazard, was ineffective as always. You would think that a game against his former team would be the perfect match to silence your critics. I can’t see Hazard being in Zidane's plans now.

The Spanish capital did have a handful of chances. In the first half, Karim Benzema took a shot from just outside of the penalty box. It curved, but Eduard Mendy palmed it away. Likewise, Benzema had another opportunity when his head connected with Modric’s cross. Again, Mendy was there to save the day, springing into the air like a coil and slapping it over the net. It was from close range, a good reaction save. Hazard had a half chance, too. Nacho Fernandes found Hazard inside of the 18 yard box, and from a tight angle, hit his shot right at Mendy’s legs. It was a good move from Hazard to find the pocket of space, but he shouldn’t have taken the shot, as Benzema was also there, asking for a cross. Besides that, Real Madrid didn’t look very threatening. Whenever they tried to pass their way in, they would be dispossessed. This forced them to play long passes, weird considering that they have some of the best playmakers in the world. Real Madrid needs other people other than Benzema to step up. 

Chelsea can now start to pack their bags for Istanbul where they’ll face Manchester City. As I wrote this, Chelsea beat Man City 2–1 in the Premier League. Could Chelsea have planted seeds of doubt in Man City’s minds? We’ll find out in three weeks! As for Real Madrid, they focus the rest of their energy towards defending the La Liga title.