Cristiano Ronaldo once again rises to the occasion
Even now, in the slow descent of his career, Cristiano Ronaldo has the power to bend games his way, to surprise and punish any opponent or observer who dared wonder if the old magic was starting to wear off.
In the first half of this Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo was anonymous and his Real Madrid team were nowhere. They couldn't live with Bayern Munich, who went 1-0 up and should've had a second only for Arturo Vidal to put his penalty high into the stands. That was at the very end of the first half when it still felt like a big home win was on the cards.
But the second half was different. Ronaldo scored two clever poacher's finishes, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. He got Javi Martinez to foul him, then foul him again, a yellow card swiftly turning into red. Bayern collapsed, in a way that a team with this much experience should never do. Real seized control of the tie and now it is very hard to see them not being in the semi-finals.
Should it be a surprise? They are reigning European champions after all, having won the big one in 2014 as well. Yes, at half-time here it certainly felt like they would be heading out.
But the reality of this Real Madrid team is that they've always been about seizing the moment more than dominating games. That's how they beat Atletico Madrid in those two famous finals, and that’s what they did to Bayern Wednesday night. It was a perfect example of a team realising that a match was still within their grasp.
ATLETICO BEAT LEICESTER
It could have been worse for Leicester. And it could have been better for Atletico Madrid. In the end, both teams came away from their Champions League quarterfinal match relatively satisfied and looking ahead to next week's second leg in England.
Atletico played wel l Wednesday and should have done better than the narrow 1-0 victory, but the players and coach Diego Simeone were celebrating the advantage they will be carrying into the return match on Tuesday.
In the first half of this Champions League quarter-final, Ronaldo was anonymous and his Real Madrid team were nowhere. They couldn't live with Bayern Munich, who went 1-0 up and should've had a second only for Arturo Vidal to put his penalty high into the stands. That was at the very end of the first half when it still felt like a big home win was on the cards.
But the second half was different. Ronaldo scored two clever poacher's finishes, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead. He got Javi Martinez to foul him, then foul him again, a yellow card swiftly turning into red. Bayern collapsed, in a way that a team with this much experience should never do. Real seized control of the tie and now it is very hard to see them not being in the semi-finals.
Should it be a surprise? They are reigning European champions after all, having won the big one in 2014 as well. Yes, at half-time here it certainly felt like they would be heading out.
But the reality of this Real Madrid team is that they've always been about seizing the moment more than dominating games. That's how they beat Atletico Madrid in those two famous finals, and that’s what they did to Bayern Wednesday night. It was a perfect example of a team realising that a match was still within their grasp.
ATLETICO BEAT LEICESTER
It could have been worse for Leicester. And it could have been better for Atletico Madrid. In the end, both teams came away from their Champions League quarterfinal match relatively satisfied and looking ahead to next week's second leg in England.
Atletico played wel l Wednesday and should have done better than the narrow 1-0 victory, but the players and coach Diego Simeone were celebrating the advantage they will be carrying into the return match on Tuesday.
