So the first leg of UEFA Champions League is over and we have had some very interesting results. Let`s see how your favorite team did in this year`s Quarter Finals.
The return leg would decide the final 4 semifinalists but for now it’s the in-form Liverpool who seems set to make it to the next round. Liverpool defeated Porto 2-0 which was the match of the round which featured more than one goal from a team. They are already in contention for the Premier League and it would be a huge achievement for them if they are able to win both competitions. If they win, then this would be their second successive Semi Final appearance in the competition proving their mantle as one of the consistent teams in the competition.
Another team which has been a consistent feature in the competition during the last few years but failed to win it is the reigning Italian champions Juventus. With Serie A almost already won, they are trying to win the competition for the first time since 1996. They came close in 2015 and 2017 but lost both times to the Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. They have reinforced their squad with addition of Christiano Ronaldo who has proven to be a master stroke so far. He has smoothly settled into the team and is leading the scoring charts. However their result with Ajax (a 1-1) shows that the rest of the team needs to set up otherwise one bad day at office can cost them their trophy ambitions. They are still the favourite to go to the next round where they will be facing an English team.
Talking about English teams, it was all English affairs after a long time where Manchester City took on Tottenham Hotspur at their new stadium and lost one-nil. City failed to take the away goal advantage but it would be naïve to rule them out so early. Expect some crackers at the Eithad Stadium for the return leg and most of people would be still betting City to make it to the next round. A Pep Guardiola managed team has only managed to win 6 out of 26 matches at the Knock Stage. This puts a question mark on his credentials but he would have ample opportunity to improve that record as he aims to leave an unmatched legacy by winning a quadruple.
The biggest clash of titans took place at Old Trafford where Manchester United hosted Barcelona. The Spanish champions won the away leg due to an own goal by Luke Shaw and it would be an uphill task for the English team to win at Camp Nou, especially when they failed to register a single shot on goal in this match. They did have their moments but overall the match didn’t live up to its hype and expect Barcelona to go all the way as they make UEFA Champions League their primary goal this season.
The return legs will take place on April 17th and 18th, so stay tuned for more upcoming action.
