Well, for the neutral fans out there it was fun while it lasted. After a high-octane first 30 minutes that included five yellow cards and two goals from Atleti, Karim Benzema and Real Madrid decided they had enough of delaying their spot in the UCL Final. Benzema did some magical dribbling (what are you doing Godin, Savic and Giménez?) on the endline that ended in a crucial away goal by Isco.
Isco 42'
With a spot in the Champions League final on the line you knew Atletico Madrid would not go silently into the night. A chaotic first five minutes included two big saves by Keylor Navas and Jan Oblak, and a yellow card on Stegan Savic. Being down three goals to none, many questioned if Atletico had the firepower to crack Real Madrid’s defense. But early on the Vicente Calderon stadium has ignited Diego Simeone’s team to an early two goal lead.
Saul 12’
Gigi Buffon is a legend. At 39 he sports a six-matche shutout streak in the Champions League, and he’s on the verge of returning to the UCL final for the third time.
A Champions League title has eluded him to this point, but Buffon has won just about everything else:
UEFA Cup (Europa): 1999
Supercoppa Italiana (6 times)
Coppa Italia (2015 and 2016)
World Cup (2006)
Golden Foot Award (2016, only GK to win)
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year (2003)
The semifinals of the Champions League returned to Monaco’s Stade Louis II for the first time since 2004, and the 18,000+ in attendance would’ve surely expected their side to add to the 16 home Champions League goals they’d already witnessed since the beginning of their campaign.
But a Juventus side that had only given up two goals in this competition, and none throughout the knockout rounds, proved to be an entirely different challenge for Monaco’s goal-crazy attackers.
After securing three points yesterday behind Emre Can’s wonder goal, Liverpool are primed to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in three years. The Reds have a very manageable schedule down the stretch.
For all of Real Madrid’s dominance in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal with Atletico Madrid, it looked as though Atleti would escape to the Vicente Calderon with only a one-goal deficit. But then Cristiano Ronaldo happened. And then again.
Ronaldo scored goals number 101, 102 and 103 to extend his all time record in the Champions League, and Atletico’s inability to grab an away goal, or to really trouble Real for that matter, makes the possibility of a comeback next Wednesday seem extremely farfetched.
Less than 10 minutes into the first leg of the Madrid derby Champions League semifinal, Cristiano Ronaldo did what he always does in this competition: he scored UCL goal number 101. Flying nearly two heads above every Atletico defender, Ronaldo buried a perfect cross from Casemiro.