The Champions League quarterfinal matchups are set. At this stage in the competition, there are no bad teams and no teams that are truly out of it (except maybe Sevilla, sorry guys).
The quarterfinal matches will be played April 3-4 and April 10-11.
Real Madrid vs. Juventus
Oh baby. It’s that time of year again. Nearly seven weeks after a Copa del Rey exit put manager Zinedine Zidane’s position on the brink, Real Madrid has since gone 9-1-1 while elevating itself back to the position of Champions League favorite following a 5-2 aggregate humbling of PSG.
Over that period, Cristiano Ronaldo has recorded 15 goals and two assists in nine starts, including a brace against Eibar on Saturday.
Discerning viewers may have noticed Sergio Ramos disappeared for a bit near the end of Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Eibar Saturday. Madrid had used all their subs, so Ramos was not replaced when he came off. He simply vanished.
Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane offered some clarification after the game: Ramos pooped his pants a little bit and had to disappear to the dressing room to make sure he didn't finish the job out on the field.
“He s*** himself a bit!”
This is starting to look familiar. Just like last season, when Cristiano Ronaldo started the season slow before exploding late in the season, the Portuguese forward is rounding into form yet again, only this time he’s started even earlier. Ronaldo scored a brace for Real Madrid vs Eibar on Saturday, extending a superb run in the last two months as Los Blancos earned a 2-1 victory.
Footballers aren't like regular humans. They live different lives, and operate in completely different planes of existence. To wit: in my capacity as a professional soccer jokester, I have never had to take to social media to deny wiping a booger on the shirt of a professional colleague. Not even at the company Christmas party.
Dani Alves, however . . .
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. ya parece mejor jugador que su querido padre. Esta impresionante patada de bicicleta es una prueba.
El hijo de Ronaldo estaba jugando en el campo del Bernabéu con el hijo de Marcelo cuando el centrocampista del Real Madrid Lucas Vázquez lanzó un balón al área para los dos muchachos. Ronaldo Jr. midió su salto y lanzó su bota hacia el balón para un gol de patada de bicicleta perfectamente ejecutado.
TAMBIÉN TE PUEDE GUSTAR: Kid Soccer Fails
Paris Saint-Germain was always going to be facing an uphill battle. After allowing three unanswered goals in a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, a comeback became even more unlikely when Neymar injured himself right before his sister’s birthday. But the Brazilian really missed by PSG vs Real Madrid in the Champions League was not Neymar but experienced defender Dani Alves.