They say that people die three years after they retire, that the loss of something meaningful to do ruins their desire to live. This idea of life as a conscious decision might seem a little too dramatic to be real, but Cristiano Ronaldo’s rejuvenation over the past month leads to the contrary. The possibility of success this year has given Ronaldo a new lease on life.
Atletico played the perfect match against Barcelona and kicked the reigning champions out of the UEFA Champions League. But the night was more than that for the rojiblanco side. They have become Barcelona’s bête noire, the only team that has eliminated the Spanish giants in a 2-leg tie in both the Champions League and the Copa del Rey.
Pep Guardiola has hopped on the banter bus after his Bayern Munich side defeated SL Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had previously said that he would love to play Benfica in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Ronaldo is Portuguese and Benfica is based in the capital city of Portugal, Lisbon. Clearly, playing in Lisbon for Real Madrid against Benfica would have been a glorious moment for Ronaldo.
Guardiola, having heard of Ronaldo’s desire, jokingly apologized to Ronaldo for knocking Benfica out of the Champions League
The final day of the Champions League quarterfinals kicked off today with Barcelona playing away at Atletico Madrid and Benfica hosting Bayern Munich. Barcelona were ahead 2-1 on aggregate heading into the match, but Madrid scored in the 36th minute to go ahead on aggregate due to the away goal tie-breaker.
Griezmann headed home a cross after Jordi Alba could not fully clear the ball. The Frenchman would add a penalty to take a 3-2 aggregate lead in the 88th minute after a handball by Andres Iniesta. The final score was 2-0.
News of Karim Benzema’s continued suspension from the French national team must’ve reached Antoine Griezmann at some point before Atletico Madrid's pivotal quarterfinal second leg against Barcelona on Wednesday.
Preparing for the most important game of his young club career, the immensity of the implications would not have been lost on Griezmann. With Benzema suspended, he’s now seemingly been charged with spearheading the French attack at Euro 2016 in his native France.
Portuguese powerhouse Benfica had a chance against Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinals, going into the second leg down only 1-0 on aggregate. They had even more of a chance after Mexican striker Raul Jimenez put the hosts up 1-0 to tie the contest on aggregate.
Holy Chit!!! Raul Jimenez gives Benfica the lead! Wow! Golazo! #PanchoVillasArmy
Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo had the dream night they were hoping for in Estadio Santiago Bernabéu Tuesday, but the comeback against Wolfsburg iwas even more special than first thought.
Last time the Merengues were able to turn the score in their favor from a similar situation was with Zinedine Zidane on the field. The season was 2001/02 and, in they end, they defeated Leverkusen in the Champions League final with an unforgettable goal from now-manager Zizou.
Zinedine Zidane'sReal Madrid squad just advanced in the Champions League after it looked like all was lost, so he can maybe be forgiven if he said some outlandish sh** following the game.
From ESPNFC:
Zinedine Zidane said he was keeping a level head after Real Madrid rallied to defeat Wolfsburg in the Champions League, something he also claimed -- a little disingenuously -- to have done as a player.
Everyone thought Tuesday's Champions League match between Wolfsburg and Real Madrid was exciting: fans, journalists, players, etc. One man, though, stood above the rest in freaking out about the sheer excitement of Madrid's 3-0 victory that erased a 2-0 aggregate deficit and earned them a place in the semifinals: Zinedine Zidane.
Yes, that Zidane. The same Zidane that won everything there is to win in soccer. The same Zidane who could do things with a soccer ball we hadn't seen before and haven't seen since.
Sometimes we forget just how good Cristiano Ronaldo is. For example, after Wolfsburg's 2-0 win against Real Madrid last week in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, we forgot how good Cristiano is.
Just how good is he?