What the hell, let's just run it back!
Just play if over again tomorrow. Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are uniquely constructed to bring the best out of each other, for whatever reason, and Wednesday's Champions League tie was no different.
Real Madrid went up 2-0 via Karim Benzema scoring on great passes from Dani Carvajal and James Rodriguez, respectively.
The school of Barcelona detests the characterization of tiki-taka when discussing their style of play, so let’s just say that Barca passed the s*** out of Gladbach when the two teams met on Tuesday in the Champions League.
One of the reasons that this conception of zonal play is met with such derision from the likes of Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique is the fact that it denotes an attack devoid of entertainment and sterile in the extreme.
Roberto Firmino's Liverpool contract reveals a level of saltiness that's not been seen in these parts for quite some time.
What follows is my favorite paragraph of soccer journalism so far in 2016.
Look at what this fool Edinson Cavani did.
Le but de #Cavani, sur une retourné acrobatique, contre Ludogorets #PSGLUD #PSG pic.twitter.com/GBg1GL7nus
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) December 6, 2016
We interrupt you mindlessly scrolling through your Facebook feed to bring you this very important tweet about a man throwing a hamburger at a police horse.
Celtic fan arrested for throwing a hamburger at a police horse in Piccadilly Gardens. Male started kicking about in the van! #nightinacell
— GMP City Centre (@GMPCityCentre) December 6, 2016
Turkish football supporters are unwavering. They’re unwavering in their delight at waving “Welcome to Hell!” signs at opposition teams when arriving in Turkey, at lighting enough flares and creating enough noise to actually make their home stadia seem like hell and in their support of their beloved clubs. Istanbul’s Besiktas are 14-time champions of the Turkish top-flight, but they’ve never advanced from the group stage of the Champions League.
Benfica needed either a win against Napoli or a Besiktas loss to Dynamo Kiev Tuesday to advance to the Champions League knockout stage. They lost, 2-1, but Besiktas lost even worse (6-0).
The Portuguese side's lone goal was scored by Mexican international striker Raul Jimenez, who showcased just about the best-case scenario for the high press with his tackle and goal.
We’re one final match day away from wrapping up the Champions League group stage, but we can already draw a number of conclusions based on Tuesday’s play. For one, whoever draws group runners-up Bayern Munich in the round of 16 has every reason to feel extremely aggrieved.
By virtue of finishing behind Atletico, Bayern could conceivably be drawn against the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal, Juventus, Leicester City or Borussia Dortmund/Real Madrid (the battle between Dortmund and Madrid in Group F will be settled tomorrow).
It was only two weeks ago when we were treated to one of the most astounding open goal misses in the history of football over in Serbia. The gift of giving to helpless defenses seems to be in the air this holiday season as a Greek fourth division match has offered up its own tragic epic.