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Champions League: Bayern drown out the noise, and was this the worst penalty award ever?

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Soccer very hardly ever goes to plan.

AC Milan’s new strike power have been speculated to rapidly begin scoring a whole lot of objectives. Feyenoord promoting their finest participant was speculated to imply their season was over. Bayern Munich have been speculated to crumble away from residence once more. Oh, and VAR was speculated to eradicate horrendous refereeing choices.

As you possibly can see from final night time’s Champions League play-off knockout clashes, the game hardly ever fails to disappoint with regards to predictability.

Right here Tim Spiers analyses the important thing speaking factors from Wednesday night’s matches.

That penalty resolution…

“Soccer is turning into a very totally different sport. Soccer is now getting into a path that has nothing to do with the sport… I don’t know the foundations anymore and I definitely don’t prefer it.”

What on earth may have occurred to depart one among European soccer’s most extremely revered managers so totally dismayed?

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was rendered indignant and bereft by the choice to award Membership Brugge a 91st minute penalty within the first leg of their play-off in Belgium. You could possibly perceive why.

Behold, one of many worst penalty choices you might be ever prone to witness…

Video for UK readers

“Listening to footballers and coaches, all of them have a very totally different thought of ​​fouls,” an exasperated Gasperini added. “The tragedy is the contacts: everybody dives to steal and win a yellow or a penalty.”

To recap, a good tie was winding all the way down to a 1-1 draw, in all probability a passable consequence for each side, when the clocked ticked over 90 minutes and into three minutes of stoppage time.

A seemingly innocent move went into the field, which Atalanta defender Isak Hien had beneath management, chased by Brugge striker and Swedish compatriot Gustaf Nilsson.

As Hien jostled for place, his arm appeared to barely catch Nilsson, who went to floor. There was barely an attraction from the house followers or any Brugge gamers, however a penalty was given.

Hien was in disbelief, kneeling on the bottom, head in palms. Six Atalanta gamers surrounded the referee in protest, whereas Gasperini gestured with not one however two palms, in a fashion solely Italians can fairly pull off.


Incensed Atalanta gamers confront referee Halil Umut Meler (Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Pictures)

VAR Pol van Boekel (from the Netherlands) someway upheld the choice made by Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler who, after not exhibiting a card all match, booked three Atalanta gamers (Hien, plus Rafael Toloi and Juan Cuadrado for arguing) within the confusion that adopted.

Nilsson received up and scored the penalty, at which level Gasperini whipped off his jacket and stormed down the tunnel earlier than the match had even completed.

Atalanta’s incensed gamers continued their protests after full-time and safety needed to escort a few of them off the sector.


Gasperini addresses the media after the sport (Lars Baron – UEFA/UEFA through Getty Pictures)

“Those that observe soccer know that it isn’t a penalty,” midfielder Marten De Roon mentioned, whereas even Brugge participant Hans Vanaken conceded they have been “a bit fortunate”.

“It’s simply ridiculous,” added Atalanta’s Belgian attacker Charles De Ketelaere, who was returning to his outdated membership for the primary time, whereas calling the referee “boastful”. “When you ask 100 individuals, I believe out of 100 none would say that was a foul.”

Properly, humorous you need to say that Charles, as a result of a type of 100 individuals clearly wasn’t former referee Christina Unkel, who stored issues tight within the referees’ union.

Video for U.S. readers

Subsequent week’s return leg in Bergamo is tantalisingly poised, then, whereas subsequent month’s Sweden worldwide get-together must be fairly fascinating for Nilsson and Hien, too…

Fab 4 flounder

They’ve been dubbed the Fab 4 — a fearsome, unbelievable assault that may hearth Milan up the Serie A desk and deep into the Champions League knockout levels.

USMNT star winger Christian Pulisic, flying broad man Rafael Leao, skilful genius Joao Felix and prolific Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez, 4 massively gifted gamers who, in tandem, may show to be one among Europe’s most electrifying strike forces.

Joao Felix joined on mortgage from Chelsea final week whereas Gimenez was signed from Feyenoord, the place he had scored 16 objectives in 19 video games this season, for £26.7million.

And right here the Fab 4 have been in Rotterdam of all locations, the house of Feyenoord, unleashed as a quartet for the primary time.

The consequence? Feyenoord 1 AC Milan 0. And Milan’s anticipated objectives (xG) tally for the night time? Exactly 0.57.

Fab 4? How about The 4 Flops?


A disillusioned Pulisic departs the fray in Rotterdam (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Pictures/DeFodi through Getty Pictures)

OK, it’s just one match and they’re going to want time to gel, however this was definitely an underwhelming night for Milan’s entrance gamers, three of whom have been subbed off earlier than the night time was accomplished.

Sergio Conceicao’s struggling aspect may have prevented all this had they received away at Dinamo Zagreb within the last spherical of group video games, however ended up shedding 2-1 in Croatia, reflecting what has been a massively inconsistent season for a staff that lies 17 factors behind leaders Napoli in Serie A.

Out in Rotterdam they created valuable little with an XI that included no Italian gamers, in what was a reasonably incident-free encounter.

Properly, aside from one which goalkeeper Mike Maignan will immediately need to neglect…

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Pulisic’s Milan suffers first-leg loss to Feyenoord in UCL playoff

Who wants a supervisor?

This was fairly a consequence for Feyenoord, whose followers will need to have been fearing the worst given current turbulent occasions on the membership.

Supervisor Brian Priske, who succeeded Arne Slot in the summertime when the 46-year-old left to handle Liverpool, was sacked simply two days earlier than the go to of Milan.

Priske had truly received his last sport in cost on the weekend, a 3-0 derby victory over Sparta Rotterdam, however Feyenoord are a lowly fifth within the Dutch Eredivisie, went out of the Dutch Cup to PSV final week and have been spanked 6-1 by Lille on Matchday 8 of the group stage, when a victory in France would have seen them end within the prime eight.

Given current outcomes — and the sale of finest participant Gimenez to Milan, a switch which occurred after the draw was made for the play-off spherical — Feyenoord’s supporters might be forgiven for pondering their membership was waving a white flag for this tie.

Step ahead Maignan, Milan’s France worldwide goalkeeper, with this absolute howler within the third minute of the match.

Nothing a lot appeared to be on when Igor Paixao lower inside from the left and despatched a reasonably harmless-looking effort low in direction of the keeper’s close to publish, however Maignan, not helped by horribly moist circumstances within the Netherlands, pushed the ball into the web.

Video for UK readers

Video for U.S. readers

That was just about that for the night time, aside from Paixao smacking a shot off the bar within the second half, and trying one other from the half-way line.

Feyenoord’s xG of 0.58 was solely fractionally higher than that of Milan on what was a reasonably uninteresting night. However, after the week they only endured, that was completely high-quality with Feyenoord.

Bayern hush Parkhead

They could be having fun with themselves on the prime of the Bundesliga, eight factors away from Bayer Leverkusen, however Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich have nonetheless proven vulnerabilities this season — particularly on the highway when confronted with an intimidating away ambiance.

They’ve solely dropped 9 factors within the league, however seven of these have been misplaced away from residence. Within the Champions League they received all 4 residence group video games however misplaced three of 4 on the highway, together with at Aston Villa and Feyenoord the place the amount was turned as much as 11.

Soccer atmospheres don’t get a lot louder than Celtic Park on a giant European night time, so this was a critical check of Bayern’s European credentials. The pre-match noise was so ear-splitting that Celtic defender Alistair Johnston nodded his approval because the decibels went above jet engine ranges when the groups lined up earlier than kick off.

When former Bayern teen Nicolas Kuhn put Celtic in entrance after simply 25 seconds, they may in all probability hear the noise in Munich. Nonetheless, that was appropriately dominated out for offside and Bayern slowly turned the screw in Glasgow, establishing some dominance within the din after which clinically scoring both aspect of half time to take cost of the tie.

Michael Olise’s strike was one to savour…

Video for UK readers

Video for U.S. readers

After which a criminally unmarked Harry Kane volleyed in from shut vary for his twenty ninth purpose from 29 appearances this season to quell the Celtic Park roar. That was the nineteenth purpose he has scored past Kasper Schmeichel for membership and nation — 5 greater than he has managed towards every other goalkeeper.

Brendan Rodgers’ aspect rallied impressively within the last levels, with Daizen Maeda’s header holding their hopes alive, however they may want a minor miracle in Germany subsequent week to progress to the final 16.

Card attraction dashes a dream

The Champions League is meant to be a contest the place goals are made.

Nonetheless, for Monaco’s Libyan midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati, his competitors debut became a nightmare towards Benfica.

The 28-year-old, who’s on mortgage from Besiktas, was on a reserving when he noticed team-mate Breel Embolo unceremoniously dumped to the ground by Benfica defender Alvaro Carreras.


Denis Zakaria (left) comforts Al-Musrati as he departs the sector (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Pictures)

Al-Musrati thought it was a foul and Italian referee Maurizio Mariani agreed, blowing his whistle. Al-Musrati, although, needed greater than that; he needed Carreras booked and so gently gestured the common signal language for “present him a card, ref” within the official’s path.

Nope, can’t do this. Second reserving after which a crimson, Al-Musrati was off. He’ll now miss the second leg, and with Monaco 1-0 down you must surprise if the on-loan midfielder will play once more within the Champions League this season. Or maybe ever once more.

On the flip aspect, Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis may be very a lot residing out his Champions League goals, scoring his sixth purpose within the competitors this season to provide Bruno Lage’s aspect a vital benefit going into the return leg in Lisbon subsequent week.

Video for UK readers

Video for U.S. readers

Pavlidis scored when this fixture was performed within the group stage, too (Benfica received 3-2), in addition to scoring a hat-trick towards Barcelona and including one other towards Juventus.

Solely six gamers have scored extra in 2024-25 and it’s an unique checklist — Serhou Guirassy (10), Robert Lewandowski (9), Raphinha (eight), Erling Haaland (eight), Vinicius Jr (seven) and Kane (seven).

What occurs subsequent?

Wednesday’s outcomes

Membership Brugge 2 Atalanta 1
Celtic 1 Bayern Munich 2
Feyenoord 1 Milan 0
Monaco 0 Benfica 1

Subsequent week’s second legs

Tuesday, February 18
Atalanta (1) vs Membership Bruges (2)
Bayern Munich (2) vs Celtic (1)
Milan (0) vs Feyenoord (1)
Benfica (1) vs Monaco (0)

Wednesday, February 19
Paris Saint-Germain (3) vs Brest (0)
PSV Eindhoven (1) vs Juventus (2)
Actual Madrid (3) vs Manchester Metropolis (2)
Borussia Dortmund (3) vs Sporting CP (0)

Eight groups will advance to the final 16, to hitch Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.

The draw for the final 16, quarter-final and semi-final will happen on Friday February 21.

(High photographs: Getty Pictures)



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