What was once thirty-two teams has now, finally, been whittled down to eight remaining candidates for the Champions League crown. With seven different nations represented in the Quarter Finals stage, there’s plenty variety for our European Fantasy managers to choose from. Here’s how this week’s fixtures panned out…
Bayern Back With A Bang
A goal down from the first leg after a below-par performance in Switzerland, the Bundesliga giants crushed FC Basel to reach the Quarter Finals in emphatic style. For the second time in just under a week, Jupp Heynckes’ side scored seven goals in a home fixture, not just blowing off the cobwebs off recent poor form but sweeping them away in a hurricane of German efficiency.
Arjen Robben was arguably the strongest performer on the night. Constantly probing, threatening and tormenting his Swiss counterparts on the Munich right flank, the Dutch winger was often seen troubling not one, not two but three opponents, as Basel tried fruitlessly to keep him at bay. As previously predicted, Robben ran amok, picking up 16 UCL points from 2 goals and an assist.
Munich’s ‘second best player’ on the night, Mario Gomez, did fairly well for himself, too, grabbing four goals in the 7-0 rout. This was the German striker‘s second hat-trick within a week and eleventh in the last seventeen months, with an overall goalscoring record (72 goals in his last 72 games) on a par with the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Elsewhere, Franck Ribery bagged himself three assists, Thomas Mueller a goal and, of course, a whole array of clean sheets for the Munich backline, with birthday boy Holger Badstuber also grabbing an assist for one of the four Gomez goals. Those European Fantasy managers backing Toni Kroos, a sublime young German talent, are undoubtedly left feeling hard done by, with just 4 points returned on the night.
Following on from their opponents weekend hammering of Hoffenheim, FC Basel coach Mike Vogel will no doubt be haunted by his retaliatory response to press questioning by saying…
“I have absolutely no fear that Bayern will score seven goals against us.”
Chelsea Pensioners Battle Through
Following on from their 1-3 defeat at the Stadio San Paolo three weeks ago, Chelsea knew they had an uphill task ahead of them last night.
120 minutes of action under caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo later and the boys in blue have come out swinging and landed a knock-out punch, ensuring England have a representative in the final eight for the sixteenth season in succession.
The visitors were actually the side to start the strongest, as they tested and probed the Chelsea backline, but a breakthrough goal from Didier Drogba, following a sublime cross from Ramires, got the ball rolling on a rip-roaring fixture down Stamford Bridge way. The “old guard”, as so charmingly referred to of late, continued to step up, as John Terry’s header from a Frank Lampard corner put the home side 2-0 up and leading the tie on away goals.
A twenty-yarder from Gokhan Inler swung the tie back in the visitors’ favour but Chelsea –showing a spirit mainly lacking under Andre Villas-Boas – were not to be denied. Lampard’s spot-kick took the tie to extra time before Drogba teed up Branislav Ivanovic to fire home the decisive goal with just five minutes of the game remaining.
Last Minute Drama at the San Siro
Despite winning 2-1 at home to Marseille on Tuesday night, Inter all but waved goodbye to the Champions League for at least another 16 months. The away goal in a 2-2 aggregate scoreline keeps the French side in Europe’s top competition and with Claudio Ranieri’s side currently eight points off the chase for third place in Serie A, their hopes of qualifying for next season’s competition look somewhat forlorn.
With just quarter of an hour left to salvage the 1-0 first leg reverse, Diego Milito was in the right place at the right time to prod home from inside the six yard box as Marseille failed to deal with an Inter corner. The game looked destined for extra-time but an injury time flourish sent the hosts spinning out.
A direct ball up the field from L’OM goalkeeper Steven Mandanda eluded Lucio and allowed substitute Brandao the time and space required to secure Didier Deschamps’ men a place in the final eight of the competition. The drama didn’t end there, however, as the Marseille stopper then felled Giampaolo Pazzini in the box, earning himself a red card and suspension for the first leg of the next round. The Italian duly converted from the spot to earn Inter a somewhat hollow victory; Marseille join the likes of FC APOEL in the cheaper categories for those European Fantasy managers looking to pick up a bargain.
Madrid Power On Through
Jose Mourinho’s other team, the one he is actually currently in charge of, also happened to win their second leg by a 4-1 home scoreline. The result saw Real Madrid secure a second spot for Spanish sides, the only country with more than one representative, in the Quarter-Finals of the Champions League.
Other than Zoran Tosic spoiling plenty of clean sheets for European Fantasy managers, there was plenty of profit on offer from secure horses like Cristiano Ronaldo, with the former United man bagging a brace. Those with a more ambitious and risky streak saw our gamble Kaka pick up an assist, while strikers Gonzalo Higuain (goal) and Karim Benzema (goal and assist) both returned the points in a stroll at the Bernabeu.
Already well on their way to a first La Liga title under their Portuguese maestro, perhaps even Barcelona will be keen to avoid Mourinho’s men in tomorrow’s Quarter Final draw.
