Champions League Knockout – The Shakedown | OneFootball

In the interests of journalistic integrity, Gary Striker asked me, The Qooligan, to provide the summary of this week’s Champions League. The added benefit of being able to rib Josep on his predictions is merely a bonus. For me, at least.

Tuesday, Feb. 18

Darn it… Josep was right… every single fixture brought some incredible drama today.

AC Milan 1 – 1 Feyenoord

Feyenoord win 2 – 1 on aggregatePrediction: Feyenoord to win 2 – 1 on aggregate.

Well look at that. Josep nailed it. Damn.

Former Feyenoord player Santiago Gimemez scored for AC Milan in the first minute, but the Dutch visitors played a steely game to prevent any further bloodshed. When Theo Hernández drew his second yellow early in the second half, you could feel the momentum shift. Julián Carranza’s 73rd minute goal brought Feyenoord level in the game, and by the final whistle that also gave his team the aggregate win.

Next fixture: Arsenal or Inter Milan. Neither team will be easy, I tell you.

Atalanta 1 – 3 Club Brugge

Brugge advance 5 – 2 on aggregate.Prediction: Atalanta to win 3 – 2 on aggregate.

Wow. Josep’s big win from above get’s crossed out by this big swing-and-a-miss.

Unlike the last game there was no controversy here. At all. There was a 30 second sequence towards the end of the first half where Atalanta, already trailing 2-0 from a Chemsdine Talbi brace, were pressing furiously in Brugge’s goal area. They struck the woodwork twice, with a goal-line save from keeper Simon Mignolet in between, before the ball popped out wide to winger Christos Tzolis. He drove up the pitch and executed a perfect square cross to Ferran Jutglà, who laced in a belter right before the whistle. When Atalanta captain Rafael Tolói saw the red mist and charged at Maxim de Cuyper in the 87th minute (earning a deserved red card for violent conduct), the game was truly over for the hosts.

Next fixture: Aston Villa or Lille. I’m telling you now, the Cinderella story could continue for Brugge against either of these teams.

Bayern Munich 1 – 1 Celtic

Munich go through 3 – 2 on aggregate.Prediction: Bayern Munich to win 5 – 2 on aggregate.

The underdogs of Celtic were poised to force the behemoths of Bayern Munich into extra time when… a beautiful save from Kasper Schmeichel fell to his defender Auston Trusty and his ensuing clearance strikes the shin of Alphonso Davies and into the net. A classic Scottish heartbreak and German last-minute winner. Josep did all right here.

Next fixture: Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen. We already saw that domestic draws suck the life out of this competition, so please have them draw Atlético.

Benfica 3 – 3 AS Monaco

Benfica win 4 – 3 on aggregatePrediction: Benfica to win 2 – 0 on aggregate.

I didn’t think either side had three goals in ’em. Apparently Josep didn’t think so either. Glad to see we were both wrong (even though I have to grudgingly give him points for choosing the winning side).

Next fixture: Barcelona or Liverpool. Whomever draws Benfica should have a comfortable win.

Wednesday, Feb. 19

Josep’s anticipated gimmes were just that. The two crackers were that and then some!

Borussia Dortmund 0 – 0 Sporting CP

Dortmund advance 3 – 0 on aggregatePrediction: Dortmund win 5 – 1 on aggregate.

80,000 people crammed into Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, were treated to a singularly boring match, and didn’t give a damn. The yellow and gold went through, which is all that matters. He got the winner right; the spread wrong.

Next fixture: Aston Villa or Lille. Punters take here…

Paris Saint-Germain 7 – 0 Brest

PSG win 10 – 0 on aggregate Prediction: PSG will win 6 – 1 on aggregate.

This was the second biggest aggregate win in Champions League history. And there was no Dembélé to be seen. Brest deserved better, but there’s no denying that PSG were a superior side. I cannot forgive Josep for missing this aggregate spread. Nobody picked that.

Next fixture: Barcelona or Liverpool. The soccer fan salivates at either one. Now that other Champions Clasíco is done, we have this juicy fixture.

PSV Eindhoven 3 – 1 Juventus

PSV advance 4 – 3 on aggregate. Prediction: PSV will win in penalties after a 3 – 3 draw.

Quoth Josep: “This is the only fixture I see that will head into extra time.” Yeah, boy, let’s give a slow clap for ol’ Josep. Also in his bold predictions: “one of the four Americans on these two teams will have an impact.” Timothy Weah had an absolute screamer of a goal that gave the visitors some hope. But otherwise this was all PSV.

Next fixture: Arsenal or Inter Milan. Either one will be tough.

Real Madrid 3 – 1 Manchester City

Real Madrid win 6 – 2 on aggregate Prediction: Real will win 5 – 4 on aggregate.

Did anyone else feel like Pep gave up when they saw that starting eleven?. No Haaland? Stones and Días in the center? With Khusanov on the right guarding Vinicíus? In the end it didn’t matter. The game was over once Kylian Mbappé lofted the ball over Emerson in the 4th minutes. It was the first goal of his hat-trick on a night where Real absolutely dominated the defending champions.

Next fixture: Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen. We already saw that domestic draws suck the life out of this competition, so please have them draw Leverkusen. On the other hand, it would be a derby rematch, and that promised plenty of spice.