ROUND OF 16 - Leg 2 - Part 2
SportsBeat!
Written by Aaron Cantin
The Champions League round of 16 has been exciting, to say the least, up to this point. This week kicked off the second leg of the round of 16 matchups and saw two significant contenders eliminated. Barcelona could not mimic the heroics from a couple of years ago when they overcame a four-goal deficit to eliminate PSG. This time PSG held their ground and earned a 1-1 tie, eliminating Barcelona with an aggregate of 5-2. Lionel Messi missed a penalty shot right at the end of the first half that could have given Barca the lead heading into the second. You have to wonder how that would have affected the outcome. Nonetheless, PSG was the better team between the two legs and deservedly moved on.
Dortmund's Erling Haaland (left) scored his side's second goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund; Source: SportsNet | Photo from Schiffmann/Pool via AP)
Juventus was the other title contender to be knocked out of contention, beating Porto 3-2 but losing on aggregate 4-4. Porto moved on because of the two away goals. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi were both eliminated in the round of 16. It's hard to believe but is a sure sign that a new generation of players is taking over.
Cue Erling Haaland. The Norwegian 20-year-old has been on fire and did not slow down on Tuesday. Two more goals from the Norwegian striker were enough to earn Borussia Dortmund a 2-2 draw at home versus Sevilla and advance to the next round. Again, Haaland is only 20 years old and now has 20 career Champions League goals in 14 games. You read that right—20 goals in 14 games on the highest level. The kid is for real.
We also saw Liverpool take care of Leipzig 2-0. The same result as the first leg seeing the English title holders advance with a 4-0 aggregate over the two legs.
Let's look ahead at the remaining eight teams looking for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Manchester City vs Borussia Mönchengladbach
First leg: 2-0 Man City
Manchester City took care of business on the road the first leg, and I don't expect any difference on Tuesday. City did lose their first game in over two months last weekend, falling to Manchester United 2-0, but that surely will be a minor bump in a long road this season. An early City goal will crush any hopes for a comeback, and I can see City going for the throat early in this one. Score lines of elimination games are nearly impossible to predict since teams have absolutely nothing to lose when facing elimination. Nonetheless, I'll make a prediction.
- Pick: Manchester City win 2-1
Real Madrid vs Atalanta
First leg: 1-0 Real Madrid
Real Madrid was fortunate to come away with all three points in the first leg. Despite Atalanta playing a man-down most of the game, the Italian side held their ground up to the 86th minute when Mendy finally beat the keeper. If Atalanta were able to hold on for the draw, I would fully back them in the second leg. However, being down a goal changes the formation and the style Atalanta will have to play. They will be forced to push for a goal leaving them vulnerable in the back. Real Madrid will surely take advantage of this at least once in this game. Despite Atalanta putting up another great fight, Real Madrid was always going to advance in this one.
- Pick: Real Madrid win 2-1
Chelsea vs Atletico Madrid
First leg: 1-0 Chelsea
Despite the first leg being a bit of a bore, these two sides seem so evenly matched it was still entertaining. This is undoubtedly the hardest one to call of the week. Chelsea earned the 1-0 win on the road thanks to a sublime bicycle kick from Olivier Giroud that at first look, appeared offside. If it were not for a moment of magic, this would have been a scoreless affair. Madrid did not produce many scoring chances making it easy to doubt their scoring ability when it matters. Chelsea have been in good form since newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel took over, and I don't see that slowing down. Give me another slow affair with Chelsea crawling into the quarter-finals.
- Pick: Draw
Bayern Munich vs Lazio
First leg: 4-1 Bayern
My first question - will Lazio even show up? You have to wonder. Allowing four goals at home against the defending champions is a near-impossible hole to dig out of. Mine as well, save the airfare. In all seriousness, Lazio will show up, and hopefully, they will play with pride and use the offensive creativity that led them to the elimination round in the first place. I don't see any way that Lazio will move on. Technically, a 3-0 win in Munich will be enough, but that is not happening. It seems Bayern can score at will these days. If Lazio finds the back of the net there's no doubt Bayern will take it as a challenge to find the back of the net themselves. That's the hope. There is also the possibility the damage has been done, and Bayern Munich lull Lazio to sleep with a scoreless affair. I think Bayern will find the back of the net at least once.
- Pick: Bayern Munich win 2-1
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