Whatever the objections, video technology in the Champions League cannot be worse than what happened at the EtihadThe first thing to say about the Raheem Sterling “penalty” incident that caused so much amusement and embarrassment in Manchester City’s 6-0 rout of Shakhtar Donetsk at the Etihad is that Viktor Kassai, the Hungarian referee who immediately pointed to the spot, was directly behind the chasing defender and probably thought a foul had been committed. Related: Manchester City paid Roberto Mancini extra money via Abu Dhabi club, leak says Related: VAR enjoys largely positive World Cup debut to confound football’s luddites Continue reading...
This was poised to be a tribute to the great Cristiano before José Mourinho’s side produced a group-stage homage to 1999Well, that was a glorious little blast from the past. And no, Cristiano, not in the way you were hoping. Grit, pluck, a feverish belief in the plan: it seems odd now that just a few weeks back these were precisely the things this Manchester United team seemed to be lacking.Instead of which on a mild, still, occasionally fevered night in Turin United produced a moment of Barcelona-lite, a group stage homage to the triumphs of 1999, turning 1-0 down into 2-1 up in the final four minutes. Related: Own goal seals famous Manchester United comeback win at Juventus Ronaldo's...
Delays to the new White Hart Lane have resulted in Wembley – even for big games – becoming an unwelcoming venueFor a long part of the night, the vibe here was not good. It wasn’t exactly bad either, but it did lack a lot of the elements that, were you to observe them, might make you think: “Ah, this is an important match, the crowd is desperate for their team to win and I’m falling in love with the drama of elite European competition all over again.”In front of a half-full stadium, Spurs laboured against a PSV side with no pressure on their shoulders and a raucous pocket of support behind them. Related: Spurs cling on in Europe after Harry...
Paris St-Germain’s squad looks too unbalanced to make an impact in this season’s competition while Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic found a new way to defend a low free-kickÁngel Di María rescued a point for Paris St-Germain at home against Napoli with his stunning late equaliser but there is no glossing over the fact that Thomas Tuchel is having to work with an extremely unbalanced squad. The front three of Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Edinson Cavani are potent enough but the midfield and defence are simply not equipped to win the Champions League. Adrien Rabiot looked like his defensive duties were optional against Napoli while there were loads of space for Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne to exploit behind PSG’s back four....
This was a night when all there was to do was gawp at the player who can bend the game according to his own physical lawsSometimes you really do just have to stand and watch – and maybe gawp a little, too. The best athletes in every sport give us a glimpse of something else, a remix of the usual physical laws. At Wembley this sensation had an extra depth as Lionel Messi produced a hall-of-fame performance but did so in a Barcelona team who were stretched at times even as the genius at the other end was scoring twice, hitting the post twice and helping to make the other two in a 4-2 win. Related: Lionel Messi’s masterclass gives...