Dzeko, who did not do himself justice at Manchester City, has reached a first Champions League semi-final at Roma, showing players can reach the heights after falling short in EnglandOne of the joys of European football is catching up with familiar faces who have slightly fallen off the radar since leaving England. This applies less to global stars like Gareth Bale and Luis Suárez, both of whom play for clubs who are always in the news, and more to foreign players with a quirky character, like the maverick talent who gains cultish adoration despite never quite living up to the hype, or the flop who disappears without a trace before surfacing again to complain about the food, the people and...
Liverpool’s opponents in the Champions League semi-finals did not expect to get this far but their manager’s tactical nous produced a magnificent comeback to stun BarcelonaIt is 34 years since Roma reached a European Cup semi-final. And only one month less than that since Liverpool beat them on penalties in the final. Older fans still wince at the memory, hardly surprising when you consider it took place at their very own Stadio Olimpico.Times change, though, and this two-leg tie has a very different context. Roma, bluntly, did not expect to come this far. When they were drawn against Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 16, their captain, Daniele De Rossi, said there were “two or three teams in this season’s Champions...
Juventus goalkeeper’s protest to Michael Oliver – which saw him sent off – may cause unpleasant repercussions for the embattled officials at the lowest levels of footballHeartfelt sympathy is extended to Gianluigi Buffon, of course, railing with much of Italy against the referee Michael Oliver’s last-minute penalty decision which wiped out Juventus’ marvellous three-goal Champions League second-leg comeback against Real Madrid. Oliver, remaining intently officious while the Juventus players circled him in disbelieving outrage, then met Buffon’s excessive protests with a red card, sending the great, giant goalkeeper off in the last match of his epic Champions League career.It would take a cold heart, maybe, not to support Buffon in his passionate reaction and forgive his outbursts afterwards against the...
Max and co discuss extraordinary comebacks, valiant efforts, spectacular own goals, screeching Italians and weaselsRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Jonathan Wilson and Paolo Bandini to take a look back at everything football over the last couple of days, starting with the dramatic Champions League quarter-final second legs. Continue reading...
Madrid suffered but still went through and will now sense they can win the Champions League for the third time in a row“My heart rate went up a bit but I tried to calm myself down, because I knew it would be decisive,” Cristiano Ronaldo said. All that and it came down to this: 180 minutes reduced to a single moment. A 3-0 victory for Real Madrid in Turin, 3-0 to Juventus in Madrid and then, in the 93rd and final minute, with 39 remaining seconds that would soon be considerably more, Lucas Vázquez went down, nudged by Medhi Benatia. So here they were, a semi-final waiting, everyone watching two men standing 12 yards apart at the north end of...