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Top Winners, Losers After Wednesday’s Champions League Quarterfinal Leg 2 Results
April 14, 2021
The Champions League semifinals are set.
Real Madrid will face Chelsea after Los Blancos played to a scoreless draw against Liverpool on Wednesday, winning the matchup 3-1 on aggregate. Manchester City is heading for a showdown with PSG after the Citizens beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday (4-2 on aggregate).
Below, we'll break down the day's winners and losers.
Winner: Phil Foden
City already held the edge on aggregate in the second half when Foden provided the death blow for Dortmund:
What a strike. What a player. What a future:
What makes City so difficult to beat is that it seamlessly blends superstar veterans with some of the top young talents in the world. Foden, at just 20 years old, keeps proving that his ascension to superstardom is an undeniable inevitability.
Loser: Emre Can
Dortmund looked poised to absorb City's relentless possession and ambition, at least through the first half, going into halftime with a 1-0 lead and the advantage on away goals.
And then Emre Can did this:
Ives Galarcep @SoccerByIvesGOAL Man City! Mahrez absolutely BLASTS the penalty to give City control back.<br><br>Emre Can's handball leads to the penalty. Can tried to sell the "it hit my head" excuse but his hand was so clearly in an unnatural position he wasn't getting that one.<br><br>1-1 (3-2 City), 56th min
That led to this:
Foden perhaps rendered Can's blunder a moot point with his follow-up goal—and perhaps Can has some argument for simply being unlucky that the ball nicked off his head onto his arm—but his arm shouldn't have been extended like that in the first place.
A tough way for Dortmund to concede after the controversy from the first leg.
Winner: Jude Bellingham
It was a tough day for Dortmund, though 17-year-old Jude Bellingham provided the one bright spot:
What were you doing at 17? You weren't scoring goals in the Champions League quarterfinals, surely. Well, maybe on FIFA, but that's about it.
Loser: Mo Salah and Liverpool's Front Line
Liverpool had its chances on Wednesday, namely in the first half. There were goals to be had in this game. But Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane simply couldn't convert.
Melissa Reddy @MelissaReddy_Aggressive, excellent opening 15 from Liverpool. They could have been 2-0 up but for Courtois. Real slowed things down and Benzema hit the post. But Salah and Wijnaldum had chances to end the half strongly after great build-up. Hosts did not allow Real a shot inside in the box.
James Pearce @JamesPearceLFCFT: #LFC 0 Real Madrid 0 (1-3 on agg): No return to Istanbul for Liverpool this season. This tie was effectively lost inside 40mins of the first leg. Much improved tonight but wasteful in the final third. Now 7 PL games left to try to ensure they're back in the CL next season.
It's been a tough season for the Reds, who are currently in a fight to even qualify for Champions League football next season. But failing to score a single goal in a must-win game vs. a depleted Real Madrid side will surely be considered one of the major disappointments of Liverpool's season.
Loser: Jurgen Klopp
Speaking of disappointments, there will surely be some questioning of Jurgen Klopp's tactics and starting 11 after the match.
Namely, why did Thiago come off the bench? Why not bring Diogo Jota on sooner?
Sachin Nakrani @SachinNakraniNo grey area with that Liverpool midfield: it’ll either provide team with the solid, energetic platform that leads them to glory or proves a big mistake and raises question over why Thiago is not starting the type of games he was surely signed for. <br><br>Hope for former. Fear latter.
Liverpool fans could be lamenting those decisions for some time, especially if the team can't manage to finish in the Champions League places in the Premier League.