Here’s what happened in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, in case you missed it…
The results
Watch match highlights: Bayern Munich 1, Arsenal 1 | Atletico Madrid 4, AC Milan 1
Read match reports: Bayern secures 3-1 aggregate win | Costa, Atletico defeat Milan
Thoughts on the day
1. Beware of Atletico Madrid: Milan should consider itself lucky—the damage could have been much worse. Atletico Madrid was absolutely sensational before their fans at the heaving Vicente Calderon Stadium, whipping the Italians into submission with their tempered attacking play. Diego Costa’s two goals led the way for Los Colchoneros, and Turkish winger Arda Turan was a whirlwind of action, threading passes to teammates that made Milan’s defence look feeble. Turan’s physical presence and ability to win back possession make him an all-around player of great influence, as the Italians discovered to their peril. Other effective contributors included Raul Garcia and Gabi, serving as the midfield axis upon which Atletico’s dangerous attack swivelled. There is a fearlessness to this Atletico side that manager Diego Simeone has assembled; a supreme confidence, an attitude that will serve them well going forward. It’s a big reason why they could win La Liga this season and why they’re rarely out of any game. Milan stole the momentum away from them when they equalized through Kaka and looked to be in the ascendency. But Atletico never buckled, and quickly put the game beyond the reach of the Italians just before halftime. With Costa in fine form, a sensational goalkeeper in Thibaut Courtois, and solid defence anchored by Diego Godin and Miranda, and a wonderfully dynamic midfield, Atletico is one of the most balanced teams remaining in the competition, and look poised to make a run at the title. They won’t be a soft touch in the next round.
2. The Bayern machine rolls on: Really, the 1-1 score flattered the Gunners, as the defending European champions put forth a professional performance and their spot to the quarterfinals was never at risk. Sitting on a 2-0 lead from the first leg in London, the German giants never looked to be in danger in this one—they were well organized and controlled the pace of the match throughout. Only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looked threatening for Arsenal, and even then, his effectiveness was limited to a few spurts. Bayern suffocated Arsenal in midfield thanks in large part to the play of Bastian Schweinsteiger, while speedsters Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery did the heavy lifting in attack. Like Atletico, this is an incredibly balanced Bayern side that looks unstoppable. No team has ever repeated as winners in the Champions League era, but you have to think Bayern has a shot at it this year. The Bavarians are coasting in the Bundesliga (with a 20 point lead), they’re led by a coach who has something to prove and have such depth that they left players the calibre of Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller on the bench for this one. Also, they’ve mastered the art of tournament management, getting to the final eight without really shifting into top gear. How much more dangerous are they going to be now that they’re entering the business end of the Champions League?
Wednesday programming alert: Watch Barcelona vs. Manchester City (on Sportsnet) and Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bayer Leverkusen (on Sportsnet World). Live coverage begins at 3:30 pm ET/12:30 pm PT. | Sportsnet World Online | TV schedule
Stat of the day
30 – Kaka has scored his 30th goal in the Champions League, more than any other Brazilian player. Samba.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) March 11, 2014
Goal of the day
Atletico’s Diego Costa opened the scoring in the third minute, throwing himself forward in the air to connect on a wonderful and amazing kung-fu inspired volley off a cross from teammate Koke past Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
Save of the day
Arsenal’s Lukasz Fabianski came up with a fabulous double stop on Thomas Muller in extra time, his trailing leg stopping the German’s driving penalty attempt, and then beating Muller to the rebound and pushing the ball away as it spun around on the goal-line.
Goat of the day
Milan defender Adil Rami was caught ball watching on Atletico’s first goal, as Diego Costa peeled away from him on Koke’s perfect cross into the box and then scored past Abbiati. On Atletico’s second goal just before halftime, Arda Turan’s half-volley from the edge of the box took a huge deflection off Rami to loop over a helpless Abbiati, restoring the Spanish club’s lead, stunting Milan’s momentum in the process.
Question of the day
[polldaddy poll=7870750]
Tweet of the day
Diego Costa Kung-fu's Atleti into the lead. pic.twitter.com/T7LIzAuBu4
— AS English (@English_AS) March 11, 2014
3 stars
1) Diego Costa: The Brazilian-born Spanish international bagged a brace, and proved too much to handle for Milan’s defence with his pace and direct play, to say nothing of his probing runs.
2) Arda Turan: The young Turk scored, but was also the key man in Atletico’s defence, supplying inch perfect passes for teammates and offering a physical presence.
3) Franck Ribery: The Frenchman was a constant threat down the flanks with his speed, and delivered quality passes, including on Bastian Schweinsteiger’s goal.
Soccer Central podcast: SPORTSNET.CA’s Soccer Central podcast, hosted by John Molinaro and James Sharman, takes an in-depth look at the beautiful game and offers timely and thoughtful analysis on the sport’s biggest issues. To listen and subscribe to the podcast, CLICK HERE.