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The Colchoneros prevailed on Wednesday against Borussia Dortmund (2-1), a score, however, that does not put Atlético de Madrid out of the woods for a turnaround next week in Germany. Meanwhile, at the Parc des Princes, it was the victorious Catalans (3-2) who offered Parisians a chance to create their own “remontada” at Camp Nou.
Griezmann the Provider, Haller on Time
In the bustling atmosphere of the Metropolitano stadium, where a record crowd of over 70,000 spectators gathered, the fierce Colchoneros led by Antoine Griezmann stifled their German rivals. The Spaniards deployed incessant pressing that proved fruitful, quickly propelling them ahead 2-0 after just 30 minutes of play. The Colchoneros, dazzling in their performance, delivered a spectacle worthy of a sporting symphony. Meanwhile, the Germans were overwhelmed by the relentless waves of the Madrid team, following a disastrous start to the match where defensive errors multiplied.
The Colchoneros started off on the right foot, literally suffocating Borussia Dortmund with their aggression and constant commitment to pressing and counter-pressing. Destabilized, Dortmund conceded as early as the 4th minute following a central ball loss by Maatsen. The Argentine World Cup champion, De Paul, took advantage to open the scoring for the Spaniards (1-0, 4′).
Shortly after the half-hour mark, Alvaro Morata capitalized on a misunderstanding between Mats Hummels and Nico Schlotterbeck to retrieve the ball and pass it to Antoine Griezmann, who provided an assist to Samuel Lino (2-0, 32′). This season, in the Champions League, Atlético de Madrid has found the back of the net 21 times in nine matches. Lino, scoring his third goal of the season in the Champions League, proved formidable on numerous occasions.
The Borussia Wakes Up
Borussia regained composure in the second half, suffering less and showing a bit more control in the game. However, Atlético left nothing to chance. The Colchoneros were unwavering, demonstrating firm determination. After setting a frenetic pace in the first half, they managed to maintain their advantage in the second half, maintaining a devastating counter-attack capability. But unexpectedly, Sébastien Haller gave hope to the Germans by narrowing the gap (2-1, 81′).
At the Parc, the Dice Are Cast for the Catalans
PSG suffered a home defeat against FC Barcelona on Wednesday in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals (2-3). The Parisians will have to achieve a feat in Spain in six days to hope to qualify.
Barça’s talented youth proved to be a constant threat to PSG. It was prodigy Pau Cubarsi who triggered it all, with a pinpoint pass that pierced an imprecise Parisian defense. The dynamic Yamine Lamal orchestrated the rest, sending a cross from the outside of his left foot that Gianluigi Donnarumma could only deflect to Raphinha, who seized the opportunity to open the scoring with a shot from his right foot (0-1, 37′).
Paris Found Its Momentum
Paris dug deep into its resources to get back into the game, notably thanks to the tactical substitution made by Luis Enrique, who replaced Marco Asensio with Bradley Barcola at halftime. In the span of three minutes, PSG thought they had completely turned the situation around, first with a masterful strike from Ousmane Dembélé under the bar (1-1, 48′) followed by a collective action concluded by Vitinha (2-1, 51′).
But as soon as he came on, Pedri put his team back on track by delivering a magnificent ball to Raphinha, for an equally sublime finish against Gianluigi Donnarumma (2-2, 62′). The Italian could be held responsible for the third Barcelona goal, scored by Andreas Christensen from a corner (2-3, 77′) in the last quarter of an hour.
The outcome of these quarter-finals is approaching, a wait that promises once again a spectacle worthy of the world’s most popular sport.
