Ter Stegen avoids Barça's ridicule
Koeman's permanent smile is deceiving. The footballer who sees the Movistar+ Multichampions enjoys the goals, but does not decipher how the teams play. The 2-0 of the Barça gave for good the duel against a Dynamo of Kiev that was close to suspend the game for the positive ones of COVID-19. Ter Stegen was back after knee surgery in August. After the eight goals of Bayern it was time to get ready. But one could never think that he would reappear at that level. Reflexes on the goal line, miraculous feet on the hand-to-hand and impossible stops that made his teammates short. The Ukrainian goal came after a great save by Ter Stegen that nobody solved by clearing the ball. Barça's defence is performing at the same level as that of Real Madrid. You can see that they live off their quality and that they are not worked. The team is a chaos in which not even Messi puts order. Fati, Dembelé or Pedri are making war on their own. Griezmann is still in denial for the goal and Koeman took it away in the 60th minute. Piqué revealed after the match that the institutional problems affect them and that they are hoping that the elections and the new president will give stability to the team.
Real Madrid beat Inter Milan with all their weapons. Football is the most important, but also with that flower of Zidane and with that cold stadium that turns the great nights into youth matches on Sunday mornings.
Inter de Conte showed up at Di Stéfano to play that crazy football of attack and physical display with which Real Madrid suffers so much. But mistakes are part of the game. Provoking them, too. And there Benzema is a specialist. From that pressure to the goalkeeper of Liverpool in the final of Champions of 2018 to the one that he made on his ex-colleague Achraf to cause the failure in the pass to his goalkeeper. Ramos wants to earn his renewal by scoring goals. Because he also has his share of conceded goals. The white defence performs better on its own than by working together. Zidane's flower is still in place. Well watered. It's something you either have or you don't. Taking Hazard and Asensio off to get Vinicius and Rodrygo in was a dangerous move. But the gallop of one and the definition of the other proved the French coach right again. Victory of shield and jersey. Of the inertia that has moved Real Madrid in Europe for decades.
The Seville of Lopetegui. This way this team will go down in history as long as they let their coach work. The club is a permanent minefield that is activated when two defeats are added together. The comeback against Krasnodar with 10 players was a treaty of the Basque coach. In the 33rd minute, with 0-2 on the scoreboard, he took Koundé and Escudero off the pitch. He went to the break with 1-2 and with Navas expelled. The fourth change, the one that brought the pandemic, was the entry of El-Nesyri. The Moroccan scored two goals and turned the match around. Lopetegui showed that he is one of those coaches who reads the matches and makes decisions. Sevilla does not play this Champions League to make money. It will die with its style. In the round of sixteen, in the quarterfinals or against an opponent who knows how to find its weak points. Now it is his turn to tune up in La Liga in order to keep that impossible balance of the clubs which cannot support two competitions.
The Atleti is no longer the 'pupa'. At least on the pitch. Outside he has his moments. If it is not the change of stadium, it is the change of the shield or the sale of canterano players. Now Simeone's players play well, but they don't win and the thunder box opens. João Félix starts to be regular and that is important for the team. Suárez works upstairs and players like Llorente give the team attacking projection. The penalty that gave rise to the 1-1 is called today, but will not be called tomorrow. The eternal hands in the area. The team's play speaks well of Simeone. He knows that he has to supply the balls to Suárez and that Félix has the responsibility. The arrival of Kondogbia will give air to the midfield after the departure of Thomas. Playing well also wins.
A historic Champions Day with 62 goals in 16 matches. Almost four goals on average per game. Bayern contributed with a 2-6 win over Salzburg and Monchengladbach with another six against the same Shakhtar who won in Valdebebas. Liverpool stopped Atalanta's cheerful football in its tracks with a 5-0 win and Juventus enjoyed the Ferencvaros crowd with a 4-1 win and the return of Cristiano Ronaldo. Haaland in Dortmund is from another planet. Another two goals for the showcase that continue to add zeros to his future transfer.
