Champions League QF Second Leg Post Match Reaction

[Johnboy]

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[Derek]

Madrid 0 1 Roma (4 3)

We went for this & pleased to create 11 chances against the great wall of Madrid.

And on another day we might have got 2.

But we lost this with a poor performance in the 1st leg.

With the coming changes we'll not get many more chances of winning the big prize. And with Man City already out can't help feeling this was a missed opportunity.

gg Steve

[Steve@Chelsea]

Real Madrid 0 - 1 Roma (4-3 Agg)

Well, you know what they say, revenge is indeed a dish best served cold, and today, we certainly delivered that cold fish dish with our own version of a tactical masterclass as the side dish.

In the first leg, we already laid the foundation for our victory, and just to set the record straight, it was a 4-2 victory for us, not the 2-0 Derek might remember.

But today, it was all about sealing the deal, and we did just that. Roma did manage to score in injury time, which did make things a bit nervy for a moment, but it was clear that Derek's tactical prowess let him down once more. Nacho, bless him, seemed to be caught in a whirlwind of positions as Roma lost their composure.

In the end, it was our game management that saw us through. We stuck to our plan, remained disciplined, and executed our strategies flawlessly. It's moments like these that remind us of the importance of preparation and teamwork.

So, Derek, it was a pleasure to have you back, but today was our day. We're moving on, and we'll keep our focus on what lies ahead with some great teams progressing and no tie will be easy at all.

[Ian]

PSG 2 - 1 Aston Villa

We took the sensible approach and entered this game very cautiously, allowing an open game against a team like PSG who would then get lots of shots away can only increase their chances of winning. Coming away with a victory though is still never going to be easy and that task wasn't helped today as our shots on target ratio was much lower than our opponents, these stats make a difference so we will now enter into a period of shooting practice on the training pitch with the players (lol). All in all though it is no disgrace to lose out to such a talented side, the PSG manager seems to finally be getting to grips with how to win games consistently with his incredibly talented team and a double for them is now very much on the cards.

[Ed@PSG]

PSG 2 Aston Villa 1
Our visitors surprised with the D tactic. It appears they were happy to try and take the game to the penalty lottery as they were still playing the D going into extra time. We started cautiously and moved up through the gears, playing A for half of the game. We got a breakthrough on 34 minutes and the game then opened up. Frustratingly the lead only lasted 4 minutes due to a fortuitous penalty (we had 2 simiaar calls waved away) and it was back to D. A conditional error meant that a fresh 21-20 Vitinha didnt come on when he should have, but we managed to grab a winner at the start of extra time. The stats possibly suggested a draw, but i felt we did enough to get the win in the first leg. Over the two games i think we did enough to win the tie. Another poor abs haul for our GK, but at least we get another 2 games - it will certainly help our quest to get the minutes for Thuram/ESR. with Roma, Man City, and Man U no longer in the competition, it is now wide open, vand any of the 4 teams are capable of lifting the trophy.

[Livi@Liverpool]

Barcelona 2 Atletico 1 (4-3 agg)

We both set up to counter attack albeit with very different formations. In a tight affair young Pedri fired us ahead on the hour mark and then we both switched tactics which saw us quickly take a 2 goal lead but almost immediately Atletico pulled it back to 2-1 which ensured a nail biting finish but thankfully we were able to see it out.

Atletico can feel hard done by, a look at the key passes we made and tackles they had to make suggests we were on the front foot and yet they had 3 more shots than us. We scored with 2 from 3 on target which is very rare so as I say fortunate for us. That said over the many years I've had umpteen of these go against us so we're happy to take it on this occasion.

A semi final slot in the best competition in the game is very good for us and there's no reason we can't go all the way despite the strength/quality of the other sides.

Hard lines Marshy I know this will be a tough one to take for you. There's no question in my mind that Atletico are destined for a bright future with you at the helm so I'm sure you'll be back regularly featuring in these sort of match ups.

[Darren]

Bayern Munich 1 - 3 Arsenal

Going into this level at one a piece, we were always going to be up against it especially being away from home but we keep the flag flying for the English sides with a god win to book our place in the semi finals. Going a goal down, it was good to see us switch it about and come back to win 3-1, two of the goals coming from Thiago whos future was in doubt before the games.

A massive draw next whoever we get, better sides than us but we fully deserve our place and we know anything can happen so we can look forward to another round among some good sides and Managers.

Played Jonbo

[Marshy@Atletico]

Barcelona 2 Atletico Madrid 1

GG Livi

We expected another close encounter and that's exactly what we got. Barcelona had the 23-rated striker, and Atletico deliberately splashed out big cash to ensure they had a 23-rated goalkeeper for the quarter finals. Atletico shaded this game, and both legs and so can consider themselves unfortunate to go out 3-4 on aggregate with a combined shot count of 24-18. Musso just has not lived up to his reputation since signing for the club.

Manager Simon Marsh commented "We got through the group of death, which in itself makes this European adventure a success. Having got here though we are disappointed not to go through to the semi-finals after two decent performances. There are a lot of great clubs and you never know when your next quarter final will come along. When the opportunity arises you have to take it and we haven't quite done that".

Good luck to all the semi-finalists - Livi, SteveT, Ed and Darren