Madrid vs City

[joplass]

What a game of football, Madrid 2 City 1 only 14 minutes in.

[Coach]

City can’t defend to save their lives. Struggled with Mateta on the weekend, tonight could get very messy. Josko Umpamegvardiol.

[Coach]

Can Akanji go the distance?

[joplass]

I will be very surprised if City does not win this in two ties. Madrid players seem not to know how to take care of the ball.

[joplass]

Kai City taking Madrid to school 2-3

[Coach]

The White Upamecano strikes. Heavens. From being made a mess of by Mateta, to impersonating Robby Carlos vs Madrid. Ridiculous. Crikey, how “easy peasy” was the turnaround.

[joplass]

Beautiful game of football. This should have been the finale.

[Coach]

Primary school playground defending after 3 pots of jelly each. Laughable.

[Coach]

Far too much friendly, friendly at full time. All bromance and BFFLs. Miss the golden era, the 70-80s, hands thrown at full time, both dugouts steaming in. Big barney in the tunnel. Bent noses in the press conference. What a game it once was.

[txj]

Primary school playground defending after 3 pots of jelly each. Laughable.

LOL.

Those are WC goals and of the highest quality.

As was the defending BTW...

Sometimes you just have to recognize the quality on display...

[balo]

All 6 goals were awesome.

[Bigpokey24]

Best champs league match this season

[Coach]

@Tx, behave. Entertaining exhibition but defensively, a case of who spiked the water bottles. Leading up to Bernie’s free kick, how far was Grealish allowed to carry the ball before being engaged? Looked like an outtake from United vs Liverpool.

Camavinga’s equaliser, Grealish returns the compliment, tracking the run with as much interest as a 0% savings account.

The City high line despite a lack of pace in recovery. Time and again the ball over the top or our wide had them running in treacle to retreat. Rodrigo’s goal. Ridiculous.

At 2-1, same party trick, ball out wide, ball down the side and the City defence were at sixes and sevens. Vinicius should’ve scored.

Foden’s goal, half of the population of Madrid clustering on the left, the centre, wide open. Look at the distance between Foden and any one in white. Did you see the danger? No Senor.

Gvardiol’s strike was brilliant but to turn a blind eye to the heavy first touch and Kroos’ reaction is criminal. The ball rolls a metre if not more away from Josko and Kroos? Too busy plating up his paella.

Valverde’s strike, absolutely stunning and fittingly had elements of all the defensive disarray in the five before it.

Todd Boehly wanted footsketball, yesterday he got it, of the highest calibre.

[Mr. Piffington]

Far too much friendly, friendly at full time. All bromance and BFFLs. Miss the golden era, the 70-80s, hands thrown at full time, both dugouts steaming in. Big barney in the tunnel. Bent noses in the press conference. What a game it once was.

I don't understand why some people like theatrics of players fighting each other, it's not that serious. As long as the quality of football is high then they can hug it out at the end for all I care.

[txj]

@Tx, behave. Entertaining exhibition but defensively, a case of who spiked the water bottles. Leading up to Bernie’s free kick, how far was Grealish allowed to carry the ball before being engaged? Looked like an outtake from United vs Liverpool.

Camavinga’s equaliser, Grealish returns the compliment, tracking the run with as much interest as a 0% savings account.

The City high line despite a lack of pace in recovery. Time and again the ball over the top or our wide had them running in treacle to retreat. Rodrigo’s goal. Ridiculous.

At 2-1, same party trick, ball out wide, ball down the side and the City defence were at sixes and sevens. Vinicius should’ve scored.

Foden’s goal, half of the population of Madrid clustering on the left, the centre, wide open. Look at the distance between Foden and any one in white. Did you see the danger? No Senor.

Gvardiol’s strike was brilliant but to turn a blind eye to the heavy first touch and Kroos’ reaction is criminal. The ball rolls a metre if not more away from Josko and Kroos? Too busy plating up his paella.

Valverde’s strike, absolutely stunning and fittingly had elements of all the defensive disarray in the five before it.

Todd Boehly wanted footsketball, yesterday he got it, of the highest calibre.

Its typically British to look without seeing

The best laid out attack will always find gaps. Not so much because gaps exist than that they're created!

Gimme Rory Delap!
Get stuck in on a Tuesday night in Stoke!

No sir!

Itz ze art senor

[Coach]

^AntiEPLitism. Blind bias. Great goals, aided and abetted by shocking defending. Facts not feelings. Let Nigeria concede a goal like Gvardiol’s and the Toni Kroos, be he Onyeka or Ndidi, is kneecapped, kidnapped and stewed by a Babalowo.

[Coach]

@Piffington, on the contrary, it is that serious an arguably much more. Therein lies the problem, what is true in the manufactured make believe of the millennials? A kiss of a crest one minute, a chuckle and embrace with the opponent the next. Blasphemy.

The sport is more than pig bladder and score. The pitch is an extension of the battlegrounds of social strata, of warring factions and divergent minds. Steeped in history for all posterity.

The clashing swords of Catholic and Protestant manifest as microcosm in the Old Firm Derby. 100s of years past and all eternity to come, sectarian roars from the terraces, full blooded replies. Not that serious? Belfast begs to differ.

And of England’s own, the North-South divide reaches further back than the fingertips of time fully extended. Back before the unification, a history rich in loathe and disdain. Cuddles and kisses at the whistle with the badge upon the chest, apoplexy of the cortices at best. To sign is to conscript, to deviate is desertion. Bromance to the hearts content beyond the walls, but in the colosseum, give it to us raw and wriggling.

When last was a Derby just that? On the cobbles the creed is kept and remains gospel. Pop a Fly Emirates on ask for a pint at the Bricklayers Arms and your arms, legs and torso will be laid under those very bricks. Dare they at the YA at the Tollington, they’ll have much the same and some.

Born and bred. Reared and raised. Cadet to full conscript. Half time or full time, get stuck in. Too bl**dy right it’s that serious.

[ohsee]

Primary school playground defending after 3 pots of jelly each. Laughable.

LOL.

Those are WC goals and of the highest quality.

As was the defending BTW...

Sometimes you just have to recognize the quality on display...

For once I gree wit dis bobo.

[wiseone]

I will be very surprised if City does not win this in two ties. Madrid players seem not to know how to take care of the ball.

[wiseone]

Someone posted this on the Guardian comments section:

“ A game of details where calmness needed to prevail.

Contrast this : during preparation for the penalties you can see Guardiola ...... being Guardiola - hyperactive shouting at his players during the huddle and that shouting huddle lasted the entire 5 minutes until they went to throw the coin.

In a separate shot, as players were coming off the pitch at the end of extra time, the first thing Ancelotti did was to head straight for his goalkeeper and remind him to go and see the goalkeeping coach to re-study where the Manchester City players usually place their penalties - the shot continues and you see the goalkeeper going up two rows of seats to sit down with the goalkeeping coach, on their own, away from the mayhem. Separately Ancelotti goes back to the rest of his players, convenes a huddle, says one or two things that take no longer than 20 seconds, huddle, and then walks away leaving them to calmly concentrate listening to his assistant explaining who will be taking the penalties.

Did that win it ?

I think so. Unnerved by the thoughtlessness of the Manchester City supporters keeping the ball in the stands, and pumped up for 5 minutes by his hyperactive manager, Bernardo Silva loses all calmness in the face of this unusual situation : instead of staying on the spot waiting for someone to give him the ball he races beyond the goalline to get the ball from the supporters, places it and goes for his penalty without settling down, without re-thinking what he really wanted to do with THIS goalkeeper - this in turn was made worse by the calm goalkeeper, his coach's notes fresh in his mind, not moving one inch, banking on Silva attempting to chip in in the middle. Surreal. That was the turning point as it then put Kovacic under pressure.

I admire Guardiola, one of the best coaches in the World, without question, but you have to be amazed by the very best of them, Ancelotti - stunning calmness !”

[Coach]

Ancelotti’s eyebrow was on the 7th floor of a 12 storey building. At that point it became clear he’d already seen the ending. Rewind to last season’s contest, the very same eyebrow was higher than Icarus on methamphetamine.

[mcal]

Someone posted this on the Guardian comments section:

“ A game of details where calmness needed to prevail.

Contrast this : during preparation for the penalties you can see Guardiola ...... being Guardiola - hyperactive shouting at his players during the huddle and that shouting huddle lasted the entire 5 minutes until they went to throw the coin.

In a separate shot, as players were coming off the pitch at the end of extra time, the first thing Ancelotti did was to head straight for his goalkeeper and remind him to go and see the goalkeeping coach to re-study where the Manchester City players usually place their penalties - the shot continues and you see the goalkeeper going up two rows of seats to sit down with the goalkeeping coach, on their own, away from the mayhem. Separately Ancelotti goes back to the rest of his players, convenes a huddle, says one or two things that take no longer than 20 seconds, huddle, and then walks away leaving them to calmly concentrate listening to his assistant explaining who will be taking the penalties.

Did that win it ?

I think so. Unnerved by the thoughtlessness of the Manchester City supporters keeping the ball in the stands, and pumped up for 5 minutes by his hyperactive manager, Bernardo Silva loses all calmness in the face of this unusual situation : instead of staying on the spot waiting for someone to give him the ball he races beyond the goalline to get the ball from the supporters, places it and goes for his penalty without settling down, without re-thinking what he really wanted to do with THIS goalkeeper - this in turn was made worse by the calm goalkeeper, his coach's notes fresh in his mind, not moving one inch, banking on Silva attempting to chip in in the middle. Surreal. That was the turning point as it then put Kovacic under pressure.

I admire Guardiola, one of the best coaches in the World, without question, but you have to be amazed by the very best of them, Ancelotti - stunning calmness !”

...penalty shootout is a combo of luck and better goalie.
Also what goalie was more active during match seem to be more warmed up to final event.
Note, Madrid 'keeper was more active while City goalie was relaxed at his end while his outfield players were peppering Madrid goal.

[wiseone]

I think having a good penalty technique, research on opposition penalty takers, and being able to hold one’s nerve are a lot more relevant than luck.

...penalty shootout is a combo of luck and better goalie.
Also what goalie was more active during match seem to be more warmed up to final event.
Note, Madrid 'keeper was more active while City goalie was relaxed at his end while his outfield players were peppering Madrid goal.