PSG again in the final

It was virtually impossible that the second-leg match would be as good as the first leg between PSG and Bayern Munich, but it was still a good match. PSG were in my view the better team overall, highly organised, and having learnt from the mistakes of the first match, they closed down Olise and Kimmich in midfield, held back after Ousmane Dembele early goal on a counter-attack, and remained a deadly force on the counterattack, with Manuel Neuer being the saviour on many occasions for Bayern Munich. 

Many players are worth mentioning, but Kvisha Kvaraskhelia and Ousmane Dembele are perhaps two of the best players in the world right now; the former will surely be missed in the World Cup, but Dembele will hopefully shine in North America this summer (not because I support France - certainly not - but I just want to enjoy watching an artist shine in his trade). 

But Bayern Munich were not hapless. They created great chances that in the previous match would have given goals, and the well-deserved equalizer by Harry Kane in the last minute only came too late. What is a shame in the match was the referee Joao Pinheiro, who decided to oversee two clear handballs in core situations that could have given Bayern Munich an edge. The handball inside the area by the referee's namesake  Joao Neves was more a penalty kick than the bad penalty call against Alphonse Davies in the previous match. And Nuno Mendes should have been given a second yellow card for handball earlier as well.

The best team won, and it was a great match, but it is a pity that with all this VAR, a great contest it made controversial by a very very poor referee.

PSG are now in the second final in a row, and favourites to take their second title in a row, but anything can happen in a final. Arsenal are in the final after defeating Atletico Madrid in two matches that were frankly a bore, and Arsenal, despite their solid lead in the Premier League, are surely not as complete as PSG, but are not hapless; a goal on one of their signature free kicks and a solid defense (and a bit of luck), and they could take the title... 

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

Sometimes you get two teams with great players, both teams full of confidence that they are the best, they are on a roll in their leagues, and have offensive style based on their confidence. And suddenly they are playing an important match (let us say a semifinal) where they can display all their skills and style.

Then you get an extraordinary match, and that is what happened today in the CL first leg semifinal between PSG and Bayern Munich.

Do not mistake me; it was not perfect in the sense that there were mistakes (including by the referee when awarding a penalty kick for handball), poor defending, and the occasional technical mistake, but frankly these are parts of a match that had it all.

I was working, listening on the radio, but by the score 2-1 for PSG I shifted to the TV; Harry Kane had brought the visitors ahead 0-1 on a penalty kick, but shortly after Kvisha Kvarashkelia scored his first of two great goals where he showed his fantastic skills, and a bit later Joao Neves brought the Parisians ahead. The great Frenchman playing for the German side, Michael Olise, ran through the PSG central defense to make it 2-2 before Ousmane Dembele made it 3-2 on a handball call that in my view was not a penalty.

3-2 at halftime, the match had already been extraordinary (it could have been 5-5), but it was PSG who came out with a high and steady pressure on Bayern Munich’s shaky defense, with Kvarashkelia scoring his second and Ousmane Dembele making it 5-2 on a quick counterattack: it appeared at this point that the Germans were defeated, but truly, if we know anything it is that Bayern is never defeated.

Another Frenchman, Dayot Upamecano made it 5-3 on a header and poor defending, and suddenly it was Bayern Munich who was pressuring a PSG side that pulled back but was still a deadly menace on counterattack. It was the Colombian Luis Diaz who made it 5-4 winning a thrilling 1 on 1 duel with Marquinhos.

The match could easily have had more goals, but you could also sense the tiredness in all these footballing heroes at the end of the match, which ended with a French 5-4 victory, and the most goals scored in a single semifinal match in the CL ever.

This was perhaps the best match we will see this decade (if not century), and surely the best match of the year.

Forget the World Cup.

Next week is the second leg in Munich, but considering what we saw today, anything can happen, and I just look forward to seeing these two great sides, whom I thank from the bottom of my footballing heart for today.

Wish I watched

 Unfortunately been having some health problems lately, so given this and time difference I was unable to watch the clash between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in the Champions league. I suspected it would be a memorable encounter, and indeed it was, as I was only able to watch detailed replays later on.

I missed a great match with amazing goals. As always and annoyingly, Real Madrid are never really beaten, and the fought hard to get back from the 1-2 defeat in Madrid. Arda Guler scored twice within the first half hour: punishing a serious mistake by Manuel Neuer, and a wonderful free kick, with Mbappe scoring a third just before halftime. But Bayern Munich had also struck: Aleksander Pavlovic had scored on a header where the Real Madrid goalkeeper Lunin also looked out of place, and Harry Kane had scored on a splendid pass by Upamecano.

Just first half had already been epic as I just lay crying.

Second half continued with attacks from both sides, in particular Real Madrid trying to take a definitive lead, and Manuel Neuer saving the day more than once. But it took a splendid strike by the Colombian Lucho Diaz to equalize and effectively eliminate Real Madrid, who in the last minutes nevertheless attacked, leaving space in the back for the best player of the match: in the 94th minute the splendid Michael Olise could have taken time, but instead went towards scored on a marvelous strike that gave Bayern Munich the 4-3 victory.

Epic.

Bayern Munich sign in as favourites, but also in footballing terms; they are a true joy to watch, but also make many mistakes, thus making them enjoyably vulnerable... 

The semifinals are as follows:

• Paris Saint Germain-Bayern Munich
• Atletico Madrid-Arsenal

 

Bayern strikes first

Real Madrid versus Bayern Munich are always intense matches, and tonight's CL first-leg quarterfinal in Madrid did not disappoint. 

Bayern dominated the match from the start; at the same time there were many individual mistakes that could have cost goals. In particular Luis Diaz seemed absent from the match, but it was him who scored first for the Bavarians when they counterattacked quickly following a lost ball by Real Madrid. Soon into the second half Harry Kane scored a second for Bayern Munich, and at this point it almost appeared that they could humiliate Real Madrid. But one has to respect Real Madrid, who facing adversity nevertheless pushed forward, and good old Manuel Neuer (who nevertheless did also look shaky at the start of the match) had to pull some spectacular saves. In the end Kylian Mbappe managed to score one for Madrid, but pushing forward they also opened for chances in the back, where Bayern could or should have sealed the match. Young Jamal Musiala returned to the Bayern team as a substitute, but after a long injury pause looked a bit afraid, while Michael Olise was the best player of the match (Real Madrid is apparently very interested in signing him, and today's match must only have reinforced their interest).

A 1-2 lead for Bayern Munich should put them with one foot in the semifinals before next week's match at Allianz Arena, but in the end Real Madrid showed that they can still rise from adversity, even when Bayern has all the aces.

Bayern on record course

Trying to forget a bit the whole World Cup, yesterday I watched a match from the German league: Freiburg versus Bayern Munich. 

Mighty Bayern are on the way to take the title yet again (their 13th in the last 14 seasons) in record format. Before the Freiburg match they had 97 goals, well on the way to beat their 1972 record of 101 goals. But it was not to be easy against Freiburg. After 0-0 in the first half the side from Baden-Wurttenberg managed to get ahead 2-0 by way of Johan Manzambi and Lucas Höler on two mistakes by the now rather old Manuel Neuer. 

Freiburg was still leading with 10 minutes to go when the young Tom Bischof scored his first two goals ever for Bayern Munich, and made it 2-2 on two great strikes from outside the box to the massive disappointment of the Freiburg fans. And it was to get worse: 8 minutes into added time another youngster, Lennart Karl, scored the winner and 100th season goal for Bayern Munich as the Freiburg defense just waited for the match to end.

Bayern Munich will be champions again. 

The CL quarterfinal

 We have reached the quarterfinals of the CL, with some exciting matches ahead:

• Paris St. Germain-Liverpool: The defending champions dispatched the world champions, Chelsea, and will be facing the great Liverpool side, but who will be looking to fight for a good result against a PSG side that is looking to repeat the title
• Real Madrid-Bayern Munich: perhaps an early final? Bayern Munich have been awesome, and destroyed Atalanta in the previous round while Real Madrid are... welll... Real Madrid, who can win it all
• Barcelona-Atletico Madrid: a Spanish derby, where Barcelona are probably favourites, but never ever discount Atletico, although they faced the poorest side in the tournament, Tottenham, and still had to fight to make it.
• Sporting Lisbon-Arsenal: Sporting Lisbon impressed by eliminating fan favourites Bodø/Glimt when everything seemed against them, and this fighting spirit will have to be as strong if they are to defeat an Arsenal side that is surely a light-dark horse for the title?

All these matches are worth watching. 

The Great Alphonse Davies

The Budumburam refugee camp in Ghana was a refuge for thousands and thousands refugees from Liberia, who fled the bloody civil war that destroyed the country in the 1990s and early 2000s. The squalid conditions of the camp were better than the utter destruction that the Liberians had fled, and many stayed in the camp for years, even decades, trying on the one hand to move somewhere else, or on the other hand to create a new life in Ghana. 

In 2000 a baby was born in the camp’s basic clinic run by UNHCR. The baby’s parents had fled the violence of Monrovia, and had applied for asylum in North America. The little family nevertheless stayed five year at Budumburum before being able to relocate to Canada and start a new life. 

The little boy, Alphonso Davies, would go on to be the youngest player to sign an MLS contract, the youngest player to debut and score on the Canadian national team, and the scorer of Canada’s first World Cup goal ever. He was signed by mighty Bayern Munich where he became the first Canadian to win the Champions League. Widely hailed as one of the best left-backs in the world, Alphonso Davies life started in the most difficult conditions imaginable, but he brought glory to his adopted country.

Manuel (not so) Neuer

 Manuel Neuer is no longer so Neuer. In fact he is old, and while he was certainly the world's best goalkeeper in 2014, he is not the best any longer. In 2014 he was a crucial piece of the German World Cup winners, in particular he playing very forward to compensate for the slow German central defenders. He is the only player left from that great German side, but age has also showed now, and he was also part of the disappointments of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

So it is probably with this in mind that Manuel Neuer has announced his retirement from the German national team, and perhaps it is a prelude to announce his full retirement when his contract with Bayern Munich expires in 2025.

He will be missed, but probably the right time to retire.

Real Madrid (likely) champions

We have the two finalists of this year's Champions League: Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. 

Borussia Dortmund defeated a shallow Paris St. Germain who everyone expected to be better at home in Paris after the narrow loss in Germany. One has to wonder whether they underestimated Dormund as Luis Enrique's tactics appeared unprepared for a side that was well-organised in defense and threatening on counterattacks. Even when Dortmund went ahead by the veteran Mats Hummels after a corner kick, the Parisians appeared unable to open Dortmund, who are deservedly in their third Champions League final. 

It does appear unlikely however, that Borussia Dortmund can win their second title as they will be facing the defending champions of Real Madrid, as well as a likely referee... 

Over the two matches against Bayern Munich, Real Madrid were good: they tied 2-2 in Munich, an excellent result before going back to Madrid. And indeed they pressured well in a first half that nevertheless ended 0-0, in part thanks to Manuel Neuer who looked like in his younger days. In the second half Bayern made some good changes, most of all Alphonse Davies, who came in with speed and technique, scoring a fantastic goal to bring the Germans ahead, and it looked like a German victory until the 88th minute when Joselu was on the spot when none other than the great Manuel Neuer could not hold the ball, and dropped it at Joselu's feet. 

1-1 still looked like extra time when Joselu scored for 2-1 in a situation that almost looked like off-side, but wasn’t. It was then that the referees took over to ensure Madrid's victory: Matthijs de Ligt scored for Bayern Munich, but was called off-side in a situation where the referee should never have whistled (let the play continue, as is the general rule), and Rudiger's arm appeared to cancel the offside. These things happen, yes, but in the world of VAR they shouldn't, and less should they happen when in such an important match. 

Congratulations to Real Madrid for the Champions League title!

Leverkusen!

The German Bundesliga have new champions for the first time in 11 seasons, all of which have been won by Bayern Munchen. Bayer Leverkusen won their first title ever in style. with seven matches to go they are 16 points clear of Bayern Munchen and have in fact not lost a single match the entire season, something that could cement this incredible victory under Manager Xabi Alonso, who is already touted as one of the new great managers of the world, and may have offers from many of the clubs he played for as a player, such as Bayern Munchen, Real Madrid and Liverpool. 

That said he appears to want to stay in North Rhine-Westphalia with a club that had only been runners-up (and a memorable Champions League final in 2002). And more may be in store for Leverkusen this season, as they are on their way to the semifinals of the Europa League, after defeating West Ham 2-0, a tournament they are so far also undefeated at.

I think Leverkusen's victory is great for German football, as Bayern's dominance is broken by a team that plays good football and has managed to put together a solid side of players from all over the world, as well as many young players, but without any overshadowing superstar. Leverkusen are above all a team!

Champions and losers

 Both the Premier League and the Bundesliga ended this weekend. 

In the Premier League we already knew that Manchester City won the league ahead of an Arsenal side that had it all until the last stretch. Liverpool were close to catch Manchester United, but the Manchester side did well in its last stretch and even made it to third place, while Liverpool stayed fifth and will only play the Europa League next season. In the meantime, Newcastle's Arab investment paid off and on fourth place the old club full of traditions will be in the Champions League next season. Birghton is the other big surprise as they will be playing Europa League next season, after taking sixth spot.

The biggest disappointment in my view is in terms of relegation: two big clubs, Leicester and Leeds are being relegated. Leicester only seven years after winning the league in one of the biggest sensations of all time.

I hope both sides will return soon.

The Bundesliga had no champion until the last round, and it all looked set for Borussia Dortmund to take the title from Bayern Munich. All the had to do was win at home to Mainz. Alas, it didn't work. They were down 0-2, missed a penalty, and only managed to equalize in the dying seconds. In the meantime, Bayern Munich was playing Cologne; also needing to win, Jamal Musiala gave them the winning 2-1 goal in the 89th minute, and with that the 11th Bundesliga title in a row, in a league that is evermore onesided.

No league football for a while now....

The semifinalists

The Champions League 2022-23 semifinals will be two of the most exciting semifinals for a long time, with a potentially historical final.

Real Madrid-Manchester City

Surely two of the sides everyone expected to see in the final. The defending champions of Real Madrid have not been as lucky as last season, but have rather looked solid in particular in their defeat of Chelsea. In the meantime Manchester City must surely be seeing themselves as potential winners of their first CL title in particular as they were quick in trashing a usually strong Bayern Munich, who is looking to reconstruct the team under Tuchel. Both of these teams are potential champions.

Inter Milan-AC Milan

After so many years during which Italian teams have been absent, there will surely be a finalist from Italy this year. Last time an Italian team was in the final was Juventus in 2017, and last time an Italian team won was Inter Milan in 2010. Inter are again in the semifinal and it will be a local derby as they face AC Milan, who took out the Seria A leader of Napoli. As everyone knows, when these teams play, anyone can win, so it will surely be a clash to watch.

If the final happens to be Real Madrid-Milan, it will be the two most winning sides in European champions' history, so that itself will be historical. But no matter what happens, history is in the making.

The PSG stars are out again

 Paris St. Germain are a team of superstars, but as everyone knows you cannot construct a team just by superstars, and the Parisians were up against the wall as they faced Bayern Munich in Munich. And Bayern Munich are certainly also a team of superstars, but who to a much greater degree play like a team, and with tactical discipline and intelligence closed down the great potential threats posed by Messi and Mbappé.

PSG had their chances in the first half, and should have been ahead had it not been for a spectacular goalline clearance by Matthijs de Ligt. 0-0 at halftime, PSG still had hope, but Bayern Munich were far superior in the second half, with Eric Choupo-Moting bringing the Germans ahead after a clumsy mistake by Marco Verratti. And as PSG put everything forward, Serge Gnabry elegantly brought Bayern ahead 2-0 in the last minute of the match, and PSG's stars are again out.

This will surely cost Christophe Galtier his job, but the problem goes much deeper that the manager. You need to build a team!

First Champions League knock out round

Yesterday I escaped from the office to watch the highly expected clash between Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain. In Paris, the highly rated French side (Bayern's lineup had more Frenchmen than the Parisian side showing the true Europeanisation of European football) were supposed to pull a good result before a return match in Munich, but were unable to in a match where the German team was superior throughout the match, and although Donnarumma should have caught Kingsley Coman's winning goal, the victory was fully deserved. The side with Messi, Neymar, Marquinhos, Mbappe, does simply not show any seeworthy and efficient football, and are likely again out of the CL.

In the meantime Tottenham lost 0-1 to AC Milan, but an exciting match awaits back in London.

Today I also managed to watch most of Borussia Dortmund against Chelsea. Chelsea's new players Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mikhailo Mudryk were all on the pitch and played a fine match where Chelsea could have deserved a goal, but in the end the German side won a good match on a splendid counterattacking goal by Karim Adeyemi. It all points to an exciting return match in London!

In the meantime, Benfica defeated Club Brugge 0-2 in Belgium, and are already looking towards a quarterfinal.

Supporting Chelsea for a day

It was a fantastic match between Real Madrid and Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, and as I got into the match, and Chelsea appeared on the way of doing the impossible after losing the match 1-3 at home, I was totally behind Chelsea when they were up 0-3 (and huge respect for the fantastic charisma and qualities of Antonio Rudiger, and Timo Werner's great third goal).

But Real Madrid are the best club in history for a reason. 0-3 down Luka Modric pulled what was simply a world class pass to Rodrygo who could easily first-time the ball into goal, and extra time of a great match that was perfect for neutral fans.

Karim Benzema scored the 2-3 for the Spanish side in extra time, and put Real Madrid in the semifinals and eliminated the defending champions.

Real Madrid are not playing great; against PSG they were the lesser team for three halves. But they punish every mistake and have the edge when it counts, and nobody should underestimate them.

In what was a bigger surprise though, Villarreal eliminated mighty Bayern Munich after 1-1 in Munich. Villarreal eliminated Juventus, and are the surprise side in the semifinals. They do not play great football, but rely on a solid defense and counter-attack, but it would be great to see a small team go all the way anyway!

Parisian nailbiter!

 The quarterfinal of this season Champions League between Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain was an outstanding drama of last season's finalists. Bayern Munich played like worthy champions in both matches. In the home match they were hampered by the absence of Lewandowski as they created chance upon chance, only to be trumped by Paris St. Germain's efficiency in the form of Kylian Mbappe's efficiency. 

So all the cards were in the Parisians hands before tonight's second leg in Paris. 

At least in the first half the cards from the first match seemed to be reversed as PSG attacked and had numerous chances for a goal, while Bayern Munich only needed one chance for Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to make it 0-1, and put the match within reach of the Bavarians.

The second hand was truly a nail-biter, specially if you are Parisian. it was not elegant, but they pulled back with everything to defend the narrow defeat as the Germans pushed forward, and in fact PSG had good chances on the counterattacks to make an equalizer.

Most PSG fans must have no nails left, but they made it. PSG eliminated the defending champions, and took a big step towards their ambition of their first CL title.

Neymar must be happy. He played a very good match, but missed some big chances, and if Bayern Munich had scored a second, those chances would surely have haunted him. Now he only has the next match to look forward to!

The quarterfinals

 The draws for the Champions League quarterfinals are ready, and some really exciting matches ahead:

• Bayern Munich-Paris St. Germain: Surely the most awaited match, a repeat of last year's final, and this year it can almost be considered an early final, as both remain top contenders for the title. This will be one of the top clashes of the year.
• Real Madrid-Liverpool: Two of the greatest sides in football history in what promises to be another epic clash. Both sides have struggled this season, and the Champions League appears for both clubs one of the last attempts to get a title this season
• Manchester City-Borussia Dortmund: Manchester City is doing very well this season, and are probably favourites to reach the semi-finals. However, Borussia Dortmund have been very strong in this CL, and have the most-talked about striker in the world right now in Erling Haaland, who appears to score in every match!
• FC Porto-Chelsea: Both are former CL winners and probably two of the most underrated sides in the competition, but one must remember that they eliminated giants of Juventus and Atletico Madrid respectively, and one of them will make it to the semifinals, where they will make things difficult for whoever they face.

It is worth noting the absence of FC Barcelona, who for the first time since 2007 are not among the eight best teams in Europe. Also many news outlets have noted the fact that neither Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo will be in the quarterfinals, for the first time since 2005, but surely not the last time. Both great players still have a few good years in them, but this season's quarterfinals has reminded us all that we will not have the possibility of enjoying the two contemporary greats forever.

Last-16 of Champions League 2020-21

 The groups stages of this season's Champions League has been weird, without spectators much of the atmosphere has been absent, and it probably has had some influence on teams that have also had cases of Corona-virus inside the club. There have nevertheless been interesting, good and surprising matches, and after the end of the group stages, these are the last-16 clashes:

• Borussia Monchenglandbach-Manchester City: The advance of the German side is a small surprise, as they left behind Shakhtar Donetsk and a poor Inter Milan side, and were close to taking the first spot from mighty Real Madrid. They will have to play their best as they face a Manchester City side that was never in doubt when winning its group with 5 victories and one tie.
• Lazio-Bayern Munich: The defending champions of Bayern Munich have been awesome with five victories and a tie, and an impressive score of 18-5. In my view, the German side are the strongest contenders to take the title. Lazio got through in an exciting final 2-2 match against Club Brugge, who was only centimeters from making it through. The Italians have not lost any matches, but gone through with two victories and four ties.
• Atletico Madrid-Chelsea: Probably two teams that did not want to face one another. Despite some difficulties in losing to Red Star Salzburg, Atletico Madrid made it through behind Bayern Munich, and remain one of the most difficult sides to face in the competition. Chelsea made it through ahead of Sevilla in a group where the only competition was about which of those two sides would win the group: Chelsea made sure it was them by an impressive 0-4 victory in Seville.
• RB Leipzig-Liverpool: Liverpool won its group ahead of Atalanta, and are looking strong despite some signs of weakness in some matches (they did not look good in any of the matches against the minnows of FC Midtjylland). But Liverpool normally rises to the occasion and will have to do it against a Leipzig side that made it through in a complicated group, behind Paris Saint Germain on goal difference, and ahead of a poor Manchester United side. RB Leipzig made it to the semifinal last season and is looking for a surprise repeat.
• FC Porto-Juventus: Although going through behind Manchester City, FC Porto also went through with style, winning all their matches except against the English side. It may be argued that it was an easy group, so their real test will come against Juventus. The Italians won their group ahead of FC Barcelona, where a 0-3 away victory was particularly impressive, with two goals by the COVID-recovering Ronaldo. The Italian side seems increasingly to depend on the skills of the Portuguese Maestro, but probably will be expecting to get ahead of Porto.
• FC Barcelona-Paris St. Germain: This is probably the most expected match. Despite five victories in the group stages (including an away win at Juventus) FC Barcelona is in crisis as Lionel Messi does not seem to be comfortable in the team any longer. This is a pity for any football fan, but also represents an opportunity for Paris St. Germain, where Neymar and Mbappe have been important in a team that otherwise struggled a bit to win their group ahead of Leipzig. This match will be hugely important for both clubs.
• Sevilla-Borussia Dortmund: Two very exciting teams face one another. Borussia Dortmund won their group ahead of Lazio, and their young Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland has continued pouring in goals. Sevilla made it through behind Chelsea in a group where Krasnodar and Rennes did not represent the strongest opposition, and did lose 0-4 at home to Chelsea, so they will have to prove they are better against the Germans.
• Atalanta-Real Madrid: Real Madrid won their group despite struggling; they lost twice to Shakhtar Donetsk (who did not make it through) and only a last minute 2-2 tie against Borussia Monchengladbach put them in first place. But Real Madrid are Real Madrid and probably still favourites against Atalanta. The Italian side made it through behind Liverpool and against Mayern Munich, and their continued attacking but open style makes them vulnerable to better attacking sides, as their 0-5 home defeat to Liverpool is proof of.

 The last sixteen are are dominated by the big European leagues: four German teams, four Spanish, three Italian, three English, and one each for France and Portugal. The most noteworthy eliminations were probably that of an insecure and disorganized Manchester United side, and a poor Inter Milan side where Antonio Conte has not managed to get the best out of some marvelous players.

Bayern Munich champions

There must be a certain strangeness in celebrating with “We are the Champions” in an empty stadium. But that is nevertheless what Bayern Munich did after their 1-0 victory against Paris St. Germain in the UEFA Champions League. They deserved the victory although the Parisians had some  big chances that, were it not for the extraordinary Manuel Neuer, could have given them their first title. But the Bavarian side largely seemed in control and Kingsley Coman’s header was enough to give them the title.
In the end it was a good final, but not as memorable as expected, although we will all remember the final with no spectators!

Looking forward to a great final!

Olympique Lyon started the match well, and it could indeed have been a fantastic match against Bayern Munich, had it not been for the French side's inefficiency and the German side's efficiency. After Serge Gnabry had made it 0-2 for the Germans, the match was largely over, although one must commend Lyon's continued but feeble attempts at turning it around (Barcelona could learn something). But Bayern Munich were simply way too good, and in the second half appeared to even shift down a gear, even after Lewandowski made it 3-0.
Bayern Munich nevertheless has some weaknesses that Lyon saw in the initial minutes: a forward defense that can be outrun by fast strikers (very fast, as none of the Bayern defenders are particularly slow), which Paris St. Germain certainly has.
Something both Bayern Munich and Paris St. Germain showed in each of their semifinals that they will punish mistakes; this cost dearly to both Leipzig and Lyon, and shows that they both have to be fully concentrated throughout the match.
With these two teams this looks to be one of the most memorable finals of all time in a tournament that given all these COVID-19 circumstances has been and will remain, one of the most memorable Champions League seasons ever. I regret that I will have to watch the final alone, in my house, without even the possibility of finding a good pub to watch it; but I will try to make the best out of it of a final that I have huge expectations about!