Champions League Takeaways: Lukaku shakes off bad form, Madrid silences Anfield

The UEFA Champions League continued on this week with 4 extra first leg matchups from the round-of-16, together with a rematch of final yr’s ultimate. 

Defending champions Real Madrid took one step in the direction of the quarter-finals with a outstanding victory away to Liverpool, whereas Nigerian ahead Victor Osimhen continued his sensible run of kind this season for Napoli. 

Here’s what else stood out from this week’s video games:   

Romelu Lukaku the hero for Inter Milan in win over FC Porto 

You must really feel for Romelu Lukaku. Inter Milan’s star striker had been mired in a purpose drought courting again to final October when he lastly scored final weekend in Serie A within the Nerazzurri’s win over Udinese. Despite that, the Belgian was underneath immense stress coming into Wednesday’s tilt in opposition to FC Porto at San Siro, as he had only one purpose on this season’s Champions League. 

The weight that Lukaku was carrying on his broad shoulders was significantly lightened after he scored within the 86th minute to raise Inter to a 1-0 win over Porto. Lukaku got here off the bench within the 58th minute after which grew to become the hero when he related on a header off a Nicolò Barella that hit the put up earlier than tucking within the rebound. 

Lukaku has been maligned for his lack of manufacturing at Inter this season as he’s battled via damage points and an absence of kind. But the Belgian regarded like his outdated self by scoring in opposition to a Porto facet that was using a 22-game unbeaten streak and whose again line had been breached simply twice in 11 video games in all competitions. 

Scoring in opposition to a workforce with such a stellar defensive report will do Lukaku’s confidence a world of fine and can little doubt have advantages for Inter because it seeks to advance to the quarter-finals for the primary time since 2011. 

Central midfielder Stephen Eustáquio, a 26-year-old from Leamington, Ont., was an unused substitute for Porto, who’ve some work to do to overturn this deficit going into the second leg on March 14. 

Manchester City settles for draw away to Leipzig 

All issues thought-about, Manchester City ought to be tremendous and stand an excellent likelihood of shifting on to the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw to RB Leipzig in Germany on Wednesday. Still, on paper, this can be a sport that the English giants ought to win given the quite giant hole in high quality and star energy that exists between the golf equipment. 

That star energy didn’t work to City’s benefit, although. Top scorer Erling Haaland was stored in verify by the German outfit earlier than lastly breaking the impasse within the twenty seventh minute off a flicked move from teammate Ilkay Gundogan. After that, Leipzig’s defence, admirably anchored by Croatian worldwide Josko Gvardiol, did job of irritating Haaland for the remainder of the match.  

As Haaland drifted out of the sport, Leipzig seized management and began asking questions of City’s defence with its vibrant assault. The Germans’ persistence paid off when Gvardiol levelled the rating within the seventieth minute, permitting the Bundesliga facet to earn a share of the factors and giving them a preventing likelihood going into the second leg again in Manchester. 

Leipzig obtained a serving to hand from City supervisor Pep Guardiola who inexplicably didn’t make a single substitution in the course of the match. With his workforce needing an offensive spark, the Spaniard selected to stay together with his pat hand whereas the likes of Phil Foden and Julian Álvarez wasted away on the bench. 

Real Madrid places on a present in comeback win at Anfield 

Anfield is the place the desires of so many groups have been dashed on European nights over the many years. Playing in entrance of the Kop brings out the perfect in Liverpool, and visiting sides typically really feel overwhelmed by the barrage of noise produced by supporters within the membership’s dwelling fortress. 

Real Madrid wasn’t impressed nor intimidated by the mystique of Anfield. They noticed Liverpool an early two-goal benefit earlier than scoring 5 unanswered targets en path to a 5-2 win in Tuesday’s opening leg. Brazilian Vinícius Júnior bagged a brace and arrange one other purpose in a commanding efficiency that impressed the reigning Champions League holders to victory. Karim Benzema additionally scored twice for Real. 

At 22 years and 224 days, Vinícius Júnior is the youngest visiting participant to attain twice in opposition to Liverpool at Anfield in main European competitors since Johan Cruyff (19 years and 233 days) did it for Ajax in the course of the 1965-66 European Cup season. 

Darwin Núñez’s beautiful back-heel purpose after three minutes and 10 seconds was Liverpool’s quickest ever scored within the Champions League at Anfield, and when Mohammed Salah doubled the house workforce’s benefit simply 10 minutes later it regarded just like the Spaniards had been cooked. 

But los blancos confirmed as soon as once more why it’s not really easy to kill them off, and that they aren’t going to surrender their title as European champions and not using a good struggle. 

Liverpool couldn’t cease Vinícius Júnior, because the Brazilian scored in fast succession to attract the guests stage, his opening purpose within the twenty first minute a product of his particular person brilliance. Panic quickly set in for Liverpool, because it was unable to take care of Real’s swarming assault, and the sport rapidly slipped away from the English membership’s comfy grip. 

Is there a membership that’s extra enjoyable to look at than Napoli? 

Not sufficient persons are speaking about Napoli, which is a disgrace as a result of the Italian facet has been one of the entertaining groups to look at on the planet. 

Gli Azzurri have been the category of Serie A marketing campaign to date, as they presently prime the desk with a 15-point lead, scoring a league-high 56 targets and solely conceding 15 instances in 23 matches. Barring a spectacular collapse, Napoli will win its first home league title in 33 years when Diego Maradona was nonetheless on the membership. 

Napoli has additionally been operating rampant within the Champions League. The Italians cruised via the primary spherical, topping a gaggle that included Liverpool by successful 5 of six video games and scoring a competition-high 20 targets. 

The Serie A workforce continued to comb all earlier than them on Tuesday with a convincing 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany. Nigerian ahead Victor Osimhen, one of many hottest gamers on the planet, opened the scoring simply earlier than halftime together with his tenth purpose in his final eight appearances in all competitions. Teammate Giovanni Di Lorenzo sealed the victory when he discovered the again of the web within the sixty fifth minute. 

Di Lorenzo’s purpose was indicative of the colourful soccer Napoli has constantly produced this season. A sweeping attacking transfer by the Italians was completed off by a curled shot from Di Lorenzo after he collected an audacious back-heeled move from teammate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. 

“We played our style of football. Eintracht sat a bit deeper than they usually do and allowed us space to push forward with our defenders too,” Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski informed Italian news outlet Sport Mediaset. 

“The first half-hour was not easy, but then we took control and kept hold of it for the full match.” 

John Molinaro is without doubt one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having coated the sport for over 20 years for a number of media retailers, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is presently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a web site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic will be discovered right here.

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