Germany Ascendant; Bayern and Dortmund Romp

What an incredible two days of the Champions League! Both German sides have stunned their Spanish opposition with huge home results. I argue that playing the home game last is far more favorable against hearty opposition but Bayern and Dortmund proved that playing the home game first can be just as favorable.

Bayern Munich travel to Barcelona with a 4-0 scoreline and the knowledge that they completely dominated their opposition. Messi, the wizard of inspiration against PSG, was out of spells and tricks against Bayern. He painted a figure of an injured player that didn't have answers to Barcelona's questions. Bayern Munich capitalized on the weaknesses of Barcelona; they retained the ball well and dispossessed Barcelona in midfield while pressuring their weak defense with great attacking movement and utilizing their chances at set-plays. Barcelona defends well because they don't have to against the majority of their opposition, but once they are put on the back foot their defensive weaknesses are glaring. The scoreline is a bit harsh due to two glaring facts: Gomez was offside for the 2nd and Jordi Alba was fouled right before Robben scored the 3rd. However, Bayern dominated the game and were the only team to truly threaten the opposition's goal. Barcelona again are left asking questions due to a tactical flaw; possession does not win games, goals do. They continue to lack any form of a Plan B when it comes to scoring goals and Bayern Munich exposed this with aplomb.

Robert Lewandowski, you just raised your price tag to over 40m pounds easily. Borussia Dortmund, the Cinderella team of the tournament this year, pulled off another huge result for Germany. Dortmund bossed much of the first half but let in an equalizer before halftime to put this tie into question. I do not know what Jurgen Klopp said to his boys but they dominated the second half and came away with a 4-1 win in Dortmund and in front of the Yellow Wall numbering at approximately 25,000 fans. This game came on the tail-end of heart-breaking news for Dortmund fans; Mario Gotze's buy-out clause was paid by Bayern Munich and he would play for them next season. This could have demoralized the team to the point of tragic results but Jurgen Klopp rallied his troops to put on an awe-inspiring display in Dortmund. Mario Gotze and Marco Reus played brilliantly in Dortmund's attacking band with Gotze leading passes in the attacking third and Reus with successful take-ons.

Jurgen Klopp brilliantly had his men press at midfield to dispossess Madrid quickly and completely disrupt any rhythm in their attacking transitions. Madrid were largely unable to attack or counterattack at pace. Once in possession, Dortmund's approach in the final third utilized the space on the wings and attacked Madrid's fullbacks; Madrid tried to attack through a highly congested midfield zone as evidenced below.

Honorable Mention must go to both of the German sides' double pivot midfielders. Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sven Bender, and Ilkay Gundogan shielded their defenses superbly and transitioned play quickly and efficiently. They really are the engine rooms for their respective teams.

Dortmund Stuns Malaga Late; Madrid Holds Off Gala

Borussia Dortmund, sie sind wunderbar. Their comeback was one for the ages and a stunning example of why the Champions League is the greatest club tournament in the world. Before their legendary comeback, BVB had given up a sloppy goal to Malaga (poor defending) but then they finally decided to play the way some of us have fallen in love with over the past three seasons. This is pure beauty.

Dortmund kept searching for another goal but they didn't seem to have any conviction; Malaga kept probing and seemed to be the more likely of the two to score. Subotic didn't have his best game; Malaga also capitalized on a linesman error to go 2-1 up. Eliseu is clearly offside at the time of the pass but the goal stood. Dortmund now had to score twice to go through due to the away goal rule.

Marco Reus had been severely under-performing in both legs but he was in the right place at the right time to put home the equalizer. It was a goal of sheer will and now Dortmund could feel victory on their fingertips. They had four more minutes to score the winner to put them through to the semifinals but they only needed one.

That was a comeback and fight to the finish for the ages. Dortmund have been waiting to show themselves on the European stage but have faltered as Manchester City have done the past few seasons. Their next tie will be very interesting but, for now, they celebrate and deservedly so after that game.

There was another game on today that shouldn't have had many talking points but Galatasaray showed a fighting spirit and gave Real Madrid a little scare. Ronaldo scored again within ten minutes and it seemed business as usual. Gala scored three amazing goals to put themselves 3-1 and needing two goals to advance. What seemed an impossibility now seemed a little improbable. Eboue scored a screamer, Sneijder with a cheeky first touch and slick finish, and Drogba scored an amazing back-heel goal. Unfortunately for Gala, they didn't have enough time and pushing so far forward left them open at the back and Ronaldo made them pay in extra time.

We can only hope that tomorrow's games are only half as entertaining as today's games. Hats off to Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid for advancing to the Champions League semifinals.

Showdown at Old Trafford

Manchester United versus Real Madrid. Fergie versus The Special One. Oh, and that Ronaldo fellow. This game has all the potential for being a thrilling night at the Theater of Dreams. Ryan Giggs, who will be playing his 1,000th senior level game, did the opposite of downplaying this tie to United supporters. Jose Mourinho rested seven key players against Barcelona so that they would be fit for the game in Manchester. His side that was rested had handily beat Barcelona 3-1 at Camp Nou. The only notable United omission will be Phil Jones as he does well to shield the United back-line.

This game should be a thrilling end-to-end encounter and it is CR7's triumphant return to Old Trafford. I foresee an ovation from the Stretford End no matter the scoreline. He is in blistering form and Real is riding high off of two consecutive El Clasico victories. While Real Madrid is floundering in third in La Liga, United  is still sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League with no legitimate challenger in sight. United did have a confident 4-0 win against Norwich on Saturday so both teams should be firing on all cylinders.

It will be interesting to see if Fergie chooses to play more defensive wingers against Madrid's Di Maria and Ronaldo. However, if Fergie decides to go with a more attacking line-up, get your popcorn ready. Both of these teams are simply too good and their managers too passionate to let this tie become a snoozefest. If you're not into soccer or don't watch it much, watch this game. This game, even though it's the round of 16, may be one of the most thrilling matches to watch in this year's Champions League.

Final score: Real Madrid 3 Manchester United 2 (R. Madrid 4-3 agg.)

Barcelona And A Team From Madrid Lead La Liga...

After eight games in La Liga, Barcelona are only equaled on points by a team from Madrid...and it is Atletico and not Real. Atletico have pulled off an amazing start to the season. The Spanish First Division is always a two horse race. I, for one, will not argue against the intensity of El Clasico; however, no one can argue against the significance of a story behind a third team having a real chance to win the league.

The reason the Barclay's Premier League has been able to sustain such an high amount of talent is due to the distribution of TV revenue. Yes, cash rules everything around us. This directly affects the success of very many teams; however, in Spain, the structure for revenue distribution is heavily slanted towards just Barcelona and Real Madrid. If the historical top two teams receive the majority of TV revenue then how can new contenders raise substantial amounts of revenue besides heavy private loans?

Atletico Madrid are performing on par with Barcelona with only a fraction of their revenue stream. Falcao is proving to be one of the greatest strikers in the world and still isn't on par with the likes of Rooney, Van Persie, Messi, or Ronaldo when it is brought up.

La Liga needs a third and fourth team to challenge for the title to make their league that much more competitive and interesting to watch rather than just when Barca and Real are playing. I will be following Atletico's form and I hope they are able to keep up their scintillating run of results.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have heavy injuries in their defense and Atletico Madrid have every opportunity to get points off them. La Liga, fingers crossed, may actually be more compelling than Barca v. Real Madrid.

Messi, Ronaldo Dazzle El Clasico

This is written by Travis Lankford:

The biggest rivalry in club football was renewed again this past weekend while America was too busy with some sport they incorrectly call football. El Clasico - Real Madrid would face Barcelona at Camp Nou. Their two play-styles are well known and the game was not very surprising but who can turn down watching the two best players in the world play against each other? The argument over which player is the definitive best in the world will never die and surely not after this past game where they both put in amazing performances.

            

Messi, the mercurial, wizard-like little man from Argentina, versus Cristiano Ronaldo, the pretty boy from Portugal that has the attributes of an overpowered created player in a video game, is always a spectacle that dazzles and always lives up to the hype. In terms of the teams, Real Madrid will be sorry for not picking up the full three points against a defense made of two midfielders and a left back. Ronaldo showed how dangerous he is on the counterattack and his world-class finishing. Messi benefited from a fluff by Pepe but that’s Messi, always in the right place at the right time. His free kick was a thing of beauty and it almost seems like he’s guaranteed to score from that range.

            

Barcelona were very fortunate to not lose this game but their possession and Messi is what tipped the balance…and maybe a little from Real Madrid’s poor finishing. It was still a beauty to see those two players face off against each other in one of the most thrilling games of the season. Which player is the best in the world? Cristiano Ronaldo. That should stir up the hornet’s nest. I can’t wait for the game in Madrid!