Champions League: 5 things we learnt from Tuesday games

These are five things we learnt from the Champions League games on Tuesday, March 6.

The second leg round of 16 fixtures of the 2017/2018 Champions League kicked off on Tuesday, March 6 with Real Madrid beating Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in France while Liverpool played out a 0-0 with Porto at Anfield.

These are five things we learnt from the games

1. Real Madrid are Champions league royalty

 

Real Madrid have been average this season, losing points in La Liga and crashing out of the race to win the Copa del Rey. But for the Champions League, they bring out the best in the best in themselves when it mattered most.

Against one of the pretenders, Paris Saint-Germain they managed a 3-1 win at home and finished off the job with a 2-1 win away in Paris even with Toni Kroos and Luka Modric missing.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo too

 

A slow start to the season prompted beliefs that he was way past his prime but Ronaldo has delivered when it matters again in the Champions League.

After his brace in the first leg, Ronaldo turned up again in the second leg to opening scoring. He remains the highest goalscorer in Champions League history and also this season.

3. Paris Saint-Germain chase to join European elites continues

 

Since Qatar Sports Investments started splashing the cash for Paris Saint-Germain in 2011, the vision has been to become one of the European elites.

Managers have been sacked for failing to make Champions League impact despite domestic dominance.

Since 2011, Paris Saint-Germain are yet to make it past the Champions League and after $496m spent last summer on the likes of Neymar, they are still very far from European supremacy.

4. Neymar still key

 

Despite the array of stars at Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar was sorely missed in their 2-1 loss to Real Madrid.

Although they started well, they lacked the precision in attack and set pieces, something Neymar easily brings to the team.

5. Klopp slows down Liverpool

 

Known for the heavy metal style of football, it was a surprise to see Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool take on their second leg tie against Porto very cautiously.

With a 5-0 lead from the first leg, Liverpool had almost nothing to play for. So they just hung on there to see off 90 minutes of almost meaningless football.

posted by Campus94