The Road to Nowhere: 2021-22 Champions League

[Toby Gymshorts]

Libpool, top the league...

(Yes, I bloody know)

[Third rate Leszno]

That should've been 4 or 5. This is not a vintage Atleti side and Simeone is no Graham Potter, so once Liverpool were 2-0 up it felt like a comfortable evening.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I wonder does the sudden realization by referees that they can absolutely 100% send someone off for acting the cunt, spell the end for the atleti/simeone model?

[Toby Gymshorts]

I genuinely hope so.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Why are PSG so... well, ordinary? On the occasions I've watched them they seem to have a front-end of super-annuated has-beens (Mbape excepted) supported by a defence that would struggle to prevent goals in the National League. Leipzig are in a rebuilding mode, better they were last month but well off what they've been in the past few years. Yet they could, and maybe should, have won in Paris today. Why can't PSG get it together like the other rich-mens' follies?

[anton pulisov]

Michael Oliver, and then VAR, get it completely and inexplicably wrong on sending off Hummels. Univision announcers going even more hyperbolic than they usually are, which is something.

I dunno, it was a very rash tackle. Definitely a yellow, a red is a tad harsh but not "completely and inexplicably wrong".

Hummels is diving in studs up. If Antony's foot happens to be planted in the grass we're talking major injury.

Is the red only warranted when the receiving player is injured?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

If you only see it on twitter, it looks harmless enough but that's only because it's slowed down. If you see it at full speed it becomes clear that it's actually quite a dangerous lunge. And he's not really in control

[scratchmonkey]

Oh, it's an ill-timed tackle, no argument there, I would think a yellow at worst, there's not a huge amount of force behind and the real danger is if he'd come in underneath Antony, which he kind of does only because Antony hops over to the side so he lands on him to make it look worse than it is.

I watched it live and thought the red was harsh at the time, then a bad lapse in judgement on two parties (Oliver and whoever was on VAR) when seeing the replay.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

It's excessive force. He does a running jump into the tackle from miles away, he has both legs out in front of him and has no control, he's so late anthony has time to execute a trick before he arrives, and he slides so far beyond the tackle, which is fair enough when you remember he's the guts of 15 stone. It's at 1.42 in this video. Go straight to it, because it's one of these ridiculously weird cuts of highlights, that induce migraine.I don't understand this style of video highlights.

[scratchmonkey]

It'd be excessive force if it's anybody aside from Hummels, his arse creates a natural plowing effect which drives him into the earth, he's going about 2 mph when he finally arrives. I'd agree that it's closer to a pratfall than anything you'd actually hope to execute as part of the sport; I still don't think it was a red, I'll concede that my original language was as hyperbolic as the Mexican commentary team and that it's probably within the spectrum of a reasonable decision.

[ad hoc]

Grant Wahl in Tiraspol https://grantwahl.substack.com/p/the...-story-of-2021

[Satchmo Distel]

I think Man U are definitely through if they get 3 points from their last 2 games, so a loss tonight is not fatal. However their chances of getting through the last 16 really depend on them winning the group.

On the other hand, going out in the last 16 at least means they can then focus on getting that 4th place in the EPL.

Barcelona have to beat Benfica given they play Bayern last.

[Sporting]

Is that absolutely true about Man Utd and three points?

[Satchmo Distel]

I think so because their two rivals have to play each other.

[Sporting]

Ah right.

[Satchmo Distel]

OTOH it could still finish Atalanta 11, Man U 10, Villarreal 10 so if Man U take a battering tonight that changes the group. I'm assuming their GD would be OK.

[Discordant Resonance]

One free kick opportunity for Ronaldo, but fairly quiet from both sides approaching HT.

[Discordant Resonance]

Villarreal ramping up the pressure - Rashford and Fernandes on for Van der Beek and Martial.

[Sporting]

That was a brilliant save by de Gea a few minutes ago.

[Satchmo Distel]

Villarreal have been poor so far, but both these sides might stand a better chance of making next season's CL through the EL than the domestic route (Man U 8th, Villarreal 12th).

[Discordant Resonance]

Ronaldo with an opportunistic lob after Rulli's howler.

[Satchmo Distel]

6 goals in 5 matches for Ronaldo - four of them after the 75th minute.

[Discordant Resonance]

TBF, United do appear to have more of a shape since the subs were made, not that that would be hard.

[Discordant Resonance]

Rashford and Fernandes both with decent attempts now.

[Discordant Resonance]

Sancho breaks his United duck and puts them into the last 16 (if Atalanta overtake them, then Villareal can't do so).