THE GALACTICOS MARCH FORWARD

 Image Credit- Managing Madrid.

In 2017-18, the defending champions, Real Madrid, were facing Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The men in white were struggling in LaLiga, and it was certain that Barcelona would win the league title. The question was whether Madrid will be able to defend their European title. It is true that no team has performed better than Real Madrid in this elite European tournament. The trophy cabinet proves the same. But a game of football is not won on the basis of history but on the basis of performance.

Yes, Real Madrid is a team of champion players, Galácticos to be more precise. But, in 2017, PSG also assembled a strong squad. The signing of Neymar, Mbappe and Dani Alves made PSG a heavy contender for this year's Champions League. In France they were literally demolishing their opponents. Even they defeated Bayern Munich in the group-stage game. As a result, the clash between the champions of Spain and the champions of France was going to be one which would be remembered for ages.

The first leg took place in Madrid. And boy! It was the PSG who scored the opening goal of the match. Adrien Rabiot scored a crucial away goal in the 33rd minute itself and gave visitors an important lead. However, just before half-time, Madrid managed to secure a penalty. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up and scored a wonderful penalty which got Madrid back into the game. At half-time the scorecard read Real 1-1 PSG.

The second half turned out to be a fairytale as Real scripted a magnificent comeback and won the tie 3-1. Ronaldo continued his good run and scored his second goal of the game in the 83rd minute, which was soon followed by a third strike. Asensio provided a wonderful assist to Marcelo, who made it 3-1 for the hosts. Real Madrid did Real Madrid things. You might be a champion team, but when the Champions League title is at stake, the Galácticos perform their best.

Image Credit- The Guardian

A few days later Madrid outplayed PSG in the second leg as well, as they beat Paris in Paris 2-1. Ronaldo played a crucial role in this game as well, as he scored the important away goal in the 51st minute, which meant that PSG now required 4 goals to win and 3 goals to save the game. Even though PSG did hit a goal in the 71st minute, a late strike by Casemiro meant that the game and the tournament were over for the men in blue.

Paris Saint-Germain had a star-studded line-up, but they faded in front of the Galácticos. The Galacticos marched forward into the quarter-finals after blowing away the French champions.

To watch the Highlights of Leg 1, Click Here.

To watch the Highlights of Leg 2, Click Here. 

THE CLASH OF TITANS

 

Image Credit—CGTN.

The 2006 FIFA World Cup saw many greats bidding farewell to the beautiful game. However, the names of Zinedine Zidane and Luís Figo will be at the top. The two Galácticos announced retirement from their national sides at the conclusion of the mega-event. While Luis Figo was knocked out by France in the semifinal stage of the tournament, the Frenchman Zidane, on the other hand, failed to conquer the final frontier as he suffered a defeat at the hands of Italy in the final. Moreover, it is pertinent to note that it was the infamous headbutt in the final that grabbed all the headlines instead of the goal he scored in his final game.

However, in this post we will be talking about the semifinal clash that took place between the two strong European sides in Munich. Portugal was facing the 1998 champions France in this vital match. In the quarters, they knocked out the English by the barest of margins, whereas the French made it to the semis by knocking out the defending champions, Brazil. Both teams were in the best of form. So everyone was expecting an exciting clash.

And boy! The match we had was incredible. The two sides were literally going hammer and tongs. Both teams made multiple attempts to breach the defense of each other; however, the defenders and goalkeepers of both sides stood strong against every attack. It was literally a penalty, which turned out to be the difference between the two teams.

In the 31st minute of the game, a foul on Thierry Henry earned the French a penalty, which was easily converted into a goal by their charismatic captain, Zidane. However, in the 77th minute, the Portuguese came close to equalizing when a free kick by Cristiano Ronaldo was missed by the French keeper, which, on a rebound, provided Luis Figo with an opportunity to score. Unfortunately Figo missed it by the closest of margins, which eventually resulted in a Portuguese defeat.

The match was nothing short of a spectacle in which we saw heavyweights take on each other. Moreover, the match is also remembered for the fact that it turned out to be Figo's last international match, who then announced retirement from international football. Furthermore, the number 7 jersey was handed over to a young Cristiano Ronaldo, who was emerging back then as a successor to Luis Figo.

Interestingly, a decade later, Ronaldo, as one of the greats, won the UEFA Champions League title with Zidane as his manager. Moreover, Portugal also won their first international trophy in 2016 with Ronaldo as their captain and leader. Thus, it can be said that the baton was rightly passed by both Zidane and Figo that night in Munich.

To watch the Highlights of that Match, Click Here.