Matuidi outshines PSG’s foreign imports
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had one of his best knockout games, Ángel Di María decorated the occasion with the kind of dainty touches that will have left Manchester United’s supporters wondering where it all went wrong, Edinson Cavani took his opportunity to settle the first leg in Paris Saint-Germain’s favour with aplomb, Lucas Moura caught the eye with his twinkle-toed surges and Marco Verratti was typically velvety in midfield. Yet in a team packed with star quality, one of the standout performances came from Blaise Matuidi, who never seems to go close to having a bad game, overwhelming Chelsea with his impressive blend of powerful running and clever passing. Matuidi has seen a lot of high-grade midfielders come and go during his five years at the Parc des Princes and he is a rare thing at PSG, a French player who has survived the influx from foreign leagues, rising to the challenge, feeding off the pressure and developing into one of the finest players in his position in Europe.
He joined from St Etienne when PSG were at the beginning of their Qatari-funded evolution into a European mega power, at a time when Lille, Lyon and Marseille were France’s three representatives in the Champions League, and the dizzying extent of PSG’s expenditure on A-list talent means that it would not have been a surprise if opportunities for Matuidi had become more scarce, bearing in mind how Yohan Cabaye toiled for 18 months before leaving for Crystal Palace in search of regular starts. Adrien Rabiot, a product of the youth system, has also wondered if the grass would be greener elsewhere, yet Matuidi has flourished, forming a crucial part of an imposing midfield trio with Verratti and Thiago Motta. Others will grab the headlines but PSG’s hopes of successfully defending their 2-1 lead in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on 9 March and reaching the last eight for the fourth consecutive season will be enhanced if Matuidi has another influential game. JS
Zenit fail to hit ground running
Perhaps it was understandable that Zenit St Petersburg were a shade off colour at the Estádio da Luz on Tuesday night, succumbing to a late goal from Jonas in their first competitive outing since 9 January. The Russians will need a little time to loosen their limbs, shake their heads clear and get rid of any lingering rust after their mid-season break and the challenge for André Villas-Boas is to ensure that his players are physically and mentally prepared for the second leg against Benfica in three weeks’ time, when they will attempt to overhaul a 1-0 deficit and reach their first Champions League quarter-final.
Zenit breezed through a weak group, winning five of their six matches, but they were stodgy against Benfica, bereft of ideas going forward, forced to play with 10 men when Domenico Criscito was sent off for a second booking and punished when Jonas headed in Nicolás Gaitán’s free-kick in stoppage time. They will need to play with greater ambition in the second leg. Without an away goal to take back to Russia, Zenit will be vulnerable to a sucker punch, however, and it is imperative that they find the right balance between defence and attack. Benfica will be watching carefully, looking for signs of desperation, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce. JS
Gent freeze on their biggest night – but somehow keep tie alive
In terms of quality it was awful. In terms of entertainment it was brilliant. On the biggest night in the club’s modest history, it took 80 minutes for Gent to start playing against Wolfsburg, maybe when they believed the tie was out of sight. They coughed up numerous cheap balls in midfield and looked nervous for the opening hour. When Max Kruse tucked home the Bundesliga side’s third goal an hour in, and hit a post a couple of minutes later, it looked like the best Gent could hope for would be avoiding a cricket score. Yet the first Belgian side to reach the Champions League knockout stages rallied and made the most of some error-strewn defending from a Wolfsburg team bereft of confidence and with an uninspiring second-choice goalkeeper between the posts to keep the tie alive.
Dozens of scouts were at the Ghelamco Arena to cast an eye over the underdogs versus the underachievers but they were unlikely to take much away from it. Julian Draxler, scorer of Wolfsburg’s first two goals (the first a delightful team move, the second a stupendous solo run ending with a nonchalant nutmeg and a lobbed finish) and previously said to have been on the radar of Arsenal among others, was the only first-rate performer. Wolfsburg will have felt disappointed despite scoring three away goals, but it would take another capitulation for them to be knocked out. On the basis of previous first leg results, they have a 96.9% chance of progressing. On this evidence though, do not expect them to trouble any of the big teams. AS
Have we just seen Totti’s European swansong?
Maybe it is time to count ourselves fortunate. The Roma captain, Francesco Totti, in oversized shorts, ran out against Real Madrid for what could be his final Champions League swansong. The Italian, who has spent his entire 23-year career with the Giallorossi, ran on for the last three minutes of their 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid. Totti is slowly readying himself for retirement, according to his wife, Ilary Blasi. “The time has come,” she said last month. “Francesco is going to be 40 next year.”
Real Madrid are not exactly in the galáctico era anymore. Lucas Vázquez and Jesé came through the Madrid youth system, known as la fábrica, and full-back Dani Carvajal has been at the club since the age of 10, although all are light years away from going down in club history. How nice it would be, though, if a club the size of Madrid could be propped up by their own local hero again. Raúl, Guti and Iker Casillas, among others, celebrated after steering Madrid to endless silverware in recent years. Totti and Roma have shared some fun, too. The bond between Totti and Roma is charming and totally synchronous. For now, Totti is one of few one-club men left still standing and we should cherish him while we still can. BF
Further reading
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Barney Ronay: Is Ibrahimovic’s brilliance a hindrance as well as a help to PSG?
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Dominic Fifield: Di María fires PSG’s grand ambitions and panics Chelsea
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Chelsea’s Hiddink envious of squad options available to PSG
- Marina Hyde: Aurier’s rant spewed insults but his impudence was exhilarating
- Ronaldo: I rarely spoke to Giggs, Ferdinand and Scholes at Man Utd
Stat time
Chances of reaching QF based on historic results:
— Infostrada Sports (@InfostradaLive) February 17, 2016
97.7% - @RealMadrid
96.9% - @VfL_Wolfsburg#ucl
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