We are now halfway to knowing who will contest the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley this month after the first legs of the last four encounters took place this week.
Neither game, both of which were played in Germany, disappointed.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid shared four goals between them at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night, leaving the tie delicately balanced at 2-2 on aggregate.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain probably should have shared that many in an entertaining, if low-scoring, contest 24 hours later.
Real Madrid aren’t all about Bellingham
Jude Bellingham had a rare off-night / Daniel Kopatsch/GettyImages
Jude Bellingham has carried his team at times this season and has come to the fore in key moments, including in home and away wins over Barcelona. But he was ill in the build-up to facing Bayern, staying on the bench last Friday against Real Sociedad, and couldn’t finish the first leg in Germany.
The England midfielder lasted 75 minutes, withdrawn when Madrid were 2-1 down and chasing an equaliser after goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane cancelled out Vinicius Junior’s opener. He had been cramping since the hour mark and Carlo Ancelotti thought it best not to take risks.
Bellingham should be fully fit by the time of the second leg next week with time to resharpen his match fitness. But there was proof of the other world class quality that exists in the Madrid squad, with Vinicius getting himself a brace to score in a Champions League semi-final for the third year in a row and Toni Kroos demonstrating that there is no age limit on pure class.
Opportunity missed for Bayern
Bayern Munich were leading and didn’t see it through / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
Bayern will go into the second leg at a slight disadvantage. The fact that the aggregate scores are level effectively make it a one-off game for a place in the final, and that will be played at the Bernabeu. Even though, as we’ve established, Madrid are way more than just Bellingham, the talisman wasn’t at anything like his best and that should have been capitalised on.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were also just seven minutes plus stoppage time away from taking a narrow protectable lead into the second leg and couldn’t see it through.
Don’t underestimate Dortmund or Sancho
Watch out for a rejuvenated Jadon Sancho / Soccrates Images/GettyImages
Dortmund haven’t played in a Champions League final since 2013 and haven’t made a great deal of impact in the competition since the days of Jurgen Klopp. But there is every chance that this could be their year again as they seek European glory for the first time in 17 years.
Niclas Fullkrug is a ruthlessly effective striker in the mould of Olivier Giroud, Mats Hummels has rolled back the years to his 2013 vintage, Karim Adeyemi has electrifying pace and Jadon Sancho is suddenly so far removed from the shadow of a player that struggled at Manchester United it is frightening. The latter in particular was exceptional in the first leg against PSG, effortlessly ghosting past players and creating chances that probably should have been taken.
Other teams still have greater individual quality than Dortmund, but they are the side most performing above the sum of their collective parts at this moment in time.
PSG have work to do
Kylian Mbappe was too quiet / Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/GettyImages
On another night, PSG could have scored two, three or even four goals past Dortmund. But the reality was that, missed chances aside, they didn’t give a true account of themselves in the hostile environment of Signal Iduna Park in front of the Yellow Wall.
Ousmane Dembele, so good against Barcelona, shrank against another of his former clubs, blazing over the bar with his only real chance of the night. Kylian Mbappe struck the inside of the post but spent too long on the fringes of the game rather than taking it by the scruff of the neck when winning the Champions League with his hometown club has been a lifelong dream.
PSG have to step up in the second leg in a way they didn’t here, although that should be much easier in front of their own fans at Parce des Princes.
