Champions League: Round 1, Recap and Previews

Lo and behold, the first games of the Champions League knockout rounds are over, and we’ve got zero winners! Well, that’s not entirely true, because despite both games ending in draws, PSG 1 -1 Chelsea and Shakhtar 0 – 0 Bayern, one team from each match will feel good about the result and the other will wonder if they could/should have done more. Amazingly, I chose to watch the game that ended up having some goals in it. Go figure! I’ll elaborate on that below, but first I’ll quickly say that Shakhtar have to be pleased to earn a draw, although they head to Allianz Arena in Munich in the next leg, so it’s not like they are favorites to advance. Xabi Alonso was shown red in a game ripe with hard fouls and numerous yellow cards. Bayern can thrill when they click, but they did anything but in this match, and I’m at peace with my decision not to watch it.

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Chelsea went out in their traditional 4-2-3-1 formation, but Mourinho moved a few pieces around. There is little point in trying to understand why he makes the decisions he does, but today he opted to push Cesc Fabregas forward and put two holding midfielders in the hole with Matic and Ramires. Matic has been wonderful all season, covering for Fabregas and allowing the Spaniard to make dangerous passes to the advanced midfielders and striker. Putting Ramires along side him gave Chelsea a more cautious midfield, but you’d still expect a front four of Diego Costa, Cesc, Hazard, and Willian to make offensive things happen.

That’s where logic fails. Logic fails because three of Chelsea’s back four played a hand in the opening goal. Ageless and ever unlikable John Terry put a cross in, which was met with a lovely flick from Gary Cahill and finished by RB Branislav Ivanovic, who has more of a nose for the goal than most at his position.

Chelsea took the lead, but it could have been PSG in front were it not for the enormous Thibaut Courtois denying the side from the French capital. He might be the best keeper not named Neuer in the world right now, and today Chelsea were lucky to have him.

Not too lucky to avoid conceding altogether, though, as Cavani found space in the box to head home in the second half, and from then on PSG were definitely the dominant side. Chelsea were playing for the draw (this is Mourinho away from home, against a good opponent, in a two-leg affair, after all). The best chances the rest of the game belonged to PSG, and but for a few inches, they’d have gone 2-1 up. First Courtois made a huge kick save on Zlatan right before Cavani somehow nudged his effort wide after juking half of the Chelsea defense. A few inches higher for Zlatan and he scores. A few left for Cavani and he scores.

PSG should be proud of how they played, but are probably ruing their missed chances more than patting themselves on the back. As for Chelsea, they got the result they wanted, but were clearly the lesser team.

Schalke v. Real Madrid
Wednesday Feb. 18, 2:45 ET

Another day, another knockout round rematch! Thanks UEFA! Schalke were embarrassed 9-2 on aggregate by Madrid at this stage last season, but you probably should not bank on a scoreline that lopsided again this season. Schalke can be wonderful to watch, or woefully underperforming, depending on which version of the team shows up to play. They are a talented team, with Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Eric Maxis Choupo-Moting banging in goals in front of wonderkids Max Meyer, Julian Draxler, and a host of other up and comers.

They’ll need every minute of experience that their defense and midfield has to contain a Madrid team that practically scores at will. Look, I’ve thought of Madrid as a daunting but slayable beast all season. They have a multi-headed attack, but a soft underbelly that could do them in. They have no true midfield steel since letting Xabi Alonso leave and with Sami Khedira out of form, although most of La Liga are too overmatched by Madrid’s attack to do anything to expose their defense. Atletico did it two weeks ago in the derby, and I suspect that another elite European team will do so as the knockout rounds progress. Schalke is not that team, but they might score a pretty goal or two.

FC Basel v. FC Porto
Wednesday Feb. 18, 2:45 ET

This is the matchup that I profess to know the least about, but that makes me pretty interested in watching it. When Basel secured second place ahead of Liverpool, they did so knowing they’d be facing a group winner, and probably a tall task. What a surprise to find out they were to face Porto in the round of 16. Neither team should be considered likely to advance much further than the quarterfinals, but this matchup does mean that one of them has to advance, which is fun in and of itself! There will be few (maybe zero?) favorable matchups in the next round, but either Basel or Porto will have the chance to upset someone. If Schalke and Madrid turns into one-way traffic early, Basel and Porto could end up being a much more interesting matchup for the neutral