Champions League: Last Stages
Omar Eldosouky
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Hello.
And goodbye, I guess. This is my final article for The Raven’s Call. After 4 long years of writing about soccer and football, as well as other random topics that interested me, it’s time to finally hang up the pens. My time at Longfields is over, and so is my time with this club. Although interest has not been the highest all the time for my articles, I still did something I loved, and found myself in this hobby, but enough with this sappy stuff, let's talk about the real deal:
THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The last thing we finished at was the Semi-Final Draw, where we saw PSG vs Arsenal and Barcelona vs Inter. Here is the breakdown of what happened:
PSG vs Arsenal
PSG won 3-1 on aggregate. In the lesser anticipated of the two match-ups, PSG cruised past Arsenal. In the first leg, Arsenal hosted PSG. Anticipation and expectations were high, and Arsenal vowed to send a strong message to PSG. However, Arsenal was outright dull in the first leg, losing 0-1 and missing quite a few chances. The atmosphere at the Emirates was quiet, and there seemed to be no energy at all in the place. To be fair, this was not fully their fault. The "Ultras" (a term for the official fan group of a club) raised nearly 12,000 pounds for 3 excellent Tifo designs, yet the club were harsh and banned all of them. This left the fans discouraged and disheartened, as they were left with a very generic, cheap Tifo, and not much energy or excitement was left. The 2nd leg did not see much improvement. Arsenal went to PSG’s home ground, and understandably disappeared. PSG’s home atmosphere is unmatched, and up until that match, they had only lost 2 home games. PSG started comfortably and scored 2 goals by the 75th minute. However, in the last 15 minutes, Arsenal showed some heart, scoring a goal and missing a near-perfect chance to score. It was not enough, and they lost 3-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona vs Inter
Inter won 7-6 on aggregate. Yes, you heard that right. A total of 13 goals were scored across both matches. The first game was at Barcelona’s stadium. In this intense game, Inter took an early lead, leading 0-2 by the 21st minute. Barcelona did not give up, scoring 2 goals in the next 15 minutes to level the score at 2-2, and ensuring it was all level at halftime. In the 2nd half, Inter scored again, with Barcelona responding in the same minute to get the score to 3-3, the final score of this match. The game featured questionable calls, yellow cards, and a crazy atmosphere. The 2nd game was surprisingly even more exciting. Inter scored early again and doubled their lead by halftime, entering the break with a 2-0 lead. Barcelona were quiet for the first half. The 2nd half changed. Barcelona applied constant pressure for the majority of the half, except for a few counterattacks, and got the score to 2-3 by the 87th minute. With 3 minutes left, and only 4 minutes of added time, it looked over for Inter Milan. But a moment of magic saw them score their 3rd goal in the 3rd minute of added time. San Siro erupted, the fans and players exploded, and the score was level. Extra time was no less exciting. Inter Milan scored their 4th goal, and Yan Sommer produced sensational fingertip saves to block out Barcelona. He deserved the man of the match award.
Final: PSG vs Inter Milan
This game is not what everyone was expecting for the final, let's be honest. We were all expecting Barcelona vs Liverpool, arguably the two best teams this season, if we look overall. However, both of these teams have proven their worth and merit. Both went on strong runs with passionate and exciting games. They dominated, got lucky, had miracles, and faced all sorts of situations. Both had tough oppositions in their journey here. Inter faced Bayern and Barcelona, and PSG had to face Arsenal and Liverpool. PSG even nearly crashed out of the league phase, having a very tough match schedule and finishing 15th in the league phase. They cruised through their playoff round, though, and the rest is history.
PSG is playing free-flowing, dynamic football that is truly entertaining. Their midfield is creative, their forwards link well, and their defence is strong. Their midfield of Vittinha, João Neves and Ruiz is one of the strongest in the world. Doue, Dembele, and Barcola are flying high and scoring goals, not including their other forwards, Ramos and Kang-In. Dembele is a Ballon d'Or contender, as a matter of fact. And Hakimi is one of the best right-backs in the world this year.
Inter Milan has insane defensive capabilities and wing action to kill for. Their 3-5-2 formation is strong, allowing Dimarco and Dumfries to go out and exploit open spaces on the wing and use their devastating passes. Barella, Çalhanoğlu and Mkhitaryan form the middle 3, who are exceptionally strong. Their back 3 is nearly impenetrable, and if you pass them, then you meet the wall, Yan Sommer.
PSG is looking to play their 2nd final, having never won the trophy, losing the last one to Bayern in 2020. Inter Milan is playing their 2nd final in 3 years, and their 7th overall. Their last final in Istanbul in 2023 saw them lose to Manchester City 1-0. They have won the trophy a respectable 3 times, with their last triumph being in 2010.
One more thing before the prediction. Since 2007, any team that won the UCL was Barca or Madrid, or that team beat Barca/Madrid on their way to the final. Since Inter beat Barca, that theory supports them.
Finally, my prediction is that Inter Milan will win it. Their defence and play will overwhelm Inter in my opinion, and personally, the biggest factor is the heritage. Bigger clubs usually tend to do better at these stages, which is why I support and back Inter to go all the way after their last heartbreak 2 years ago. It will be up to another year for PSG to win this tournament.
So, there we have it. A long article where I did not put any limits or filters to just write in my last article. I hope you enjoyed the ride like I did and will miss this as much as I do.
This is Omar Eldosouky (Mahmoud), signing off for the last time.
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