The Holy grail
Season 2019/2020 Group Stage
Day 5 Analyzed games
26/11 Real Madrid - PSG 2:2
27/11 Barcelona - Borussia Dortmund 3:1
So the group stage of the Champions League is coming to an end. There were two games left in each group and in most cases there is very little to no intrigue on which teams will occupy the top spots. But when it comes to the runners-up there are lots of question marks and puzzles which will most likely be solved in the last round.
The game between Real Madrid and PSG was a clear example of this statement. However I decided to watch it because Real Madrid seemed to have woken up from a deep sleep during the past few games in La Liga Santander. Their performance, results and confidence prior to this match had drastically improved which brought them on the top of the League together with Barcelona. On the other hand PSG was looking confident already since their domination in Ligue 1 is undisputed and they were very comfortably occupying the top spot in this group. In addition PSG arrived on Santiago Bernabeu with Neymar and we know that the hatred towards him in Madrid exceeds the love towards Messi in Barcelona.
The game was actually not great but it was good enough and up to the standards of the Champions League. It started well for PSG who were dominating in the first 15 minutes. The ball was more in their possession and they tried to organize few dangerous runs towards Courtois. Then it came 17 minute when Benzema placed nicely in the penalty area opened the score after the ball ricosheted from the side bar. Real Madrid seized the opportunity to built more pressure on their opponents. They managed to gradually create further chances of increasing their advantage. However nothing materialized and the first half was coming to an end. Then it came 41 minute which was in my opinion crucial for the outcome of this match. PSG organised a very dangerous counter attack and after a great pass by Di Maria, Mauro Icardi found himself face to face with Courtois. He slit the ball pass him when the Belgian knocked him down just on the edge of the penalty area.
The referee rightfully gave a free shot for PSG and a red card to Courtois. But then VAR came into play to examine whether the foul by Courtois might have been a penalty. But instead of revealing that VAR actually ruled a foul against PSG just before Icardi's run. So the referee was forced to overrule both his decisions on the foul and red card for Courtois. At that moment everyone including the players were confused what was happening. At the end the Royal club and its supporters took a deep breath as the score and the number of their players remained unchanged. The second half started the same way with Neymar coming on to the field for PSG. The french became more dangerous but somehow couldn't manage to create a real opportunity.
Karim Benzema left undisturbed in the penalty area doubled the score in the 79 minute after a great assist by Marcelo. And just when everyone thought that the match was closed 4 minutes later the score was leveled. Mbappe and Sarabia scored in the 81 and 83 minutes not without the help of Real's defense and Varane in particular. This came as a cold shower for Zidane and his squad and gave PSG a big boost in the last minutes of the game. However Real managed to quickly recover from the shock and by the end of the match had even two great chances to grab the three points. The free kick taken by Gareth Bale in last minute of the extra time hit the side bar behind Navas. I'm sure PSG were very satisfied with the one point on Bernabeu which guaranteed them the first place in the group.
The game in the group of death between Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund was more important to the Spaniards than the Germans. The 3 points would have secured Barcelona the top spot in the table before the last round. So there was no doubt that it would be very difficult if not impossible for Borussia to leave Camp Nou with anything more than a loss. The odds were not in their favor either since their last two games in the Bundesliga were a disaster. They had drawn at home 3:3 against Paderborn and lost 4:0 on Alianz Arena in the fiasco against Bayern Munich.
But we all know that the Champions League is another animal so this didn't mean anything and Barcelona were determined to give their best to get what they want. The game started as usual. Barcelona was controlling the ball more often and were organizing dangerous runs towards Burki. Dortmund had difficulty crossing the midfield since Barcelona pressure was built high-up the pitch. In the 21 minute an excellent combination between Messi and Suarez opened the score but the side referee spotted an offside which was confirmed by the VAR. Then one minute later was the only chance for Dortmund to turn things their way. Nico Schulz received a great cross and was face to face with Ter Stegen but he cracked under the pressure and his shot was easily saved by the goalkeeper. Had the score in this situation became 1:0 for Dortmund I believe that there might have been a different outcome of this game. But unfortunately for Borussia it didn't. So after this Barcelona took the maters into their own hands and left no other opportunity to their opponents. They started attacking more fiercely and it seemed for sure that the goals were just a mater of time. So Suarez, Messi and Griezmann made the score 3:0. The disarray in Dortmund defense was total and only joss helped them not conceiving more than that. Sancho in the 77 minute made the score 3:1 but only because Barcelona had already loosen up their grip. So in the last round the battle will be between Inter and Borussia for the second position. Inter will have a much more difficult task of having to beat Barcelona if they want to go forward. While Dortmund will play at home against Slavia Prague which seems much easier of a target. So we will watch this group closely to see what happens.