Porto produced an immaculate display to knock out Juventus in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second-leg with 10 men in extra-time. The Portuguese champions progress in a UCL knockout tie after winning the first leg for the first time since winning the competition in 2003/04 under José Mourinho. Sérgio Oliveira was the hero…
Real Madrid secured a priceless away first-leg victory over Atalanta in a typical hard-fought Madrid win. With many first-team stars missing the Champions League Round of 16 tie, Madrid struggled to create clear cut chances with 10-man Atalanta defending in numbers. Ferland Mendy provided the key contributions as he was fouled to attract a harsh…
Talk about a perfect start. Thomas Tuchel has won Chelsea’s biggest game of the season. He was brought in after Frank Lampard’s sacking with the Champions League Round of 16 firmly at the back of their minds. Chelsea defeated Atlético Madrid who have dominated La Liga this season 1-0 ‘away’ in Bucharest. Diego Simeone’s men…
Former Italy International, Antonio Cassano, has slated Cristiano Ronaldo for his perceived selfishness after Juventus were defeated by Porto in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 clash. Andrea Pirlo’s men suffered their third straight defeat at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday night, a 2-1 loss which was characterized by errors…
Erling Braut Haaland has continued his world-class goalscoring form in 2021. The 20-year-old has 23 goals and six assists from 23 appearances for Dortmund this season despite a muscle injury setback in late 2020. Haaland remains a shining light for BVB and his form reads eight goals and three assists in nine games in all…
New year, new stage, new ball, same objectives. The UEFA Champions League returns in 2021 with the knockout rounds starting with a European classic. Barcelona host last season’s runners-up Paris Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou for the first leg of their last 16 tie. It promises to be an intriguing game four years after that…
Juan Cuadrado gained prominence when registering the most assists (four) at the 2014 World Cup with quarter-finalists Colombia. But in the intervening six years – via a forgettable stint at Chelsea – his decision-making failed to live up to those standards as a World-class winger, settling instead, in his preferred wing-back role. Up until now….
Management is about making decisions which mostly involves weighing risks. Some risks could turn out well given the outcome, while some could lead to regrets. But not taking any at all is total incompetence. And on Wednesday, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer once again showed his incompetence as a manager; and this is not about the defeat…
Olivier Giroud’s career is a showreel of coming back from adversity and shutting down the doubters. In typical fashion, The World Cup winner delivered yet another defiant performance for Chelsea away to Sevilla in the Champions League. Giroud missed a gilt-edged opportunity that could have won the game against Spurs, but responded with four goals…
The Football Castle provides an in-depth analysis of Chelsea’s victory over Rennes on Matchday four. Chelsea needed to win this game to secure early qualification into the next rounds of the UEFA Champions League while Rennes had to win to give themselves a fighting chance in the group. In the first leg of this tie,…
