If the UEFA Champions League was ever in a so-called slump after previous years have produced somewhat predictable all-English finals, after “two breathtaking nights and four captivating games have been played out between eight fearless and talented teams,” writes Goal.com’s Sulmann Ahmad, all is back to being right in the world of European soccer elite.
Now that the “atypically tentative and uninspired round of 16 is history” and despite the absence of storied teams like Real Madrid and Inter Milan, “it’s now clear that the right teams went through” to produce what Ahmad writes is a “celebration and resurrection of adventurous, entertaining and exceptional football.”
“Two weeks ago, this entire showpiece had been written off as a dirge — a Premier League procession — and who knows, maybe that’s what it needed to be sparked back into life,” accounts Ahmad. But with Porto again upsetting Manchester United (yes, a 2-2 away draw counts) and Barcelona bashing Bayern, the competition is a bit more in balance with Spain and Portugal again making a claim for the trophy alongside their English opponents.