Champions League Quarter-finals 2nd legs

Well, that was exciting.

3 of the four ties in the Champions League produced outstanding second legs which were captivating and thrilling. Dealing first with the comparative damp squib of Bayern Munich- Juventus, it has to be said that after their hugely impressive group stage performance and their brushing aside of Celtic, Juve will be pleased with their showing in the Champions League. Considering it was their first appearance in Europe's premier club competition since 2009/2010, where they finished 3rd in their group- behind Bordeaux and, funnily enough, Bayern Munich, it was a great campaign.
Mario Mandžukić banished any lingering doubt about the outcome of the tie before Claudio Pizarro sealed Bayern's progress in added time. Bayern though, rolled on and they look unbeatable at the moment. They are streets ahead of Borussia Dortmund in Germany, and it looks inevitable that they will clinch the league title with many games to spare. Are they the favorites for the competition? I certainly wouldn't bet against the Bavarian giants.

ITV executives didn't enjoy the first leg of Real-Galatasaray, as such a one sided result meant that the tie was in all probability over. But actually the 2nd leg was full of drama, with fantastic individual performances from players from both sides and, for a brief period, a feeling of, 'Galatasary cant do it, can they?'
It did seem like the game was going to just be a training exercise for Madrid, as they extended their aggregate lead to four goals when Cristiano Ronaldo (who else?) poked in early on. The rest of the half was a non event as the home outfit couldn't keep the ball and Real seemed totally at ease. But something must have happened at half-time as the Turkish team came out for the second period fired up and ready to get some pride back.
The always legendary Istanbul crowd came to the fore as Wesley Sneijder had a superb 45 minutes, backed up by the evergreen Drogba and the midfield was controlled by skipper Inan and Felipe Melo. Dutch captain Sneijder hit wide from a cross from the right, Bulut went close, before an astonishing finish from ex-Arsenal right back Emmanuel Eboue sent the crowd into fever pitch. Certainly, it was a surprise to see such a strike of authority and power from such a terrible and limited player a defender, but, after that, Gala were supreme. The Real midfield lost all control as the home side tore into tackles with the crowd behind them, winning corners at an alarming regularity from Real's perspective.
Sub Amrabat was making a difference in terms of width down the right, and it was inevitable that Gala were going to score again, and they did, and it was a wonderful goal demonstrating the skill, awareness, and excellent touch of Sneijder. He went past the highly rated Varane with ease before finishing with aplomb. Incredibly, just two minutes later Drogba back-heeled Amrabat's cross into the far corner, and the ground was rocking. Drogba had the ball in the net again only for it to be ruled out for offside. Two more goals were needed but it looked possible, but in the end Real saw the game out and Ronaldo scored yet again on the counter in stoppage time. But this caps a memorable Champions League campaign for the Turkish league leaders, with wins against Manchester United and Real the highlights.

PSG led Barca in the second leg in the Nou Camp for a while but in the end it was Pedro Rodríguez's 71st-minute strike that sent the Spanish side into a sixth straight semi-final. PSG started the game at breakneck speed with Barca struggling for once to maintain control over the midfield. Without Lionel Messi, the Catalans laboured in the first period, limited to off target attempts from long range. Barcelona lacked the speed of thought that has epitomised them in recent years.
Messi wasn't fully fit, but he was almost immediately introduced after Barca slacked off at the start of the second half and fell behind to Javier Pastore's goal. Barca finally started playing, with the mere presence of  Messi freeing up space for Barca's other key men. It was this effect which cost PSG; Messi was double marked when receiving a pass 25 yards from goal, turned and moved it on to the unmarked Villa who had time to give it to Pedro, who whacked a crisp finish into the far corner. PSG just focused too much on the main man. Nevertheless, the French side will be pleased with the season and a repeat of the Quarter-final display next year will be just as impressive. Ibrahimovic has been as good as anyone this season, and Lucas Moura will get better and better. And David Beckham has sold a lot of shirts looked nice been a good signing tried hard.

The young, exciting, and wonderfully inventive Borussia Dortmund complete the semi-final line up, meaning that the current four best teams in Europe will all be in there. Mind you, the team from the Ruhr weren't confident of their place, or ahead in the tie, until the 94th minute, when defender Santana bundled home to the delight of the packed out crowd in Dortmund. The home team dominated the game throughout but it was Malaga who took the lead, bagging a cruical away goal when Joaquin swept the ball past Weidenfeller. But Dortmund hit back, with Mario Götze passing the ball infield to Reus, whose majestic flick sent Lewandowski through to score. The Germans searched for the winner they needed and threw on Sahin to try and unlock Malaga's defence. But it was the Spainards who scored the next goal, effectively ending the tie with an 82nd minute strike from Eliseu. Not many could have correctly predicted the final score then.
Dortmund launched a quite remarkable assault on the Malaga goal as Reus, Lewandowski, and Bender all missed glorious chances. Reus's instinctive finish in the 91st minute gave his side hope but Malaga were still going through on away goals. Klopp pushed practically his whole team forward as Weidenfeller pumped ball after ball towards the penalty area. Incredibly, there was enough time for Santana, of all people, to force the ball into the net after somewhat selective officiating by the ref regarding Hummels's aggressive tackle to set up the goal. The Malaga players were butthurt the proverbial sick as a parrot afterwards, as Dortmund's superb dynamic squad look forward to taking on the European aristocrats of Real Madrid in the next round.

So who will win the coveted trophy from here then? Unlike last year when a Chelsea side parked the bus for about 3 whole games low on quality but high on spirit and work rate fluked the cup, the current four best teams in Europe will compete in the semi's. Bayern are my favourites, their squad if full of world class talent, and they don't have any domestic commitments. Much like Real Madrid, who have a coach and player keen to prove to the world that they are the best the planet has to offer. The Portuguese duo of Mourinho and Ronaldo have the desire, and I believe these are the two who will meet in the final.
Thanks for reading, Adam.