This weeks action was kicked off in the San Siro where Milan pitted wits against European newcomers Tottenham. And despite the match taking place in Italy the Rossoneri were not clear cut favorites. The first half began with Spurs gaining possession and momentum and really putting intense pressure on the aging Milan back four. Even with the absence of Welsh wonderkid Gareth Bale the London side looked the most dangerous in that first period. The speed and precision passing play of Spurs left the Italians looking bewildered for much of the game. Robinho and Zlatan lacked any sharpness and were easily frustrated aside from a few slight chances. Spurs were very unlucky to not have taken the lead in the first half, but it was no surprise when Aaron Lennon leapt past a diving Yepes and slid a smart ball over to the big man Crouch for an easy finish. The English club will be the favorite moving on to the next leg in London are my darkhorse to progress through to the semifinal.
The other matchup on Tuesday saw former Madrid great Raul play his first game back in his home country. This was an interesting side-billing of two bridesmaid champions league sides, Schalke and Valencia. The early goings were dominated by the German side and their persistence was almost rewarded in the 10th minute when Huntelaar whiffed on a terrible strike at goal. The home side went from feeling lucky to justified when just 7 minutes later Soldado latched onto a cross from Mathieu with a very nice finish. The game then swayed back and forth for rest of the first half with intense battles between Howedes and Banega for possession in the midfield. The second half was started at a very competitive pace with both teams looking to push for more goals. But it was the Spaniard Raul who slotted home a nice pass from Jurado to put both teams level and making the second leg in Germany a game that will hopefully be played with the same intensity and desire.
The Wednesday games were obviously highlighted by one game in particular, but those who overlooked the AS Roma vs. FC Shakhtar Donetsk missed out on a fantastic upset. The Shakhtar side full of relative unknowns manged to stun a Roma side that must feel the window closing right in front of them. Despite a late goal from Jeremy Menez the Ukrainian side must feel extremely confident going back home for the 2nd leg. With the final score looking closer than the game really was at 3-2.
On to the fixture everyone was salivating over. The rematch from last years knockout phase pitting Barcelona against an Arsenal side reeling over a 4 goal comeback on them just one week prior. The game being played in the Emirates began with Barcelona looking deadly and dictating pace. The Catalan side was very unlucky to not score sooner than they did when David Villa finally slotted one home past keeper Szczesny in the 26th minute. The rest of the first half was played out in a stalemate with both sides struggling to get solid chances at goal. The second half began slowly with both sides eager to find some kind of advantage to build on. Barcelona again struggled with chances that normally are easy goals for the likes of Messi and Villa both coming up short. The game then started to shift in about the 65th minute Arsenal began to move the ball the way Wenger has taught them to do. Then in the 78th minute their hard work paid off with Van Persie sliding a half a chance between Valdez and his near post. A shot that maybe 8 out of 10 hits the post left the Spanish number 3 looking foolish, and causing Barca to further regret their inability to put the game away when they had the chance. Momentum was building with the crowd behind them, and in the 83rd minute the much maligned Andrey Arshavin struck against the grain on the Barca keeper again leaving him standing still. It was a result that a week earlier was looking very unlikely, but should have the gunners feeling very positive heading to the Camp Nou in 3 weeks time.
It should be an exciting couple of fixtures forthcoming.
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