There wasn’t much drama in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday, with Real Madrid easing past Atalanta 3-1 (4-1 on aggregate) and Manchester City dominating Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 (4-0 on aggregate).
Below, we’ll break down the winners and losers from the day’s action.
Winner: Kevin De Bruyne
Blink and you’ll miss this rocket from Kevin De Bruyne.
City were never really troubled by Gladbach in either leg of this draw, precisely because the club boast world-class players like De Bruyne. If you were picking a favorite to win the Champions League right now, smart money would probably be on City. They are irrepressible at the moment.
Winner: The Phil Foden-Ilkay Gundogan Connection
Just look at this brilliant attack and goal from the City pair:
Ever crafty, Phil Foden wasn’t done there:
Nobody wants anything to do with this City side at the moment. Their highlights from Tuesday are a perfect example of why.
Winner: The Pressing from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric
An excellent bit of pressure from Karim Benzema and Luka Modric led to Real Madrid’s first goal, which ultimately was all they needed to see themselves through to the quarterfinals:
For Benzema, it continued what has been a brilliant Champions League career:
This is not the Real Madrid powerhouse of the past. But the club’s combination of wily veterans like Benzema, Modric and Sergio Ramos and young, exciting talents like Vinicius makes them a scary proposition to face nonetheless. Continue reading