Analysis of the Champions League semi-final first-leg matches

Highlights: 14 goals were scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The match that witnessed the most goals was the confrontation between Manchester City of England and its host, Copenhagen of Denmark. Paris Saint-Germain succeeded in exploiting the crowd and defeated the stubborn Real Madrid. Real Madrid struggled to overcome its German host Leipzig, which is suffering in the German championship. The decision to qualify for the quarter-finals was postponed to the “Santiago Bernabéu’s” stadium.

6 victories and 2 draws in 8 matches, which was the result of the first leg of the Champions League semi-final, and these matches were not rich in goals, as 14 goals were scored, and this is usually the elimination matches that are dominated by caution and playing without mistakes.

4 teams, including Arsenal, failed to shoot between the three sticks in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final (Reuters)

The match that witnessed the most goals was the confrontation between Manchester City of England and its host, Copenhagen of Denmark (4 goals), due to the difference in level, quality of players, and the experience and personality of the hero, all of which are in favor of Manchester City.

Although the Danish team scored the surprise goal of the group stage by qualifying for the final 16, ahead of two major European teams, Manchester United and Galatasaray, the equalizer in the 34th minute, the English team was overwhelmed in terms of numbers and performance.

That KDB double-tackle 😤#UCL pic.twitter.com/SvCYNATsxC

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 16, 2024

Guardiola's sons had 79% possession of the ball, compared to 21% for Copenhagen. The English team also shot 27 times on goal, including 13 between the three posts, compared to 4 shots for the Danish team, including a shot on goal from which Copenhagen's only goal came from a mistake committed by Brazilian Ederson, City's goalkeeper.

The 4-3-3 plan adopted by the Dane, Jakob Nystrup, did not work with the sweeping attack and Guardiola’s 4-2-3-1 tactical drawing, and the latter succeeded in coming up with a broad result despite the development of the Danish team and its exceptional performance, especially on home soil and among its fans.

The royal is suffering

As for Real Madrid, the king of this tournament, it struggled to overcome its German host Leipzig, which is suffering in the German championship, so it shared possession of the ball with them, and had it not been for the skill of the Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in stopping the balls and the skill of the Spaniard Ibrahim Diaz in the goal he scored, the German team would have emerged victorious, or at least tied, and the decision to qualify for the quarter-finals was postponed to the “Santiago Bernabéu” stadium.

⚽️🔥 A wonderful individual effort from Ibrahim Diaz results in a beautiful goal for Royal #UEFA_Champions_League |

#Leipzig_Real_Madrid #UCL |

#beINUCL |

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The numbers indicate that the home team shot 14 times on the “Merengue” goal, including 9 between the three sticks, compared to 15 shots for Real Madrid, including only 3 between the three sticks, and one of them came from the winning goal for the Spanish team.

The important number in this match was for goalkeeper Lunin, who saved 9 balls, which is a record in the history of the tournament, and he was the actual star of the match, even though the award went to Diaz, who scored the goal with exceptional individual skill.

German coach Marco Rose relied on a 4-2-2-2 plan, which is balanced and secures the defense line, but at the same time in the case of attack there are 4 or more players in front. As for Italian Carlo Ancelotti, he played with the usual 4-3-1-2 plan and included Diaz in his place. The injured Jude Bellingham succeeded the Brazilians Rodrigo and Vinicius Junior and achieved what he wanted by leaving the Red Bull Arena victorious.

Parisian supremacy

Paris Saint-Germain succeeded in exploiting the staff of the ground and the crowd and defeated the stubborn Real Sociedad, who tried to snatch a draw after succeeding in keeping their goal in the first half, but the star Kylian Mbappe and the promising Bradley Barkula had another opinion and led the Parisian team to victory with two unanswered goals.

⚽️🔥 Barkola with a wonderful goal that strengthens Paris Saint-Germain’s lead #UEFA_Champions_League |

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The numbers indicate that PSG had 62% possession of the ball compared to 38%, and the most important figure was that Sociedad failed to shoot any ball between the three posts, even though it shot 9 times on goal compared to Saint-Germain’s 14 shots on goal, 6 of which were between the two posts. The three woods.

With the traditional 4-3-3 plan, the Spanish coach Luis Enrique, the French team's coach, was able to control the match and achieve victory and tactical superiority over his compatriot Emmanuel Elguacil, who adopted the same tactical drawing, but the three attackers failed to hit any shots on the three boards.

Lazio surprise

On the other hand, Italian Lazio, which is suffering locally, pulled off the only surprise in the first leg of the 16-leg final, stunning its host Bayern Munich with a clean goal.

The Italian team did not steal the victory because it was the better team, and this is confirmed by the numbers. It left possession (61% compared to 39%) to the Bavarian team, which played with 10 players from the 67th minute, and focused on effectiveness in performance and result.

Immobile opens the scoring for Lazio from the penalty spot 🥅🦅#UEFA_Champions_League |

#Bayern_Munich |

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Despite the English team's possession of Harry Kane, one of the best and most dangerous scorers in the world, Bayern did not shoot any ball between the three sticks out of 17 shots on goal. In contrast, the Italian team shot on goal 11 times, 4 of which were between the three sticks.

Italian Maurizio Sarri, coach of Lazio, knew how to emerge with a winning performance and result from the confrontation with the Bavarian giant by adopting a 4-3-3 plan, in which he outperformed Thomas Tuchel’s 4-2-3-1 tactical plan, which failed miserably despite his reliance on Kane as a clear spearhead and 3. Players with an attacking tendency are Sane, Muller and Musiala, and despite all this arsenal, everyone failed to threaten the Italian goal, Ivan Providel, even with a single ball.

Futile Atletico

Atletico Madrid's situation was not better than Bayern's, as it also failed to threaten Swiss goalkeeper Ian Sommer, Inter Milan's goalkeeper, despite his seven shots on goal. On the other hand, Inter was the party with the better control and possession at 56% compared to 44% for Atletico.

The Nerazzurri shot 19 times at Jan Oblak's goal, 5 of which were between the three sticks, and one of them was the winning goal scored by Marko Arnautovic 10 minutes before the end of the match, giving Inter a deserved victory against Simeone's sons, who were unable to take the initiative throughout the match.

⚽️Arnautovic gives Inter the lead#UEFA_Champions_League#UCL pic.twitter.com/4akPqNbQYQ

- beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 20, 2024

Simeone Inzaghi played in a 3-5-2 tactical formation through which he controlled the midfield and threatened, thanks to Argentine Lautaro Martinez (top scorer in the Italian League) and Frenchman Marcus Thuram, to threaten the goal of the “Atleti” goalkeeper in the minutes of the match.

Diego Simeone played with the same tactical scheme as Inzaghi, but he failed absolutely and was unable to control the midfield or keep the clean sheet, and Antoine Griezmann and Marcos Llorente also failed to threaten Inter's goal.

Fair draw

The draw was fair between PSV Eindhoven and its guest, Dortmund, despite the Dutch team's relative advantage in possession, but the two teams were equal in almost everything, and each team scored a goal in both halves of the match, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

Dutchman Peter Bosz relied on a 4-3-3 plan and tried to snatch victory, keep a clean sheet, and invest the ground staff and the crowd, but he failed in the two goals he set his sights on.

Donyell Malen opens the scoring for Dortmund against PSV Eindhoven #Champions_League #UEFA_Champions_League #Eindhoven_Dortmund pic.twitter.com/gTEHwXzETO

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As for Croatian Edin Terzek, he played in a 4-2-3-1 tactical formation with an outright striker, Niklas Volkrug, with the task of snatching the goal and retreating to defense. He had what he wanted through Dutchman Donyel Malen, but he failed to keep the goal, leaving with a valuable draw at Philips Stadium and postponed. The solution to the hell of Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.

The curse of the three woods

It seems that the curse of failure to shoot between the three sticks spread in the final 16. After Sociedad, Bayern and Atletico Madrid, it settled in Arsenal, who shot 8 times on goal and did not succeed in hitting it. On the other hand, Porto, the owner of the land and the hospitality, was realistic and came out with a victory with a goal in the fatal time.

The Portuguese team left negative possession to the English team (65% compared to 35%) and played with focus until the last minute of the match and believed in its chances of victory, and the Brazilian Windson Galeno scored for them a wonderful goal in the last minute of stoppage time.

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Porto's wonderful goal against Arsenal in the last minute of the match🥶👏

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— EPL World (@EPLworld) February 21, 2024

With a 4-2-3-1 plan, Portuguese coach Sergio Conceição played, relying on 4 offensive weapons, searching for a surprise for the Gunners, who are in second place in the Premier League, and although the surprise came late, Conceição succeeded in finishing the task with a difficult, arduous, but important victory over the English giant.

As for Spaniard Arteta - whose team lost in the last 5 elimination matches in the continental championship - he played with a traditional 4-3-3 plan and wanted to emerge with a draw from the hell of the “Dragão” stadium, and he was close to that if it were not for Galeño’s fatal goal.

Lost Barcelona

With one shot between the three sticks, Napoli, thanks to Nigerian Victor Osmin, succeeded in getting out of a draw against its guest Barcelona, which had a slight advantage in possession, 51% compared to 49%.

But the surprising number was that Barça shot 12 times on goal, including 6 between the three sticks, but the recklessness of Barça’s attackers and the brilliance of Italian goalkeeper Alex Meret by stopping 5 balls contributed to the result of a 1-1 draw.

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Napoli's equalizing goal against Barcelona via Osimhen🔵✅pic.twitter.com/pdqFtd78Ci

— EPL World (@EPLworld) February 21, 2024

The coaches, Francisco Calzona and Xavi Hernandez, played with the same tactical 4-3-3, and each coach - it seemed - came away satisfied with the draw, as the Barca coach postponed the decision to Catalonia, and the Italian coach did not lose in his first match with the team after his appointment a few days ago.

Source: Al Jazeera