Such is the relentless pace of the European football calendar that we’ve barely had enough time to savour the return of continental competition and another round of tantalizing domestic league competition is upon us. There are some great matches to look forward to across the continent and these are my picks for the games to …
Author Archives: Wasim Parkar
Bayern Munich 4 (6) Juventus 2 (4)
A most remarkable UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie ended with Bayern Munich coming back from the brink to beat Juventus in a thrilling knockout match. The following are player ratings for the match. Bayern Munich Manuel Neuer 6 After a bad pass from the back led to Juve equalizing in the first leg, …
Everton 2 Chelsea 0
Everton kept their season alive after an excellent win over Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinals.The following are the player ratings for the match. Everton Joel Robles 7 Had little to do, but was effective when called upon. Did well to tip over a Willian free kick, but rather than any spectacular saves it was …
The Europa League is back!
The return of European football gets most fans excited about the Champions League. With the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, PSG and others involved, it is of course natural that Europe’s secondary club competition gets overlooked. However, this writer always looks forward to the Europa League knockout competition. Jurgen Klopp recently called the tournament …
Marseille 1 Paris Saint-Germain 2
Another cracking Le Classique between these two great rivals. The match between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain followed the template of the meeting at the Parc des Princes earlier in the season, which in turn was very similar to the two encounters last season. Marseille were relentless throughout the match, pressing incessantly and bypassing PSG’s much-vaunted …
Roma 2 Sampdoria 1
Roma continued their mini-revival under the auspices of Luciano Spalletti, winning their third consecutive game in Serie A. What looked like a routine home win turned into a nervy 2-1 win over Sampdoria. With Fiorentina and Inter both stuttering, the Giallorossi have stormed back into contention for the last Champions League spot on the back …
Celta Vigo 1 Sevilla 1
The second game in this week’s triple-header between Celta Vigo and Sevilla finished in a thrilling 1-1 draw. How Sevilla managed to escape with a draw is anyone’s guess. The home side battered their opponents especially since Federico Fazio’s sending off in the 25th minute, but their poor finishing combined with some heroic last-ditch defending …
Bordeaux 1 Saint-Étienne 4
An open and entertaining match between two Ligue 1 teams harbouring hopes of European qualification. At the end of the match only Saint-Étienne remain in contention after an emphatic 4-1 win away to Bordeaux. Christophe Galtier’s men have been playing some excellent football since the turn of the year. Three of their last five matches …
Chelsea 1 Manchester United 1
Lots of great post-match analysis all over the web on this match. An interesting point by Daniel Storey in his piece on Football365. Game on, you’d have thought, yet there never seemed to be any tension brewing in the fixture. After the vibrancy of Leicester on Saturday came the grim realisation of a Chelsea vs Manchester …
Athletic Bilbao 0 Villarreal 0
The sixth place team in La Liga hosting the fourth place team. One expected fireworks. In stead we got an anti-climax of a game. The onus was on Athletic to take the game to Villarreal. The home side needed a win to make the race for the last Champions League spot somewhat interesting. In stead, …
The Through Ball 