The Road to Rome

Reputations overturned; underdogs uplifted

Wow. We are still trying to digest what was truly a week of breathless, attacking football in the Champions League.  All four matches were enthralling encounters – and the best part was that none of them was marred by controversy or refereeing errors. Villareal put on a master class in quick movement, only equaled by a stunning scissors kick from Arsenal‘s Adebayor. Bayern Munich gave Barcelona‘s thoroughbreds room to run – and boy did they! Porto didn’t let 70,000 screaming Manchester United fans or a late Tevez strike unsettle them, snatching back the advantage in the tie during the dying minutes. And then there was the match that everyone was dreading yet couldn’t ignore: Liverpool v. Chelsea. Another cagey affair? Hardly. Chelsea arrived at Anfield on the back of a season of underachievement. They could have shored up their defences and played for a draw (a la Jose Mourinho.)  Instead, they took the game to their opponents, gradually wrestled control of the midfield, and pulled off their biggest and most resounding victory in a year.  Can next week’s matches top the first leg? It might be too much to ask for.

Drogba talks trophies at Anfield