LYON vs JUVENTUS (1-0)

Wednesday champions league night witnessed another shocker or if you like, an unforseen result between the Italian champions Juve, and Lyon. The match which took place in France left many fans and sports analyst stupefied, as the "Old Ladies" succumbed to a 1-0 defeat by the underdog. Apart from the outcome of the game being in favour of the host side, Sarri's side performed far below expectations, as they finished the game without hitting a shot on target. It beats my imagination because the last time Juve had such statistics was in 2010 against Athletico Madrid(I stand to be corrected). Looking at the selection, I don't see anything wrong with it. How does one explain that a team like Juventus with Christiano Ronaldo, Dybala and even Gonzalo Higuain could not test Lyon's keeper. There are many questions Sarri needs to answer before the second leg which will be taking place at Turin in March.


Even Juve's defense which has been one of the best in Europe for the past years were looking so unstable and bereft of composure. At some point, I was tempted to ask myself, did Juve not prepare for this game or something. In fact, Lyon has never beating the Old Ladies in a European competition. Their previous four fixtures have seen the Bianconeri recording three victories and a draw against the french side. Lyon seemed to had a better gameplan going into this game, as they successfully avoided to concede an away goal. The hosts struck after 31 minutes through midfielder Lucas Tousart and went on to win the match. It's a big win for them and a draw at Turin will see them through to the quarter finals.


REAL MADRID vs MANCHESTER CITY (1-2)

It was another interesting encounter at Santiago Bernabeu, as Real Madrid welcomed the Premier League defending Champions Manchester City. The atmosphere was really tensed and I knew it was going to be a tension filled game. Both teams gave some really good football play and trust me, if you're a fan of "total football", you would have enjoyed the game more. This was one of those games I have been looking forward to for a while now, and I'm glad it was worth the while. Madrid appeared more offensive from the very beginning and they exerted much pressure on City's defense, nothing surprising for many, that's the typical Madrid for you. Coming off 1-0 defeat to Levante in their last game, the Los Blancos were unable to make their fans proud by righting their previous wrong. In such nights in the past, Ronaldo would have been a light in the dark for Zidane's side, because this City side was too strong for Benzema to handle alone.


Though the young Vinicius who operated from the left flank created much problems for City's defense, his assist was not enough to see Madrid through. You will recall that Vinicius was the one who squared up Isco to put Madrid on the lead. It seems Madrid gameplay collapsed after Vinicius was replaced with Gareth Bale, especially the attack. With Pep Guardiola unleashing Raheem Sterling to boost the attack and Fernandinho to strengthen the defense, "The Citizens" took the game to their host, and it wasn't long before they conquered the strong walls of Los Blancos defense. Goals from Gabriel Jesus and Debryne saw City winning with 2-1 margin. With Ramos also shown a red card, it casts heavy doubts about the possibility of Real Madrid turning the table at the Etihad on March. Whatever the case may be, I think City are a force to reckon with in this competition.