Champions League semi-final first leg recap

The Champions League semi-final first leg matches happened, and it gave us an indication of who will be playing I the final. The first match on Tuesday was played between Tottenham and Ajax in Spurs’ new stadium. Ajax had already beaten some of the strongest teams in Europe and came into this game full of confidence. They started the game well, pressing very high and causing Tottenham all sorts of problems. The hard work paid off in the 15th minute when Van De Beek scored his second goal in two games. He was just marginally onside when he received the ball from Ziyech and slotted it home past Lloris. Spurs came out stronger in the second half and were pressing, however, did not have any clear-cut opportunities. Neres almost put the tie out of reach for Spurs when he bolted down the left, but his shot could only hit the post. Ajax take a 1-0 advantage into the second leg in Amsterdam.

The match on Wednesday between Barcelona and Liverpool started quite slow, as both teams were showing each other respect, and playing quite conservatively. That was until the 26th minute where Alba beautifully crossed the ball to Suarez who got in between Van Dijk and Matip to score the first goal. A few minutes after that Liverpool had a golden opportunity to equalise but Mane could only put the ball over the bar. The second half, Liverpool came out strong and were playing good football that produced various chances which they could finish. It looked like Liverpool were more likely to get the next goal until the 75ht minute when Suarez’s shot hit the crossbar only to fall to Messi’s feet for a tap into an open net. This deflated Liverpool’s sails and Barca looked in control of the game. On the 82-minute Barcelona got a free kick 35 yards out, which looked too far even for the great Messi. However, he still proceeded to take it and latched it into the top corner to send the fans wild. It was his 600th career goal and what a way to get it. Liverpool had one more golden chance to get an away goal when Mane shot, but the ball was cleared off the line right into Salah’s path, but he could only strike the post. The match ended 3-0 for Barca and gives Liverpool a huge mountain to climb in the second leg.