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Champions League Rewind: Real Madrid falls, Man Utd rolls

RealMadridFalls (Reuters) 

When Real Madrid spent $350 million on building the best team money could buy, one of the motivations was getting the club into the UEFA Champions League final, being played at the Bernabeu.

That dream of a home final died on Wednesday when Lyon's Miralem Pjanic scored a crushing equalizer to give the French club a 1-1 draw and series victory over Real Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Champions League dreams were dashed, but his former club had no such problem as Manchester United cruised to a 4-0 romp over AC Milan to run away with its pre-quarterfinal series.

Lyon and Manchester United join Bayern Munich and Arsenal as the first four teams to clinch quarterfinal places. The remaining four spots will be determined next week.

What did you think of Real Madrid's surprising exit? Think Manchester United is the favorite right now to win it all? Did you enjoy seeing Real Madrid's 'Galacticos' humbled?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Agreed, bryan. I can’t stand that preening twit CR9, but give the devil his due–he’s willing to put in the defensive work (he certainly did in last year’s CL final when his teammates weren’t up to the task).

    I’ve only watched two Real games this year, but in both, they just don’t seem to ever become more than the sum of the parts. The players are all superstars, but hardworking and professional. For whatever reason, they just don’t jell as a team. But they’re atop La Liga, so they must be doing something right. Still, give me a Xavi/Iniesta/Messi midfield any day of the week.

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  2. that had nothing to do with it…them dropping back, that is. the problem was finishing and that is it. if they had finished, they would have stomped all over Lyon before the second half. however, higuain was playing very selfishly last night. he could have set up 2 or 3 easy tap in goals, but instead, he tried to be the hero.

    so i agree in that the team has to play together, but this was not a problem of tracking back. it was terrible finishing on Madrid’s part.

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  3. Just goes to show: soccer isn’t always won by the team with the most star players. The team has to play together, and there have to be some players willing to do some dirty work. How often do you think CR, Kaka, Guti were willing to drop back into their own half and make some tackles to win back possession? Probably not much.

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  4. I’m tickled that Madrid are out. Thoroughly enjoyed yesterday afternoon because of it. Too bad Milan couldn’t even show up in Manchester.

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  5. well, i LOVE madrid but when you dont finish the chances you are given, this happens. second half became individualistic and higuain was the biggest example of this. why he didnt come off for Raul is beyond me.

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  6. If Madrid plays like they did in the first 15 minutes, no team in the world can beat them, but I simply LOVED the game that Lyon had yesterday. Super athletic, quick, opportunistic in the first half, dominant in the second half, great defense, deft touch, wonderful halftime adjustments, heart, grit. Superb stuff.

    Lyon is definitely my team for the remainder of the competition. What happened to Gomis up top for Lyon, is he hurt? He was quite the force in their group games and I was surprised not to see him out there.

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  7. Seriously, Rooney will never tire. He would probably play every day if he had too, and he’d play 100 percent in every game. Obviously he does have the occassional off game like any player, but he will rape the US if he’s playing well and the other players get him the ball…

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  8. Last years final would have been a completely different game had Fletcher been able to play. If Man Utd can keep three in the midfield available, they will be able to beat anyone. Unfortunately, the defense is really shaky right now, so they could easily be out the next round too.

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  9. That is why soccer will never become big in America. Soccer does matter, it transcends sport and enters religion-esque status. It is not just a game like throwball or boreball it is a passion that changes societies, cultures, and politics.

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  10. I just enjoying the Real Madrid Defeat cause is time for Mr. Florentino to stop be a Jackass and try to buy all the best player in the world. You know that when you have too many best player is hard to Setup the right team cause they don’t play in conjunction only individual. I’m Glad that Barca will have to play maybe Mans. U. for the Final at the Bernabeu and how sweet it will be for Barcelona to win the Champion at their Rival home and get Ronnie come and join them next year at the Nou Camp.

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  11. As another Liverpool fan i hear and feel your sentiments. I find it so hard to do so, but i think for the remainder of the tournament I am hoping Manchester United and Chelsea go far, possibly squaring off in the final. As a result some of the bigger and older english players may be a bit more tired entering the world cup (Lampard, Terry, Ferdinand and maybe even Rooney)

    I will take any advantage the USMNT can get, and if it means tired english players then so be it.

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  12. As a Liverpool fan I hate this but Manchester United are great fun to watch and just masterful. Rooney is dominent and I think he has a chance to better CRonaldo’s 42 goal season.

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  13. Rooney and Nani are special, but I think Man U won because Park and Fletcher owned the midfield. They totally took Pirlo out.

    If ManU play like that, no one can beat them.

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  14. What did you think of Real Madrid’s surprising exit?

    -I loved it

    Think Manchester United is the favorite right now to win it all?

    -No, until the holders are out, it’s hard to give anyone but them the inside track.

    Did you enjoy seeing Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’ humbled?

    -Yes, very much so.

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  15. Lyon is one of, if not the best run football club in the world. Would love to see their business model pay off with a Champions League title.

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  16. Definitely shocking that Real Madrid, with all its star power, could not get the job done. But, also should be a blow to managers, billionaires, etc who want to buy their way to championships. I am happy to see this as money should not be thrown around in such a cavalier manner. And, Ronaldo turned his back on Manchester United. Don’t get me wrong, I love Real Madrid, too. But, I just think his place was at Man U. Anyway, it’s just football. In the scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter at all.

    But, I do wish I was making the kind of money Ronaldo is.

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  17. I don’t agree.

    He is Man Utd’s golden goose. They are the ones to get all the golden eggs out of him.

    If Man Utd make it to the Champions League, I think he is too tired come the World Cup.

    His legs have to give out on him at some point. They did during the Everton game.

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  18. RM had Lyon pretty bunkered down for the first 60 mins before it occurred to Lyon that Madrid were vulnerable at the back and started pushing more. Around 70 min it suddenly seemed like a major mistake that Madrid hadn’t gotten more for their dominance, and then it all came gloriously crashing down. I loved it for Lyon, who have produced a staggering amount of talent over the last decade, but have never kept them around long enough to really capitalize. Enjoy those greener pastures, Benzema.

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  19. For me, the real story of AC Milan v Man U is Leonardo being out of his depth tactically. In 180 minutes of action, Park chased Pirlo everywhere and how did Leonardo adapt? He didn’t.

    I would have started Becks or Seedorf on the right instead of Huntelaar. And if Park was tracking Pirlo again, I’d have swapped Pirlo & Becks/Seedorf so that Sir Alex either had to have Park playing left mid (effectively between Evra & Nani) or finally leave Pirlo free. This would have been worth the experiment for 10-15 minutes…

    And if anyone wants to know why Dinho isn’t in the Brazil squad, this is the exact performance Dunga is looking at. When the game gets tough and he’s matched against players who press him, Dinho is ineffective. If he’d step up to the challenge and run at players he can and will create some opportunities. And yet, I’d love to have him as a super sub, but how would Dinho handle that?

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  20. Fantastic! Now if only Barca and Man U could lose we’d see a really suprising CL for once!

    How bizarre is it that Man United can sell their best player and STILL be one of the top 8 teams in the world while the super-team falls flat at the same spot they always fail?

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  21. It would have been foolish of Lyon to attempt to play RM straight up. They conceded possession and closed down their half. After the first leg, the writing was on the wall. Lyon were going to try and nip 1 goal and hold RM to 2 or less.

    US fans should take not, thats exactly how we should play against England.

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  22. Madrid are one of the few teams I will watch for the opportunity to see them lose. My favorite teams are Aston Villa, St. Pauli, Celtic, and whoever are playing Madrid.

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  23. I’m with you Josh. Lyon aren’t exactly a minnow club…seven consecutive Ligue Un championships?!?! However, to see Milan lose so badly to ManU is very unexpected. Or is ManU (aka Rooney) really just that good?

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  24. Just saw highlights of Madrid/Lyon. Higuain had two chances that dealt Madrid the loss. Obviously the miss on the open goal is the first, and the second is when he had Ronaldo wide open in the box for a tap-in yet chose to shoot. Can’t take anything away from Lyon however, as their goal was beautiful and they ended up moving on after 180 minutes of soccer.

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  25. just goes to show that you can have the ball for the majority of the game, but its what you do when you have the ball that counts.

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  26. I guess it takes more than 3 or 4 players to win the top club tourney in the world. Still, I thought Real would do a little better than this.

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  27. I have mixed emotions about madrid’s loss. On one hand I hear cristiano’s tears are worth their weight in gold, but I thought Real outplayed lyon in both games. I think the possession stat was something like 65-35 for real. I feel whoever lyon draws against will destroy them….I hope they prove me wrong.

    how do you say cinderella story in french?

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  28. I’m not shocked Lyon won. They are a very good club this year. I think it’s hilarious Madrid lost, considering all the money they dumped into that team. Just goes to show you games are never won on paper.

    However, I am shocked Manchester United stomped Milan. 7-2 aggregate? Yikes. Goldenballs’ balls have to hurt after that one.

    I missed both of these games yesterday thanks to a lack of brain function when I signed up for classes this semester. Are they going to be replayed on FSC Ives?

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  29. I think Madrid will see itself full of English Blokes come May.

    (A sad Real Madrid supporter – Pelligrini is not to blame – I put this squarely on the players – they need to get the job done)

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  30. shocking that real is out of the tournement. they were simply outplayed. did anyone happen to hear the announcer that is was possibly Rauls last game and that he was headed to MLS. Red Bulls??

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