A Day of Champions League Beauty

The last time these four teams square danced, the day was defined by the absurdity of the goals rather than the beauty: the Lukasz Fabianski howler; the Lukasz Fabianski howler: pt. II; and Miroslav Klose doing his best – and worst – Pippo impression. Today was every bit the opposite: a day defined by beautiful goals, rather than the absurd.

When one has the weekend Nicklas Bendtner enjoyed against Burnley, to roar back with a foot-flailing hat trick is more than deserving of the spotlights, all the spotlights, and then some; but Samir Nasri & Arjen Robben will sneak out the back with the critical acclaim.

Arjen, though his goal far more dramatic and timely, will still have to wait his turn, as you will not see a finer goal for the remainder of the Cash League knockouts than the one scored by Samir Nasri. It was something beyond breathtaking; a manipulator shifting, twirling, twisting his marionettes – three of them – before cutting the lines and cutting in from the tightest of angles, all with the smoothness of Wayne Bridge in a hand-shaking contest.

Samir, noting the celebration, was obviously very pleased with his efforts, and rightly so. (This coming not five minutes after he saved Porto’s aggregate-equalizer off the line.)

Andrei Arshavin was no less incisive in the build-up to the second goal, but he needed the clinical finishing boots of Bendtner to put his work into the back of the net.

In Firenze, meanwhile, the eleven minutes from fifty-four to sixty-five was one of the most exciting, mesmerizing, confusing and draining sequences you’re ever bound to endure in football. Alberto Gilardino, who put a clear sitter flush into the belly of the Butt minutes earlier, assisted exquisitely on two Jovetic goals, only to see his Viola felled by a van Bommel strike and then Arjen Robben’s wundergol in the very next attack after Jovetic had made it 3-1. Four goals, eleven minutes and everyone watching the game from Tuscany to Bavaria rocked into a drunken tizzy.

Not to mention the four goals between 64 & 65 in both games scored by Jovetic, Nasri, Robben and then Eboue. The simulcast commentators earned their annual salary in the span of 120 seconds.

The RobRib:

That sound you heard was the momentum being violently sucked out of the Viola intermixed with a great deal of grumbling from down Madrid. €24m? It’s high thievery far more criminal than anything Tom Ovrebro has ever done.

It’ll be of little consolation to Porto & Fiorentina, but if you’re going to go out to a goal, there’s no shame in it being either of these spectacles of beauty.

[Vids: TVGolo]

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Category: Champions League, World Football