Hello friends, good vibes to all.

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What we experienced this week in the Champions League I honestly had not experienced in this competition for quite some time. And to think that we were just in the round of 16. But both PSG-Liverpool and Real Madrid-Atletico Madrid were two great knockout rounds which I am sure will be remembered for many years to come. I think what we saw can be summed up in how unpredictable, how mysterious and capricious soccer can be at times and that nothing, absolutely nothing, can be taken for granted. Remembering the first leg between the French and English and knowing that PSG deservedly lost and having seen Tuesday's game where Liverpool improved their game considerably and still lost is one of the meanest things I've seen in this sport.

It is not a surprise what this PSG is doing and after several failed years we are finally seeing a compact team that knows what they play under Luis Enrique. They played very well in the first leg and this second leg too, at times. Donnarumma was the great savior, in the second half he had several key interventions to keep the result not to mention the penalty shootout in which he was decisive. Players like Dembélé, Barcola, Kvaratskhelia and Ecuadorian center back Willian Pacho were stellar in this French breakthrough. I was very surprised by the latter, the level he showed in this return was of great quality being really a wall in that central defensive backline.

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To say that this Liverpool we saw is far from the version we see every weekend in the Premier League with a Salah very disconnected from his role. It is strange because the team that for many was one of the great favorites, including myself, was left out. This result gives us the possibility of having a Barcelona-PSG semi-final, which would be extraordinary for soccer and for the spectacle. It was a very good tie, slightly tilted towards the French, so I think their passage is more than deserved. It was also a bit of a surprise, but that's the cool thing about this sport, will it be their year in 2025, will we see them in the final again after five years? - We'll see.

But if Tuesday was cinema, what can we say about yesterday. Another very evenly matched tie which gave no clear signs of who could be the winner. With a locker room goal, Cholo's team equalized things, Gallagher just over 30 seconds into the match. It was a match that had a before and an after and that point was the changes in the second half, which in the end worked out better for the Whites. The game was even, at times it was for both teams where I think the colchoneros had more chances than the merengues with Courtois being the key player. Mbappé disappeared, Vini was also not fine (this increased when he missed the penalty), Rodrygo was substituted; it was not a good game overall for Madrid. But there is the magic, the aura of this club in these matches.

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Another tie in which Real Madrid knocks out Atletico but it seems that they are finding it harder and harder to do so. For me they were the favorites, but only because of their history in this competition. Did Julian Alvarez really touch the ball twice? - There are shots that confirm it, others not so much; the thing is that this discussion will go on for a long time. Now it's their turn to face Arsenal, an opponent I would believe more superior than Atletico, who crushed PSV 9-3 on aggregate. I keep on saying it, this Madrid team is not fine, they have players who are no longer up to the mark and are falling into inconsistency. Mendy, Lucas Vasquez, Rudiger at times, are players who seem to sometimes fall a couple of steps down in relation to the rest. But they still win and keep the dream alive.

What's coming up is very good, very attractive quarterfinals. Madrid-Arsenal, Barcelona-Dortmund, Inter-Bayern and PSG-Aston Villa. After what we have seen in these round of 16, it is difficult to predict anything, besides the fact that these matches are less than a month away, it remains to be seen how these clubs will get to these matches with such tight schedules. At last we saw a magical Champions League.

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Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it.
¡A hug to all of you, see you next time!