Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Champions League semi-final first leg recap
16 Plays2 months ago
Today we talk about the womens champions leagues first leg of the semi-finals, where London faced off against Lyon and Bayrcelona had a controversial draw against Bayeern Munich.
Recommended
Transcript
Overview of Champions League Semifinals
00:00:00
Speaker
G'day there and welcome back to Her Game I Take. After dramatic set of quarterfinals in the Champions League, we're now back into the semifinals and this is where things are really starting to get big. So the last round definitely delivered.
00:00:16
Speaker
Arsenal came through with a tight battle with Chelsea in a huge all-English London tie, with the joint result being 3-2 for Arsenal. Then Bayern Munich showed their experience against Man Utd, beating them 5-3 on aggregate. Lyon reminded everyone exactly why they're the most successful team in this competition, with the dominant extra time of 4-1 over Wolfsburg. And how can we forget the El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which ended with the bombastic 12-2 for Barca on aggregate.
Introduction of Episode and Co-hosts
00:00:53
Speaker
Thanks for being with us today. I'm your co-host, Romiana. And Charlie, let's get down to it.
00:01:00
Speaker
Yeah, in today's episode, we'll be breaking down the first league of the semifinals. um So the matchup between Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona and Arsenal against Lyon.
00:01:11
Speaker
We're looking at how the teams matched up, what stood out in the games to us, and who's best position heading into the second leagues next week. All right, so maybe let's start with sharing how full the stadiums were, because that was pretty impressive to us, I
Growth and Attendance in Women's Football
00:01:30
Speaker
think. Women's football continues to grow.
00:01:33
Speaker
Super happy to see it. Amazing atmosphere, I would say, both in London and in Munich. What do you think? Yeah, definitely. um it's It's awesome to see that size of crowd. Seeing 31,000 in Munich and almost 27k in London was quite impressive. Yeah, that's really amazing for women's football. So without further ado, let's get into it. We're starting with Bayern Barcelona, right?
00:01:58
Speaker
Yeah.
Bayern Munich vs Barcelona Match Analysis
00:01:59
Speaker
It was quite an interesting game. 1-1. I think Barcelona dominated. They scored first. But Bayern did not give up. That's so what made an impression on me. Definitely were not giving up. I think the home support, just as we mentioned earlier,
00:02:17
Speaker
as we mentioned just now, was very important for them. And I think actually that helped them maybe to like not lose. um Franziska Kett, definitely central figure of the match. She scored the equalizer after and the So the first goal was for Barca. It was a Eva Pajor in the eighth minute. So right first 10 minutes, we were already getting some action. So yeah, Ket scored the equalizer for Bayern in the 69th minute. ah But Bayern had a send-off. So Bayern had a red card in this game. for
00:03:02
Speaker
Actually, was it a similar situation of hair-pulling? I think we in the previous episode we discussed something very similar. Now we have it again. so we had a player being sent off. But this time someone was sent off, actually. Charlie, because last time there was a controversy. Yep. um Very important that Clarabue is back. We discussed this this this last time because last time she was missing for Bayern. Super important player for Bayern. And good for them that she's back pretty much. So maybe now you can tell us more how you saw the game tactically. Yeah.
00:03:48
Speaker
Yeah. um Also, ah worthy to note that Jose Bacala, Bayern's head coach, got sent off as well in an act of solidarity because he complained too much after the card. And also Bayern's managerial um level were not happy with the card. I remember the an interview where... Oh, God, I fuck forgot the Bayern manager's name, unfortunately, where she complained about it and...
00:04:17
Speaker
talked about how... Bianca Rich, sorry. Where Bianca Rich complained about how it shouldn't be a red card because clearly Kett was reaching for the other player's jersey, which still would be a foul, but only a yellow.
00:04:32
Speaker
And so it shouldn't be um sanctioned with a red card, which I think is complete complete bullshit. Because, i mean, every player who fouled someone, like most players...
00:04:45
Speaker
will have the aim to hit the ball. But if they hit hit the other player first, it's a foul. And same here, in my opinion. like it's When you pull someone C, it's a straight red. i don like I don't know what all the fuss is about. And Rich also complained about how the referee like lost control of the game, which I also think is a weird stance because she didn't dish out that many cards. I think it was were seven in total.
00:05:14
Speaker
It's not too much. like I remember the London in the quarterfinals, and that was way more heated. Oh, yeah yeah. I'm getting deja vu with the hair pulling, as we said, but not sure which of the two situations is more controversial, but this one, someone actually got a card, so like maybe that's improvement. Because, yeah, last time, remember how the the... Chelsea coach was showing that like in the post-match interview there was like yeah showing of videos and all that stuff so this time I mean it's still controversy this time around but at least there are cards given out so I think rightfully so I think it also should have been a red card in London derby
00:06:01
Speaker
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah. we We discussed that last time and i think we were unanimous, like the same opinion. But yeah. Honestly, I think this match was kind of boring, especially throughout the the first half, like the first few minutes were fun. We had the ah the first chance of harder after a pass from...
00:06:23
Speaker
From Bühl, who in general like created a lot of chances, like what we said earlier, like um her being back from injuries definitely crucial to Bayern's hopes in the second league next week.
00:06:35
Speaker
She instantly got the player of the match, deservingly in my opinion. But Barcelona opened the score when um it's, I think she wants to be called Padre.
00:06:47
Speaker
has the bull in the center and Julia Gwynn only defends the outside and leaves open the channel space that's more central, vulnerable and I am pronouncing that name perfectly I'm sure.
00:07:04
Speaker
um use yeah ah exploits that and both cuts in and runs in deep and yeah it's a very clear mistake from Gwynve Brutgen then squares it to Eva Payor who scores the first first goal. Definitely world-class finish. Like, no arguments there.
00:07:24
Speaker
However, I do think that Bayern's whole back line, like Gilles and Vigo Stottier in the sender, one of whom could have maybe intercepted the pass or um be closer to Pio up, they could have done a better job. And yeah, especially Julia Gvin as a captain of a team in the semifinals. That's just an era that's that That shouldn't happen on this stage.
00:07:52
Speaker
And other than that, um my biggest takeaway from the first half was how disheartening this match was to watch as a Bundesliga fan. Because Bayern Munich... Why so?
Comparing Women's Football in Germany and Spain
00:08:05
Speaker
Bayern Munich is dominant force in Germany. Like, no doubt about it. And it's very clear. But they haven't dropped points since the first matchday. They had ah had a draw against Carl Saizena on the first week.
00:08:19
Speaker
And ever since then, they've won every single match. And it's not even close. Like, it's... like most matches, even when the school lines close, when you watch the match, it's pretty clear that Bayern is the better team by a country mile and they're fresh, literally every single team in this league.
00:08:36
Speaker
And it's so disheartening to watch the team that is obliterating an entire league being dominated like that. Like it just shows levels to where Germany is at in the women's football scene in general.
00:08:51
Speaker
Because Bayern had 22% possession after 30 minutes.
00:08:57
Speaker
Barcelona was just toying with the first half. Barcelona didn't have an awful lot of chances, but they just basically just took the ball away because you know you do need the ball to score.
00:09:12
Speaker
And Bayern didn't have even a smith sniff at the ball until like the end of the first, beginning of the second half. and Yeah, I was going ask wasn't you just hot Sorry for interrupting you. ah Do you think this gap in quality that you just described, is it a gap in quality or in something else like between women's football in Germany and in Spain?
00:09:39
Speaker
Both. I do believe that, well, women's football is better funded abroad. That's definitely part of it. um And I don't necessarily mean league in terms of, in Germany you say Stein und Beine.
00:09:54
Speaker
So, lakes and stones meaning infrastructure. And I do just think that the infrastructure abroad is way better and they can like develop young talents in a way that Germany can't because of the lack of decent training facilities in the women's game.
00:10:13
Speaker
like When you look at um the German national team, for example, and how many of those players are from the same three smaller clubs, like most of them are from either SGS Essen, from Freiburg or Potsdam.
00:10:27
Speaker
And those three clubs do an amazing job at youth development, especially given their size, because none of them are the dominant force. But it just shows how the talent development is just falling behind in in Germany.
00:10:43
Speaker
And like it's obviously a bit fast to talk about an entire league like that after one season. And we mustn't forget that Oostberg was in the final last year. Still, they didn't have an awful lot of German players in that squad.
00:10:58
Speaker
But when you see it against the best team in the world, it is a harsh comparison. And like this feels even more disheartening for so for some reason than the 9-1 last October um when Barcelona thrashed by a 9-1.
00:11:12
Speaker
Because there you can like say, yeah, it's the not the group stage anymore, but you know like the but beginning of the
Will Bayern Compete in the Second Leg?
00:11:20
Speaker
competition. And they are not necessarily bringing their A game. And they will be at a different point physically and mentally come April.
00:11:29
Speaker
Now it's April. And Bayern put up a good fight. But yeah, I'm just a bit disillusioned. Yeah, that's so that's so sad to hear. But as as you are the person living in Germany and you see this with your own eyes, ah because i I don't live there, so i can't and I do not dare to open my mouth about the situation with women's football in Bulgaria, where where I'm at. so So best off to just continue with the analysis of the match, am I right? Yeah.
00:12:06
Speaker
Yes, so tactically Bayern doing the polar opposite of what they're doing in most league matches, apart from the player marking approach, they kept that. Which also, it must be said, like we talked about this in the last two episodes a lot, and player marking is something that you can get away with when you're the better team, when you can count on that when you put every single player in 1v1, your players have the quality to win a one-on-one.
00:12:30
Speaker
But when you're playing against the best team in the world with the best players in the world, then obviously it's much harder than when you're playing against, no offense, Sportclub Freiburg. And yeah, but I think that's also like, that was the clear breaking point um before the first goal happened. I'm talking about like Bayern get completely demolished here.
00:12:54
Speaker
They didn't. They just played a very different brand of football. Way deeper. Like, they didn't even press too much. Like, Lyon was also pretty passive in, yes, in, no, ah in sundays um Sunday's matchup. But they were active in pressing occasionally. And Bayern mostly weren't.
00:13:15
Speaker
They were pretty passive in the first half. Low block. Player marking once they enter the final third. And then dropping in deep. Which is pretty similar to what Wolfsburg tried against Lyon, funnily enough.
00:13:28
Speaker
And it's just when you watch Bundesliga, like Bayern dominate. Bayern basically play like Barcelona did against them on a week-for-week basis. And it must be said for...
00:13:39
Speaker
Like a tactical shift that radical. They did a pretty good job. Like Barcelona after the the first goal didn't have too many chances that felt like high caliber ones. Like um when you look at the statistics when it comes to shooting attempts and stuff like that with both Arsenal and Barcelona, you see they have an awful lot of shots, but a lot of them weren't like chances from decent angles, like you know out wide or shot was blocked or you know stuff like that.
00:14:13
Speaker
And Bayern got way more aggressive in the second half, both out of possession and in possession. And if they had a few more offensive scenes, but so did Barcelona because they opened up, obviously. Yeah.
00:14:26
Speaker
yeah um I didn't think it was the most de entertaining match I've ever watched but let's see what the second leg brings and let's hope that Barcelona don't have too much fire up their belly because otherwise I fear this could be a pretty one-sided affair What do you think about the the equalizer by Francisca Kett who was later sent off for violent conduct according to Sofa's core mean Chapul de Playa say that is violent conduct
00:14:57
Speaker
no Yeah, so what did you, do you think it was
Barcelona's Strengths and Challenges
00:15:03
Speaker
deserved? i did Do you think it came at the right time for Bayern? It definitely came at a point where Bayern did claw back and had some chance, like i said, like in the beginning of the second half, they did quite a good job. And it came a bit after that period of pressure.
00:15:18
Speaker
But still, overall, deserved in that moment. Although it must be said, you know, after 90 minutes, probably Barcelona was the better team. No doubt about it. But that attack, I think, was like one of its kind in the game in how fluid Bayern...
00:15:36
Speaker
Wernwey was also like a an inside diagonal, just a way shorter one than what we saw against um United. When one ah one touch pass from Kett back to the wing after inside diagonal.
00:15:51
Speaker
um When you see the goal, i would um I would recommend everyone watching it to look at the run from Dalman. who doesn't score herself, but like the way she crashes the box late and occupies both defenders allows Kett to be as free as she is because she doesn't have like a defender marking her in that moment because, like i said, Dalman makes a perfect decoy run towards the the first post and then Harder just has Kett to Kett.
00:16:27
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, that was, Ket was practically like all alone in in a radius of like couple of meters. She just stormed there like out of nowhere. But it's also... She was unmarked, as you said, like... But also good for Bayern to be that efficient because Barcelona only made that kind of defensive error once and Bayern were there to punish it.
00:16:50
Speaker
Yeah, I think you have when you when you get this kind of chance, you you have to score it, like no doubt about it. Maybe before we move on to the Arsenal versus Lyon match, one last question from me to you. ah you You mentioned you called Barcelona a few times like the the best team in the world right now, like the best team.
00:17:13
Speaker
Do you think they are like already favourites for the whole competition? yes Do you think Bayern can even compete in the second leg, which is over in Spain? So they they will be guests, so to speak.
00:17:28
Speaker
And yeah, do you think Barcelona is winning this thing? What do you think? The thing about football is obviously anything can happen in 90 minutes and Bayern put themselves in a position where 90 good minutes from them and 90 bad minutes from Barcelona are enough to knock them out, which is quite an achievement.
00:17:48
Speaker
But... on a normal day, Barcelona's the best team in this competition, no doubt about it. I think, I feel that Arsenal isn't the same kind of um beast when it comes to efficiency that they were last season.
00:18:04
Speaker
And when I see Barcelona play, that's by far the most dominant. Like, that's the only team in this competition I see that at this level, like with semifinals, those are the best four teams in Europe.
00:18:16
Speaker
And they are still able to suffocate them, basically. And I don't think there's a second team that can do that. There's not a second team with the same individual brilliance. Like, Arsenal come close on that front.
00:18:28
Speaker
And the very pragmatic tactics with Rene Sleger on occasion is perfectly built to challenge such a possession-dominant team.
00:18:40
Speaker
But I think on a normal day, Barcelona are the very clear favourites. Yeah, I agree. And especially we have to remind our listeners that figures like Aitana Bunmati, who is the current golden ball.
00:19:00
Speaker
she's She won the golden ball just some months ago. she was out so she was out for She was pretty badly injured for quite some time. I think she's on her way to be to be back. but So Barcelona are missing like figures like Aitana, like Laya Alexandri, Irene Paredes, who are huge, I think, as well figures. So if Barcelona are that strong without some of their like their biggest star plus a few more, then what happens when when ah they come back, you know?
00:19:32
Speaker
We talked about this match for 15 minutes and it's only now that we remember, ah, yeah, right, their best players are missing. Their best players are missing, my boy. Aitana didn't play, by the way. Yeah. Perhaps she may get some minutes in the second leg, but we'll see. We'll find out this week.
00:19:54
Speaker
I think you raised a very interesting point there because when you look back to last summer, all the headlines, it was that Barcelona, due to financial mismanagement, Oh yes, that you oppos that story. I'm just leaving a pause here so that everybody can laugh their ass off because that's nothing new. Barcelona, due to financial mismanagement, lost quite a few so important squad players. So they they have way less depth in their squad and way less rotation options. And still, we talk about the best team in the world when they are missing vip the best player in of the world. So, yeah. Yeah, pretty self-explanatory, think. Yeah, like we had Puteas moving on in every single role the pitch other than centre-back. Like, I've got an entire paragraph here that will be like way too long about how she played everything from a very deep number number six playmaker in possession to second striker on occasion. But maybe in the second grade. She's credible player, yeah. That's the nerdy part. So yeah, shall we move on to the second leg?
00:20:55
Speaker
The second map? Yeah.
Arsenal vs Lyon Match Setup
00:20:57
Speaker
oops yeah So Arsenal, Olympique Lyon, second game, the other semifinal, which ended 2-1 for Arsenal in London.
00:21:08
Speaker
ah So that they had the home advantage in the first leg. Very important, Leo Williamson, the captain of Arsenal, she's back from injury. she She's been quite unlucky with injuries, I feel like. i I really feel for her um because, yeah, she's she's been suffering from injuries a lot.
00:21:32
Speaker
ah but So actually Lyon got the opening goal in the 18th minute in the first half. I don't think if many were expecting that, actually. But when they came back for the second one, definitely you could see that Arsenal were bearing their teeth and they they were way more aggressive the second half. they were They were searching for that goal.
00:22:00
Speaker
ah for that goals and for the turnaround and they did it um they they got a penalty which you'll discuss more uh in a couple minutes which got ruled over by var so they didn't get a penalty in the end um Goalkeeping mistake for the equalizer, very ah very interesting, pretty good goal.
00:22:26
Speaker
ah And then Olivia Smith, who joined them, I think, last year, a year ago, or less even, she she got the second goal. So she... ah it It was hers. the The turnaround was hers, so to speak, quite late in the 83rd minute.
00:22:44
Speaker
But why don't you tell us more ah about the game?
Media Criticism on Women's Football Coverage
00:22:50
Speaker
Yeah. um First of all, I want to just say something about the coverage of women's football, which I want to say that from first episode on, but I think like now is a prime example.
00:23:03
Speaker
Thank God I'm not on Twitter anymore, but that goalkeeping mistake from Entler just before the equalizer happened after free kick.
00:23:13
Speaker
I hate the treatment of these sort of clips because people do not follow the women's game. But when something goes viral, it will be just clips like that. And then like all the big accounts like ESPN and those freaking Bible accounts, like Arts Bible, Ad Bible, like, you know, those types of internet.
00:23:36
Speaker
I'm not saying out loud what I just wanted to say. um Those outlets will just post those clips and then say, oh, look at how bad for women's Champions League is. or This is a Champions League semifinal, by the way, which of course, Antler doesn't look great in that moment doing a mistake, but...
00:23:58
Speaker
You know, every goalkeeper makes a high profile mistake that looks quite embarrassing when you see it. And it's just so it's just so sad because the competition is so much more than like one mistake of one goalkeeper. But that will be the one thing that will be shit. like These people will not talk about...
00:24:24
Speaker
I don't know, like Pajor's world-class finishing against Bayern or um like Smith's greed and pressing that allows Arsenal to claw back that goal last minute or the fast pace runs from Diani or the 1v1 ability from Jule Brand.
00:24:45
Speaker
But they will just talk about that one goalkeeping error and then like use it to discredit the entire women's game. And goddamn, I'm so fucking sick of it.
00:24:57
Speaker
No, I agree completely you. was wearing on this broadcast. I didn't want to. I know my mom's listening. I completely agree with you because it's ridiculous and it's time and time again, it's like pointing fingers or like laughing at the women and being like, oh, like is this what you call football or whatever? And it's disheartening. Yeah, it's so sad because as you said, no one is pointing out the really, really good football that happens most of the time. And it's just, um, but to be fair in men's football, this also happens, uh, If you followed closely, as I did, what happened with Antonin Kinski, who is Tottenham's goalkeeper. yeah they Yeah, I think this whole shenanigans there when they lost to Atletico Madrid and the he made actually a couple errors in that game. He was substituted, which was humiliating. ah So definitely happens in the men's game. The thing is, in the men's game, more happens than just that one error. Because in the men's game, it also gets, like, you know, also the clips get shared of amazing goals or um like 30 meter passes or stuff stuff like that. And the women's game just doesn't happen.
00:26:16
Speaker
Unfortunately, yes. But yeah, let's let's come back to something more positive, shall we? The goals and the and the yeah the tactical brilliance love of Lyon and Arsenal.
00:26:30
Speaker
Yeah, what I thought was interesting that Lyon had a different approach defensive first than they had against Wolfsburg. Because against Wolfsburg, they, what I said earlier, they like did the dropping deep part in the first leg anyway. In the second leg, obviously, they were the dominant team since they went behind. Yeah.
00:26:53
Speaker
But here they like used possession as a means of defending um in the sense that you' up and obviously when you've got the ball, the opponent can't score. And you can see that with the possession. Because possession stats are 50-50. But then when you look closely at who played the most passes for Arsenal, very straightforward, was Caldente. So, you know, number six playmaker.
00:27:18
Speaker
Makes sense, right? but For Lyon, it was in the top, I think, seven players of the most passes, or maybe six. The only two Lyon players were the two center backs. Renard and... um Not Entler, but she's got a similar name.
00:27:35
Speaker
Shoot. But you know what it didn't money what I mean, right? They kept the possession, like, very deep, and I unfortunately couldn't find a field tilt statistic for people that don't know that...
00:27:46
Speaker
possession but only in the last third so like the possession in the spaces where you want possession because obviously the last third is where you will score goals and create opportunities and get close to but ah to the target because there you probably could have seen that Arsenal had way more possession in the dangerous spaces which says ah like more about how how dangerous they were in comparison
00:28:14
Speaker
Like, um long story short, like, it was basically, Leon, it was basically defensive possession, if you catch my drift.
00:28:25
Speaker
Quite interesting, yeah.
00:28:29
Speaker
Honestly, in my eyes, it felt like Arsenal are holding the ball more. This game was weird to me, to give my two cents, ah ah because it felt like Leon, like, went for it, like,
Arsenal's Second Half Strategy Against Lyon
00:28:43
Speaker
they...
00:28:43
Speaker
like jumped right in it. ah But then in the second half, I think quite quickly. I think maybe the goalkeeper was also quite disheartened by the mistake and then ah like the tempo and then just in general dropped after that. Like after the equalizer, it feels like something shifted, but I don't know. That's just me.
00:29:08
Speaker
Probably. I mean, also, like, you know, a number of ex-players have said that it obviously feels different when you've got a goalkeeper behind you that you know that is 100% reliable. And as a defensive player, you know that you can make mistakes because, with um you know, worst case scenario, you still got, for example, Ann-Kathrin Berger in goal.
00:29:27
Speaker
But when you've got a goalkeeper who's just had like such a crushing mistake that probably really did something to her confidence, obviously you also have less confidence in her consciously or subconsciously as a defender.
00:29:44
Speaker
For sure, for sure. yeah What I want to say, um also like an observation, is that in general the game got a lot more hectic in the second in the second half, ah both in terms of like that both teams were more direct in terms of trying to create goalscoring opportunities.
00:30:04
Speaker
And also they were more aggressive, which led to more chances. I think the second half was so much more entertaining than the first half from shots on target perspective. I also thought that Katoto subbing in was quite important for Leo because she provided like a focal point up front, which um was always a physical presence and a headache for Arsenal's defenders.
00:30:26
Speaker
And also in general, I've... ah But it was interesting that Lior tried to build up quite aggressively in the sense of like, normally you've got five players in buildup. Like it's either three at the back and two on the number six or like two in the back and three around the number six defensive midfield position.
00:30:49
Speaker
And in some so some phases, like Arsenal like to do that, we've got a 3-1-2, so that, like, they create triangles instantly, but then you have to be more ambitious in passing, because obviously you've got two passing outwards that are longer passes than the short one.
00:31:05
Speaker
Long story short, Lyon's build-up in the first half was partially a 2-1. And all of the rest of the squad was just pushing up high. And like even the full-backs were higher than the number six in possession. Which basically means that you know you were they were all searching for a deep ball, for long passes, and to...
00:31:29
Speaker
Yeah, basically to not hold the ball too long in behind when possible, which obviously didn't work an awful lot because Arsenal just blocked the passing lanes, which led to the two centre-backs having Engen and Renard having the majority the passes on Lyon's side.
00:31:45
Speaker
um I thought that was really interesting, like this aggressive tactic. um Johannes sometimes came back when needed, but only like when they were stuck and, you know, Renard and Engen were just completing passes with one another and didn't have another outlet. And yeah, the wing focus also was visible on the goal. um Talk about that real quick.
00:32:10
Speaker
So it's... Lyon had like three or four moments in the first half where they were really aggressive in pressing, like to surprise Arsenal, because like they lured him in for 10 minutes and then they would get aggressive for like a minute.
00:32:25
Speaker
And Swawa gets the ball, passed to Johannes. She passes then to Brandt, who beats Little in a 1v1 and then has just a one-on-one against the goalkeeper and she's able to convert.
00:32:40
Speaker
What I thought was interesting there is that when you look at Swawa, who wins the possession, she instantly runs in deep, which is very crucial when you look at the goal, because otherwise, if she wouldn't be there in deep, it would be a 1v2 for Brandt with both Little and Williamson. But because Swawa is way... um Williamson is occupied with her and so the best Arsenal defender can't do anything and then Brandt in parentheses only has to beat Kim Little who's obviously a great player but like not the same kind of defensive specialist that Leah Williamson is um to get to get the goal so that's like something that you will never see on a physical showing up and like Sofa's goal will not say you like Swawa great off ball movement
00:33:27
Speaker
But I think it's still very, very crucial in moments like these. And there you can also see what the appeal of a player like Jule Brandt is. Because as a Bundesliga fan, Jule Brandt played a lot of years for Hoffenheim and Wolfsburg.
00:33:42
Speaker
Brandt isn't the most consistent player. But she has like the sort of flair and 1v1 prowess that very few other, ah especially German players, possess in the league.
00:33:54
Speaker
And so she is always like a great chaos player. Like she's always um good to have a moment of brilliance out of no way, which is um very different in a league setting than a knockout setting, because in a knockout match, you want a few outstanding moments, whereas in a league you need consistency.
00:34:13
Speaker
So I think it also makes sense that Fran started the match here, and that she's a really helpful tool in a knockout round. Yeah, she's she's a woman of the match as well for Lyon, according to Sofa's score. okay that It was a pretty great game for her, I think.
00:34:33
Speaker
Yeah. also not Not for Blaxstinius, though, I was going to ask you She was quite invisible. She's probably the lowest rated Arsenal player, which we've talked about in previous episodes that these ratings are not the most accurate, but still quite quite invisible, I think. she Because in previous games, she she was involved in in situations, but this time around, not really.
00:35:03
Speaker
Yeah, you could see that she tried similar things like she did against Chelsea. She um also drifted a lot on the wing and then giving Russo time to and space to push up through center. Just here, compatriots weren't ah able to find her as often with passing.
00:35:22
Speaker
And she made like a lot of deep runs, and like decoy runs that weren't
00:35:29
Speaker
that aren't as visible as, like for example, a goal or a shot, but also like runs where she put herself in a decent position, but her teammates didn't find her the same.
00:35:41
Speaker
But also, yeah I think she had a really mixed game because while it is like important tactically sometimes, also sometimes there was a focal point missing up front for Arsenal. And when Blacksteen is like shifting out on the wing, then obviously you're missing that.
00:36:00
Speaker
And yeah, leaving Russo with too many pieces to pick up. Yeah, but Russo ended up in the team of the week ah as well. So it paid off, her efforts paid off, so to speak. Maybe it would be interesting for our listeners to hear the who who is in the team of the week between those two
Team of the Week Announcements
00:36:26
Speaker
semifinals. So I'm going to read them out real quick.
00:36:30
Speaker
Actually, Endler, the Lyon goalkeeper, she is the goalkeeper of the team of the week, despite what we talked about in the beginning and the error that led to um an Arsenal goal. But she is the goalkeeper of the team of the week. so that She did save quite a few chances in the second half.
00:36:49
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So most most probably that's why. And then defenders are Mappi Leon Midfielders, as I said, Alessio Russo from Arsenal and Olivia Smith, who got the second goal for Arsenal, as we mentioned earlier. Patry from Barcelona, Francisca Kett.
00:37:14
Speaker
For Bayern, who is overall top-rated from all players of the team of the week with 8.3. Very unlucky for her with the hair pulling, but let's not go back there. And then forwards, Perneil Harder, who seems to be... um and quite the an important player for Bayern. She's always there when you need her. Pajor and Jule Brandt. She's the second highest rated with 8.1.
00:37:47
Speaker
from Lyon. Penelha is also like a player who provides so much more than just her goals. Like just her football intelligence is just outstanding and you can see that how she occupies defenders and stuff like that.
00:38:00
Speaker
And what I wanted to talk about just realize is that we didn't talk about the last goal. Maybe we should have done that earlier. Oh, we have plenty of time, so go ahead.
00:38:12
Speaker
Because both number sixes in this game had like howl of a back pass. The difference being that um it wasn't punished the same for Arsenal because there was in the 66th minute, I believe. There was a back pass, which ends up in the feet of Diani, who then sprints in behind and just hits the crossbar. And then in the 83rd minute, also a back pass from heaps.
00:38:39
Speaker
Engler isn't able to to control it. And Leia is rushing out and trying to save it. And then Olivia Smith just rushes in there in between and gets the ball just between centre-back and the goalkeeper and then just has to convert. I think it's it talks volumes about like the mentality the sharp and the mental sharpness at this level, that after 83 minutes, like an attacking player is still focused enough and also has the stamina to still run to every um open ball available.
00:39:11
Speaker
but I know it's like a very... How do you say it? Like Stammtischweißheit in German. Like, you know, somebody that everybody should know, like, yeah, of course, it's like elite-level football.
00:39:22
Speaker
But still, I thought that what ah is just a killer mentality there.
00:39:32
Speaker
Oh, yeah. she's She's been waiting for her moment to shine, I feel like. i think she came from Liverpool. I remember when the transfer happened. She did, yeah. Yeah, because I think, if I am not mistaken, that she was, at the time, the most expensive transfer in women's football. I'm not sure um if I'm mistaken. I'm not sure, but she did cost over a million. Yes, so I remember a lot of ah lot of outlets reporting on that. And I think for her time, like a year ago or when... Less than a year ago, it was...
00:40:11
Speaker
maybe in September, I want to say, August or September last year. But yeah, she was quite an expensive signing, if not, I think probably the most expensive in Arsenal's history overall. But I'm glad to see that she is paying off, so to speak, in that way. I'm sure she's happy with the with that and with getting a goal, obviously, as well.
00:40:36
Speaker
Yeah, do you have anything to add to to the game? um Not really. Maybe let's do our usual and try to see in the future and who will win the second
Predictions for Second Leg Matches
00:40:49
Speaker
games. So share our predictions. For me, the final looks like ah our favorite, my personal favorite, Barca vs Arsenal. That's how I feel like it's going to go down.
00:41:05
Speaker
um But let's let's wait and see. So yeah, I do think Barcelona is winning the second leg and Arsenal are also getting their second leg. But as you said, football has 90 minutes. You truly never know what may happen. So yeah, what what do you think?
00:41:20
Speaker
Yeah, like an early red card, for example, can always change a game or like a an injury or something like that. Like when stuff like that happens, like in the first 10 minutes, you know, who knows?
00:41:32
Speaker
um Yeah, like my brain's telling out me also Arsenal, Barcelona. I don't know why, but my gut says that Lyon's got a shot here. Hmm, that's okay. That's interesting. Yeah, I don't think they should be written off, definitely, because two one or 1-2, like, it's literally one goal. So they need one goal to reach, let's say, like, extra time.
00:41:59
Speaker
ah and yeah To be fair, I'm not an expert in the French League at all, but from everything I've seen of the Champions League, I think Lili Johannes is capable of so much more than when she shot against Arsenal.
00:42:15
Speaker
When I think back um to her game against Wolfsburg, for example, the second leg. If you know some more players have a good game on that side, like also Schrader, for example, then I think Leo does have a shot here.
00:42:30
Speaker
I don't think they're favorites, but I but i think they will they will give Arsenal a good run for their money. Surely they are not to be written off. I would say the same about Bayern. I personally have not totally written out Bayern, even though it's Barcelona, even though like they're pretty much the strongest team, even though they're going to be at home in Spain. That's the thing.
00:42:54
Speaker
Yeah, i I personally think Bayern should not be written off. I don't know about you, but... Yeah, let's see. that That's what makes it interesting because you never know. Written off would be too harsh, but I just, I don't see Bayern winning that one.
00:43:12
Speaker
It's hard for me to say. need divisive opinions here to polarize more. Yeah, I will write Bayern off here. Laugh. All come and laugh at me next week.
00:43:23
Speaker
Yeah, well well when we come back for the next episode, we'll surely have some interesting discussions. So let's wait and see. Well, yeah, I think we can wrap wrap it up. Super interesting first legs, which the doors are open for anything.
00:43:41
Speaker
um So that's all from us for today's episode. We cannot wait for the second legs to see who is going to be in the final. First legs are done. Everything is still on the table.
00:43:53
Speaker
Everything is still like very much balanced heading into the second legs. As you said, it feels like any small moment, anything that happens in in those second legs, be it a card, an injury, a penalty, or something, something could decide could be a decider. So I think we have plenty more drama to come.
00:44:17
Speaker
ah So let's wait and see some few days and we'll be back. Yeah. um Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you after the second like.
00:44:29
Speaker
Bye bye.