To paraphrase the immortal words of Michael Corleone, just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in.
3-0. 4-1. 0-3. 1-2. The Champions League quarter-final first legs had their moments. Ronaldo’s bicycle kick and the electricity inside Anfield as Liverpool thumped City were the two that endured most in the memory as the dust settled, but you would have been forgiven for thinking all four ties were as good as done.
Even with City’s manifold attacking talents, Liverpool’s lead looked insurmountable and it would have taken an immensely brave soul to predict anything other than Bayern, Barca and Real advancing to the last four from the other three ties. But, as it turned out, we just weren’t prepared for 24 hours of sheer Champions League mania.
Liverpool braved a first-half City onslaught to progress while Bayern barely broke a sweat in seeing off Manchester United’s tormentors Sevilla. Instead, it was the Italians who tore up the script.
Roma, to many dead and buried after a 4-1 defeat to Barca, clung to the glimmer of hope given to them by Edin Dzeko’s late away goal in the Camp Nou. It wasn’t much but, as it turned out, it was enough. The Giallorossi roared back from the cliff’s edge, winning 3-0 to complete a comeback for the ages.
As Liverpool cruised to victory over City, we suddenly found ourselves frantically changing the channel after catching wind of Roma’s second goal. Out of nowhere, Roma stood on the precipice of Champions League folklore and, soundtracked by Peter Drury’s hair-raising commentary, Kostas Manolas provided a wild climax worth savouring.
The Greek defender glanced a header into the far corner to shatter Barcelona, sending shockwaves across Europe and no more so than in the BT Sport commentary box at the Stadio Olimpico.
A rapturous Drury delivered about a dozen hall-of-fame soundbites in a minute.
“THE UNTHINKABLE IS UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR EYES!”
“ROMA HAVE RISEN FROM THEIR RUINS.”
“BEYOND REASON, BEYOND ROMAN REALITY.”
“HISTORY HISTORY, EVEN FOR THIS CITY AND ITS BOTTOMLESS WELL OF MYTH AND LEGEND AND HISTORY.”
The only thing better than Roma knocking out Barcelona is Peter Drury's commentary of Roma knocking out Barcelona…
(@mattgoss_) pic.twitter.com/Hy3JpweliH
— Cristian Filippo (@C_Filippo23) April 10, 2018
Even now, nearly 48 hours on, it’s a remarkably intense sequence, one that only the Champions League can provide. It may not provide this level of drama as consistently as it perhaps should, but when it does, it’s unmissable sporting theatre. It awakens something in you. Something that has been largely absent in European football this season with so many title races already done and dusted (England, Germany, Spain).
But the image of Manolas, wide-eyed, beating his chest as he soaked up the thunderous acclaim, won’t soon be forgotten. Neither will a humbled Lionel Messi exiting the pitch or Andres Iniesta looking on from the dugout in astonishment, realising that what may well be his final chapter in Europe was a harrowing one.
Somehow, the chaotic scenes in the Eternal City were surpassed the very next night.
Juventus, galvanised after watching their Roman rivals down a European giant, decided to give everyone the ultimate epilogue. 3-0 down from the first game, the Bianconeri rallied, with two goals by Mario Mandzukic before Blaise Matuidi profited from Keylor Navas’ howler to draw level on aggregate.
Madrid were stunned. With frayed nerves, though, they still conjured a response. Deep into injury time, Medhi Benatia impeded Lucas Vazquez and Michael Oliver pointed to the spot. The Juve players, with an incandescent Gigi Buffon leading the charge, swarmed the referee. Buffon’s protestations were deemed overly aggressive and he was sent off.
After four minutes of resulting madness, Ronaldo bloodlessly blasted the ball into the top corner and that was that.
Juventus, spurred by Roma’s heroics, fell agonisingly short of writing The Miracle in Madrid. Ronaldo and co reaching semi-finals may be tediously repetitive but the manner in which they scraped through to this one was enough to make us fall back in love with the Champions League.
There was, of course, a twisted hatred that this sport could reduce a great man like Buffon to tears once again. Like Iniesta, his Champions League watch may well be ended, and it served only to make it all the more gut-wrenching.
Buffon and Ronaldo, Manolas and Messi, some of the most recognisable faces in this sport gave us two nights to remember. In Manolas’ case, even those who aren’t household names got their time to shine. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a dramatic night in the Champions League if Sergio Ramos wasn’t involved in some shape or form.
With the possibility of Salah returning to Rome or Real going toe-to-toe with Bayern in a clash of proper European heavyweights, the semi-finals have the potential to be similarly spectacular.
But this week will really take some beating. It was football to raise the dead.
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