Praising the Unsung Stars of the Champions League Semi-Final 1st Legs

As football fans the world over geared up for what were, on paper, two incredibly exciting UEFA Champions League semi-final first legs, imaginations ran wild over the many permutations the matches could take.

With Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and, to a lesser extent, Atletico Madrid boasting enough firepower for a league of 20 teams, goals galore were forecast—particularly in City vs. Real—and excitement was expected.

But the first legs turned out to be ultra cagey. The game at the Etihad Stadium, sans Cristiano Ronaldo, lacked bluster; Gareth Bale took a long time to get going and, despite threatening in the final 15 minutes, he failed to get a single shot on target.

Wednesday’s encounter saw not the talents of Robert Lewandowski, Douglas Costa and Thiago Alcantara come to the fore, but those in red-and-white stripes instead.

All in all, the players many expected to star flopped, and those who were cast as bit-part performers took several large steps into the limelight.

Let’s honour two star men—one from each game—whose praises are perhaps still going unsung in the wider world.

Fernando, Manchester City

When two defensive midfielders are dominating—one from each team—it can make for a slightly ugly spectacle. That’s exactly what happened in Manchester City’s 0-0 draw with Real Madrid, where Casemiro, and more particularly, his compatriot Fernando, were among the finest performers on the night.

Fernando’s City career has been an intriguing watch: He is capable of producing the sort of on-the-ball showing we saw at the Etihad on Tuesday night—after all, that’s why he was purchased from FC Porto and had many fans at the time of his transfer—but we haven’t seen it anywhere near as often enough in England. He flits from spectacular to poor far too easily.

Real Madrid, then, could perhaps be forgiven for failing to expect him to turn up and clamp City’s midfield so effectively. Playing as the deepest midfielder in a 4-2-3-1-esque shape, he broke up play superbly in midfield and provided a legitimate screen for his central-defensive colleagues.

Often it can look like arduous work playing as a centre-back for Manuel Pellegrini, as rarely do they get an appropriate amount of protection.

When you see Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany tearing out 10 yards for an interception, missing, and putting the team in a perilous situation, half the …

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