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Real Madrid are competing for their 15th European Cup. By the skin of Joselu’s teeth.
Still : Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish Federation, will be tried for sexual assault and coercion. And news of a prominent Premier League figure granted anonymity in historic sex abuse case.
Final fulfillment: Never. Ruler. Out. Real Madrid. 🤯
For 88 minutes, German football regained the upper hand.
Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final. Bayern Munich are almost there. Bayer Leverkusen in perfect form to qualify for the Europa League final this evening.
This would not have been an easy task. Since 2013, only one German club has reached the top in the Champions League: Bayern in 2020. But Real Madrid cannot be overlooked. And the more cunning he becomes, without neglecting their manager Carlo Ancelotti either.
Last night at the Bernabeu — Real looked beaten but got out of trouble with two late goals — was the continuation of a fabulous knockout phase in which so many teams had regrets.
Give us a stunning final at Wembley, where Dortmund meet Real on June 1, and it won’t be far from the best year in the Champions League. It gave us epic after epic.
Did Neuer lose the Champions League trophy?
Bayern – or perhaps Manuel Neuer – threw him away. The goal he found to equalize in the 88th minute for Real was, as they say in cricket, a cart. He asks for them in his sleep – and has probably done so several times after going to bed.
JOSELU IS THE HERO OF MADRID! 🤩
A rare mistake from Manuel Neuer 😬
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/lcoUIfsyos
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
REAL MADRID ALWAYS FIND A WAY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/ZynoERYRV4
– CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 8, 2024
As for Real’s winner, it was a case study in both offside law and UEFA’s method of management compared to that of the Premier League.
Joselu is clearly offside as the ball goes wide towards Antonio Rudiger but is considered inactive. Bayern’s defense steps up, Rudiger sends the ball in and that defense is nowhere as Joselu, now onside, hits it home.
THE SCENESS! 🤯
Joselu comes off the bench to turn things around ⚽️⚽️
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/7w0BDseh7y
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 8, 2024
REAL MADRID BRING HIM BACK TO DEATH 😱 pic.twitter.com/gwWLFaknOC
– CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) May 8, 2024
UEFA uses semi-automated VAR for offside decisions, and the speed of last night’s decision stood in stark contrast to the slow calls we see in the Premier League. It’s surely not a bad thing that the semi-automatic system is coming to England next season.
Not that everything is perfect. Bayern thought they had equalized in the 13th minute of added time, but the finish was disallowed due to an offside by Matthijs de Ligt. The assistant signaling early and the referee blowing his whistle immediately meant VAR could not rule on the matter. A hard blow for Bayern to take.
It feels like destiny
There is a name printing on the trophy in this year’s tournament. Real won on penalties at Manchester City in the quarter-finals. They found Bayern incredibly difficult to get rid of and hung out until the wheel turned again in the last light of day.
Joselu – useless at Stoke City and Newcastle United, a hero at the Bernabeu. Funny old world.
Will Thomas Tuchel regret taking out Harry Kane with Bayern leading on aggregate and with five minutes remaining? It was certainly a risk. This signaled the retreat and bet everything on Bayern to see the draw in normal time.
It’s still rude to criticize Tuchel too much. He had a torrid year in Munich but in the Champions League he was extremely tight. But that’s football, and that’s Europe. So very often, it’s the house that wins. And the safest house in Europe is that of Real Madrid. The more it changes.
Overview of the news: Rubiales will be tried for Hermoso’s kiss
The standout image of the 2023 Women’s World Cup final was that of Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), kissing striker Jenni Hermoso on the lips (above) after the victory Spain against England.
Rubiales faces criminal charges over the incident and it has been confirmed by Spain’s national court that he will stand trial for alleged sexual assault and coercion. A statement from the National Court described the kiss as “non-consensual.”
Other figures in Spanish football are involved in this affair. Jorge Vilda, then coach of the Spain women’s team, is to be tried for alleged coercion, along with two other men, Albert Luque and Ruben Rivera. These three deny the accusations against them.
Rubiales, who resigned as RFEF president, insists the kiss was consensual. Hermoso refutes this and says she was put under pressure to accept that this was the case. Spanish prosecutors want Rubiales to be sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
EPL official kept anonymous in alleged sexual abuse case
Tuesday, Athleticism‘s Danny Taylor told us the story of the former Chelsea manager who was secretly suspended for life by the Football Association.
Today Danny has a report on another current Premier League figure who was granted an anonymity order from the UK High Court after being accused of sexually abusing a teenage girl in the 1990s The individual, a well-known name in football, prevented his identity from being revealed in the civil lawsuit filed against him.
As Danny explains, the complaint did not result in criminal charges, but the woman involved is filing a civil suit for aggravated damages.
Anonymity was granted to “protect the interests of the accused” and ensure the administration of justice. The judge presiding over the hearing said there was “insufficient public interest in disclosure.”
Show Viz: what the list of the 50 most valuable clubs tells us 📈
In football, is incompetence good for business?
Obviously not. But at Manchester United, it doesn’t hurt their overall value. Sports business website Sportico has ranked the world’s 50 most valuable football clubs – with United topping the list with an estimated price tag of almost £5 billion ($6.2 billion). Some other key lines:
MLS teams are increasing in value. Five of them are in the top 20, including Los Angeles FC and Inter Miami.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are second and third respectively, but the English Premier League is financially dominant.
Apart from Real, Barça and Atletico Madrid, Spain has no one else in the top 50.
Around Athletic 🌎
Pyrotechnics and pig’s trotters from the Irish derby
🇮🇪 Check out this derby in Ireland – Bohemians vs Shamrock Rovers, in which a pig’s head and feet were once thrown at the players. Find me a better title than “Snout of Order”.
🇺🇸 Could Marco Reus be heading to MLS? Tom Bogert looks at this and all other potential free agent moves.
Catch a match 📺
(Selected games)
Bayer Leverkusen vs Roma (Agg. 2-0)
Europa League semi-final second leg, 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. UK. Paramount+, TNT Sports 2
Olympiacos against Aston Villa (Total 4-2)
Europa Conference League semi-final, second leg, 3 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. UK. Paramount+, TNT Sports 1
(Top photo: Burak Akbulut/Anadolu via Getty Images)