The semi-finals of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) have concluded, with many wondering how these teams went through. The atmosphere around the stadiums was ringing with excitement as the final four teams, FC Bayern Munich, Real Madrid CF, Paris Saint-Germain F.C. (PSG) and Borussia Dortmund, were narrowed down to two: Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund. Both of these teams have clinched their ticket to Wembley Stadium in 7London, where they will be playing each other for the Champions League trophy. Students have their opinion on what they thought of the teams in the semi-finals and their opinion on the teams and players that made it through.
This semi-final matchup is something that many did not expect. Most people expected Real Madrid and PSG to face each other in the finals, with others also contemplating a 2013 UEFA Champions League final repeat with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund facing each other in the finals at Wembley for the second time. That being said, this year’s final was something that not alot of people expected.
“I thought it would be Real Madrid and PSG in the final because since PSG is a quality team with good players they would beat Dortmund in the final, but it didn’t seem to go that way,” junior Usman Ghani said.
There were many players who stood out in the semi-finals, especially in the Madrid vs Bayern game. One such player is Joselu who scored the only two goals for Real Madrid in the second leg of the semi-finals, knocking out Bayern Munich in the final 4 minutes. Bayern was up until the 88th minute, when Joselu, coming in as a substitute, scored the final two goals of the game, sending Madrid to Wembley.
“Joselu was really good during the second leg of the Bayern game. He scored 2 goals in the final minutes of the game, even though everybody thought that Bayern had won. I think that’s pretty impressive,” junior Abdullah Khan said.
There have been many dark horses in Champions League history. One of these teams, 2018/19 AFC Ajax, went all the way to the semi-finals before getting knocked out by English side Tottenham Hotspurs 3-3 on away goals. Another team, 2021/22 Villarreal CF, also made it all the way to the semi-finals before getting knocked out by Liverpool F.C. 2-5 on aggregate. This year has been no different.With Borussia Dortmund being the dark horse of this year’s tournament. They first knocked out PSV Eindhoven 3-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, and then made quick work of Atletico de Madrid 5-4 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, until finally beating PSG 2-0 on aggregate which sent them straight to the finals. As such there has been a dark horse this year with Borussia Dortmund.
“I think Dortmund was a team that surprised me this year, especially in the semi-finals, because they were expected to finish last in the group stages, and then not even make it past the round of 16, so they have really impressed me this year making it to the finals and all,” senior Abdul Wahab said.
Even though this year’s semi-finals were one to remember, there were some moments that were not pleasing to the fans. One of these moments was the offside call that was given to Bayern in the second leg of the semi-finals against Madrid. Real Madrid led into the 13th minute of added stoppage time, 2-1, 3-2 on aggregate. Then, with Bayern having the chance to score, and potentially tying the aggregate score 3-3, was thwarted by the offside flag going up, and the whistleblowing, they were denied the chance to score. Bayern then lost 2-1 and were eliminated. The moment that did not resonate with the fans was the offside assistant, Thomas Listkiewicz, raising the offside flag, with the referee blowing the whistle immediately after. The flag was delayed, and with the whistle coming in right after, officials could not do a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review right after. This moment upset fans as a potential score tying in the most crucial stage of gameplay was denied.
“I think the most disappointing moment in the semi-finals was when Bayern were denied the goal because of VAR. The offside flag shouldn’t have been raised, and Bayern was clearly robbed of an onside goal,” junior Seth Park stated.
For fans, this year’s Champions League semi-finals were a thrill to watch. With the goal scoring action from the players and atmosphere the fans have produced, this Champions League was one to remember. June first marks the final in Wembley, and football fans will be waiting for this day to arrive.
