Champions League Semi-Final Part II

Well color me impressed! While I knew that the home crowd support and attacking prowess of hosts Dortmund would be a challenge for Real Madrid, I certainly did not expect them to blow the Spaniards out in a similar fashion as Barcelona were destroyed in their 1st leg encounter with Bayern Munich. Robert Lewandowski's 8th minute strike for the Germans was obviously the best way the game could have started for Dortmund but as Cristiano Ronaldo equalized in the 43rd minute, one could be forgiven for thinking Real Madrid would start making back ground in the 2nd half. They would clearly be wrong though as Dortmund's 1st half possession dominance continued into the 2nd half, culminating in three more goals for Lewandowski before the game had run its course. How was this possible? Defensively, Madrid just had some lapses as they could not hold onto the rampant German opposition. The 2nd leg encounter will have to be something special on the part of the Spaniards as they will have to stop the scoring as well as make a handful of their own! Though Dortmund technically remain undefeated in their away encounters - another draw on their record would do just fine in this situation - Madrid's home performances allow for some hope on the part of Ronaldo, Ozil and company. Madrid will have to put in a double shift, but I would not put it past them. At the same time, how exhilarating would a Bayern - Dortmund Champions League Final be? Hope you enjoy the games! Do not forget to catch the Fenerbahce v.s. Benfica Europa League match today as well as Basel against Chelsea! I will report on those tomorrow.