Nadal 2-0 Dimitrov (6-1/6-1)

The Spanish king Nadal won the French Open for the 14th time last season, and the number of career Grand Slam titles reached 20 for the first time to tie Federer. Nadal stopped in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open this season. Nadal is the most successful player in Monte Carlo, winning 11 times in 2005-2012 and achieving eight consecutive horror titles. In the first game, Nadal defeated Delpones in two straight sets. In the second game, they encountered old rival Bulgarian star Dimitrov. The two had only lost one match against Nadal in the previous 14 matches and remained unbeaten in 5 matches on clay courts. , Nadal’s track record has a huge advantage.

In the first set, Nadal, who took the lead in the first game, quickly entered the first game. Lovegame guaranteed the first game under continuous high-quality serve. In the second game, Dimmi sent two consecutive double errors on his first serve, and then he shot out of bounds and sent a break point. , Under pressure, Dimmi issued a third double error to miss the game, and Nadal took advantage of the situation to secure a 3-0 lead. In the fifth game, Dimmi’s serve was still poor, and another break point was sent after two double errors. Nadal was hitting the winning points to complete a 4-0 lead. Dimi then finally secured the serve to avoid swallowing the egg in the first set. Nadal secured the first set 6-1 victory, leading 1-0 with a total score.

In the second set, Dimmi gave a break point in the first serve. Nadal had a 40-15 advantage and then a fore shot. Dimmi was forced to go out of bounds with a backhand and then missed the serve. Nadal was still easy to keep serve. Leading 2-0. In the third game, Dimi was still trying to find his state. After saving two break points, he changed the line and lost the game. The furious Dimi threw the racket to vent his emotions. Since then, they have secured a 5-1 lead by Nadal, and then Dimmi has to serve in this match. The 0-40 break point is also the match point. Nadal then finished with a fore-shot victory. Break serve and win the second set 6-1.

In the end, the Spanish king Nadal continued his strong performance, defeating Dimitrov 6-1/6-1 and won seven consecutive victories against the latter. The whole game took only 55 minutes. In the game, Nadal completed 3 ACES balls and 1 double fault, Dimitrov had 3 ACES balls and 5 double faults. Dimi’s first serve rate was only 57%. The scoring rate of 48% is far behind Nadal. The winning points Dimitrov led 17-11, Nadal had only 5 unforced errors, and Dimitrov had 32. In the break point, Dimmi failed to get a break point, while Nadal cashed out 9 break points 5 times.

Lublev 2-1 Agut (7-6/5-7/6-3)

Russian star Lublev broke out last season and won 5 championships in all competitions. This season, he won the ATP Cup champion Australian Open and broke into the quarterfinals. Since then he won the Rotterdam Championship. The ATP500 series won 23 consecutive victories second only to Federer. . Rublev played as the No. 6 seed in the tournament. In the first game, he defeated Caruso 6-3. In the third round, his opponent was Spanish expert Agut. The latter won two runner-ups in Doha and Montpellier this season. The first two rounds of winning streak Fritz and Paul. The two have played against each other 5 times before, and Agut has a slight advantage with 3 wins and 2 losses.

In the first set, Agut, who took the lead in serving the first game, secured the first game. In the second game, Lublev’s poor serving state sent 15-40 consecutive break points. Agut continuously suppressed the opponent’s backhand, and Lublev backhanded the ball back to the net. After losing this round, Agut continued to hold a 3-0 lead. The state of Lublev started to rebound under their respective guarantees. After saving the break point in the sixth game, Lublev finished the break point. In the seventh game, Lublev counterattacked and forced the break point. Agut suppressed the backhand and returned the ball to go out of bounds and lost the game. Make a 4-4 tie. In the eleventh game of the end of the game, Lublev won the game with 40-0 consecutive break points, and then Agut broke the opponent’s serve to win the game and tied the game 6-6. In the tie-break, Lublev started 4-0 and won the tie-break 7-2. The total score was 1-0.

In the second set, Lublev took the lead to serve and still had a sluggish start. In the first game, he sent 15-40 consecutive break points after being pulled off. Lublev made a straight shot and pulled the ball out of bounds before he served the net and lost the game. After each defending serve, Agut launched another attack in the fifth game and got a 40-0 consecutive break point. Lublev was shooting out of bounds to lose this game 1-4 behind. Lublev then launched a counterattack, breaking the band to keep the 3-4 to narrow the point difference. In the eighth game, Agut made a cross ball and sent a break point after a 30-30 tie. After that, Lublev won a 30-odd stalemate and broke again. 4 levels. After each guaranteed a 5-5 tie, in the eleventh game, Agut scored a short scoring and got a break point. Under pressure from Lublev, he was out of bounds and lost the game. Next, Agut served to win the game and successfully secured the serve. He won the second set 7-5 and the total score was tied 1-1.

In the deciding set, Lublev took the lead in securing the serve, and Agut’s physical fitness declined. In the second game, he sent a break point opportunity. Lublev then stalemately changed the bottom line and blasted out the winning points to break, and Lublev took the opportunity to keep the serve 3 -0 lead. After passing the physical limit, Agut’s condition improved slightly. In the fifth game, Lublev was out of bounds and sent a break point. After that, the quality of Lublev’s volleys in front of the net was not high. . In the sixth game, Lublev broke serve again, and then kept the break advantage to the end, winning the second set 6-3.

The whole game took 2 hours and 44 minutes. During the game, Lublev completed 7 ACES balls, while Agut had 3 ACES balls and 4 double errors. The first serve success rate was 55%, and Lubrev lags behind his opponents. The first serve scored rate. 68% has a slight advantage. On the winning points, Lublev blasted 50 times and led the way, and the unforced errors 39-38 were almost the same. On the break, Lublev had 12 break points and 6 breaks, and Agut had 9 break points and 6 breaks. .

Arsenal has played quite well on away field recently (Image: Getty).

The 4-0 victory over Slavia Prague is the fourth consecutive victory to score more than 3 Arsenal goals away from home this season. Before that, coach Mikel Arteta’s army overcame Olympiacos, West Ham and Sheffield United. The last time Arsenal did this was in December 1932, or 89 years.

Despite a very good record on away field recently, Arsenal’s performance in the Premier League has not been very good. After 31 rounds, coach Mikel Arteta’s team ranked 9th on the rankings with 45 points, 4 to 10 points behind.

The chance for Arsenal to reach the top 4 with the Champions League ticket next season is quite low, when the teams that compete with them have very stable performance. Therefore, Arsenal will have to put all their strength into the Europa League playground 2020 / 2021. /.

Perhaps what remains about Liverpool for those who watch the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2020-2021 second leg can only be described in two words: fading. Because when cornered, when there is nothing to lose, even if the opponent is a mighty Real Madrid, Liverpool fans still expect their beloved club to have a real match. the fierce, truly bloody, as the tradition never gives up that they are always proud of. But the end is probably just sighs, deep feelings about a fact: Liverpool is no longer itself.

Liverpool played too faintly in front of a brave Real Madrid.

Entering the life-and-death match after losing 1-3 to Real Madrid in the first leg quarter-finals, Liverpool was clearly cornered, and Jurgen Klopp did everything he could. It is a muscular midfield with Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum and James Milner, he even uses Roberto Firmino, which is happily known as a “defensive striker” when frequently backing down to support the defense, with determined to strangle the “old men” like 35-year-old Luka Modric, 31-year-old Toni Kroos, 33-year-old Karim Benzema … right in the middle of the pitch, not allowing them to form a connection with each other. From there create opportunities for Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah above. They even have a big advantage when Real Madrid are having a serious crisis in defense, when in front of Thibaut Courtois two names that rarely match: Eder Militao and Nacho. Even Zinedine Zidane had to withdraw midfielder Federico Valverde to play at right-back because there was no better substitute in that position. With such advantages, Liverpool fans dreamed of a “magical Istanbul night”, dreaming of a divine comeback.

However, after the match ended, Liverpool still could not score any goals against a Real Madrid with a patchwork defense. One can say Real Madrid is too brave, too comprehensive when playing defensively is also so good, but above all, it is necessary to recognize the fact that Liverpool is only their own shadow in the seasons. recently. A Liverpool who regularly played rock and roll passionately on the football field under Jurgen Klopp was gone. When the excitement of playing football has decreased with the titles, when the fitness is no longer full, Liverpool is becoming more mediocre than ever.

At the moment of strength, Jurgen Klopp’s teachers and coaches engulfed the opponent with a crazy pressing style, with fast-paced ball lines from the two sides, with lightning-fast attacks with Sadio’s sweeping power. Mane, Mohamed Salah’s ability to take chances and Roberto Firmino’s technique. But when the duo Andrew Robertson – Trent Alexander-Arnold on two sides lost their form, Sadio Mane became mediocre when the fitness went down, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino were no longer sharp enough, all that Liverpool could do. is a plump zero.

This will definitely be an empty season for Liverpool, and the only goal they can strive for is only a Champions League place next season. This will also be a necessary silence for Jurgen Klopp to have a more accurate view of what he has in hand, to have the right direction in the upcoming summer transfer window 2021. Hopefully in the new season a bloody Liverpool will return strongly.

After five years since arriving at Etihad with a mission to elevate the team, Pep Guardiola finally succeeded in bringing Man City into the semi-finals of the Champions League.

In the most important moments, Pep chose to think less, trust more and finally reap sweet results.

Pep’s change

Pep Guardiola is too famous for his different changes in the decisive battles in the Champions League and that brought Man City into the picture.

Last season, he put two creative midfielders Bernardo Silva, David Sila on the bench and used three players to recover the ball Fernandinho – Rodri – Ilkay Guendogan in the match against Lyon, causing Man City to suddenly play a lack of creativity. , from there it failed.

Last season, he believed to use Guendogan instead of Kevin De Bruyne in the first leg against Tottenham, making Man City unable to pressure enough to score, and lost 0-1.

This has been repeated in previous seasons as well as leading Bayern Munich, leading many to believe that Pep did not have enough stability and iron at the crucial moment to win the Champions League. The journalists who closely followed Pep believed he “thought too much” and always put himself in a difficult position.

Phil Foden (right) shines through to get Man City through Dortmund. Photo: Reuters.

This season, the story is no longer like that. Before Dortmund in the second leg, Pep’s Man City replaced only one person for 90 minutes, although there was no shortage of famous stars on the bench. “The Citizens” is loyal to the 4-3-3 diagram with the formula Kevin De Bruyne kicks a virtual number 9 for 90 minutes.

The only change came in the 88th minute when Raheem Sterling replaced Riyad Mahrez. Man City does not change the game at all. Pep pulled out only one link and replaced the same one.

Joao Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus, Ferran Torres or Fernandinho, the elements Pep uses frequently this season, have been on the bench for the full 90 minutes. The Spaniard didn’t want to take the risk.

The results were so sweet for Man City. They prevailed on the scoreboard, completely won the game position and opportunities. Pep’s army controlled the ball more (61%), shot 17 times, 2 of which hit the wooden frame, 5 went on target. Dortmund only hit the target 3 times. 9 out of 11 main Manchester City players have made at least 1 finish.

Man City players double their opponents (14 vs. 7), win the dispute too (13 vs. 6), in short play on the feet of representatives from Germany, despite being ahead.

In the most important moment of the season, Pep chose to think less. He trusted his choices more. Phil Foden, in the biggest game of his Champions League career, has scored. Riyad Mahrez also repaid his teacher with a precise penalty kick.

The factors that are rich in potential but also rich in consequences like Sterling and Cancelo are given few opportunities to show by Pep. For the first time in 5 years leading Man City, Pep has been so perfectionist in the selection of personnel.

“It is not Pep’s team anymore. It is all thanks to the players. Their abilities are too good. It is they that make a difference,” Pep stressed with Sky Italy after the match.

Before Dortmund, Pep chose to believe in his students’ abilities, instead of arranging soulless characters on the tactical table. That big change has paid off.

Man City now has a collective meaning. Photo: Reuters.

Number one candidate Man City

Oddschecker Considering Man City the number one candidate for the Champions League championship among the four semi-final teams. Common odds assigned to Pep Guardiola’s team are 5/4 (place 4 to 5). PSG was awarded to 10/3, with Real Madrid 4/1. Chelsea is rated the lowest with 9/2.

Pep’s change in the steering chair, uniform quality of personnel and consensus are the reasons why Manchester’s green half is expected to lift the Champions League silver cup for the first time.

Guardian revealed in the dressing room of the Etihad Stadium, Pep posted two large slogans that read “Together” (“We fight til the end”) and pictures of Man City. reap past glory.

When Foden hit Dortmund, increasing the score to 2-1 for Man City, Man City’s 2000-born star ran straight to his teacher.

Guardian describes the situation as follows: “Foden’s flying run to embrace Pep quickly became the most emotional act of the Man City team. The meaning of the ‘Together’ or ‘Fight’ banners to the last minute ‘becomes much clearer than its cliché slogan’.

Many people who pay little attention may not believe this: This is the first time, the Man City scorer has come to celebrate with Pep for 4 years. League.

48 goals were shot by the Man City players against the opponent’s net, but no time did the founder come and share the joy with the teacher. Most celebrate alone, or celebrate in front of the reporter camera.

Even in the victory that is considered to be surpassing Real Madrid in the 2019/20 season, this seemingly normal thing does not happen. Phil Foden, the 49th scorer for City in the Champions League knockout round under Pep, made that simple. And Man City in the semi-finals.

When the whistle ended the match, for the first time in a half-decade relationship with Man City, the cameras caught Pep smiling contentedly as a Champions League quarter-final match ended. There are no disappointing hugs like before Tottenham, helpless hips against Lyon, or head bowed to Liverpool, Pep’s Man City overcame those failed ghosts to enter the top four most powerful teams Europe.

Pep once admitted his way to lead Man City will be considered “failure” (failure) if he does not win the Champions League. Now Pep has the perfect opportunity to change his own destiny and Man City.

Dortmund’s starting line-up (left) and Man City in the quarter-finals of the Champions League 2020/21 second leg.

‘Man City is a bit afraid of losing’ Gundogan admits Guardiola’s team had a psychological problem in the 2-1 win over Dortmund in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals 2020/21.