Welcome to The 90-Minute Breakdown!
Last week’s football action delivered everything we expect from this stage of the season: drama, tactical battles and a few moments that reminded us why this sport captivates millions.
Matches
The headline clash was Real Madrid v. Manchester City — now practically a Champions League tradition. City dominated large parts of the game, pressing relentlessly and looking like the better side. But as history shows, Madrid in Europe plays by its own rules. Deep into stoppage time, Jude Bellingham found the net, sealing a 3–2 win. For Pep Guardiola, déjà vu; for Carlo Ancelotti, just another night at the office.
Elsewhere, Club Brugge surprised Atalanta with a disciplined, clinical performance to take a narrow first-leg lead. Feyenoord edged Milan 1–0, but now face playing at the intimidating San Siro, where Milan’s new striker Santiago Giménez will meet his former club for the second time.
Meanwhile, the Premier League gave us a Merseyside derby for the ages. James Tarkowski’s 98th-minute equalizer handed Everton the equalizer against Liverpool, and gave Goodison Park a perfect farewell in its last-ever derby after 132 years before Everton moves to a new venue. The emotions ran high — so high that Liverpool manager Arne Slot and Liverpool’s Curtis Jones both earned red cards.
Looking ahead, Barcelona meets Atlético Madrid on Tuesday, Feb. 25 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.
Players
New faces are already making their mark. Antony, once written off at United, is thriving at Real Betis with three goals and as many Man of the Match awards in four games. At City, Omar Marmoush announced himself with a hat trick against Newcastle just weeks after arriving from Frankfurt. Juventus’ Kolo Muani is proving lethal with five goals and an assist in five appearances. And in Milan, Giménez has hit the ground running with two goals and an assist in four games.
But it hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Jude Bellingham’s red card during Madrid’s tie over Osasuna sparked controversy when lip-readers claimed he said “f--- off” to the referee — less offensive than the reported alternative but still enough to risk a lengthy 12-game ban. He’s apologized, but Madrid fans are understandably nervous.
Meanwhile, Neymar finally ended his 16-month goal drought with a strike for boyhood club Santos. The question now: Is the Brazilian star finding his old magic, or was this a fleeting reminder of what once was?
Opinion
I’m torn about the City-Madrid game — not the result, but the mind games leading up to it. Before kickoff, City fans unveiled a tifo of Rodri kissing his Ballon d’Or with the words, “Stop crying your heart out” — a jab at Madrid and Vinícius Júnior, who many felt deserved the award.
Madrid, of course, had boycotted the award ceremony in protest. And the irony of the banner became glaringly obvious by full-time: City lost, Vini assisted the winning goal and the Brazilian left with the MOTM trophy. As NBC’s Jamie Carragher put it, it was childish and unnecessary — extra motivation Madrid didn’t need.
So, what do you think? Are these provocations part of football's psychological battle, or should clubs let their football do the talking? Personally, I say: Let the ball speak for itself.
