Welcome back to The 90-Minute Breakdown!
Players
Kylian Mbappé has officially arrived at Real Madrid. After a sluggish start, the Frenchman silenced any doubts with a hat-trick in Madrid’s emphatic 6–3 aggregate win over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League playoffs. Greatness calls.
Elsewhere in Europe, Paulo Dybala delivered a stunning strike in Roma’s tense 3–2 Europa League win over Porto, proving class is permanent. Meanwhile, Luka Modrić reminded the world why he’s still a magician, curling in a beauty against Girona — his first goal in what feels like forever.
Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal had the last word after accusations of diving against Las Palmas. He posted a photo of his bloodied foot on Instagram, shutting down the critics. Talk about receipts.
In Italy, drama brewed at Atalanta. After a penalty miss led to their Champions League exit against Club Brugge, manager Gian Piero Gasperini publicly slammed Ademola Lookman as “one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen.” The fallout has sparked rumors that Lookman’s time in Bergamo won’t last past the summer.
And then, there’s Neymar. In Santos’ latest match against Inter de Limeira, he won a corner, taunted the opposition fans, scored an Olimpico, and walked off as if it was routine.
Matches
Clash of the week? Madrid vs. Manchester City. With a 3–2 advantage from the first leg, Madrid turned up the heat at the Bernabéu, dismantling City 6–3 on aggregate — Mbappé emerged the undisputed star.
Speaking of thrashings, PSG annihilated Stade Brestois 7–0 in their second-leg playoff, bringing the aggregate score to a staggering 10–0. No further questions.
Looking ahead, the Champions League Round of 16 is set, promising fireworks:
- Club Brugge vs. Aston Villa
- Real Madrid vs. Atlético (Madrid derby)
- Bayern München vs. Leverkusen (German showdown)
- Dortmund vs. Lille
- PSV vs. Arsenal
- Feyenoord vs. Inter
- Paris vs. Liverpool (clash of the greats)
- Barcelona vs. Benfica
In the Premier League, Liverpool strengthened their grip on the title race. Arsenal’s hopes took a serious hit after a 1–0 loss to West Ham — falling faster than Manchester United’s league position (currently 15th). Meanwhile, Liverpool did what they had to, beating Manchester City 2–0 and pulling 11 points clear of Arsenal.
In Spain, Atlético Madrid briefly sat atop La Liga after a dominant win over Valencia, only for Barcelona to reclaim the lead with a 2–0 victory over Las Palmas, courtesy of Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres.
Opinion
La Liga chief Javier Tebas is at it again, this time accusing Real Madrid of “crying” over refereeing decisions. Madrid has been vocal in its complaints about officiating, claiming systemic bias. But Tebas argues that painting themselves as victims only damages the league’s reputation.
He’s not entirely wrong — La Liga’s officiating has been questionable across the board. Xavi’s Barcelona made similar complaints during his tenure, often arguing they were playing 11 vs. 12 due to VAR interventions. And now, Tebas is pushing to have Barcelona’s Dani Olmo unregistered over financial concerns — another sign of the league’s internal dysfunction.
Rather than pointing fingers, clubs should unite to demand better refereeing and governance. La Liga’s biggest issue isn’t targeted corruption — it’s incompetence. And that affects everyone.
