The Champions league quarterfinals kicked off in the best way possible, with every series still hanging in the balance and an improbable, impressive comeback that brought a certain underachieving English team back from the dead.
Let;s take a look at how each first leg turned out and which teams have the edge heading into the defining second leg that will decide who the four semifinalists are (home team goes first).
Arsenal 2-Barcelona 2: Edge...Barcelona 70% Barcelona was the team we all know, admire and fear in the first 60 minutes of the match, taking a 2-0 lead while having possession of the ball 70 percent of the time. Keep in mind, they weren't playing at Camp Nou in Spain, but rather at Emirates Stadium where Arsenal was undefeated during the entire competition.
However, forward Theo Walcott came in off the bench and teamed up with Cesc Fabregas to improbably tie the game and bring the Gunners back into the conversation.
Barcelona doesn't defend well at all, but its offensive prowess and ball possession often masks those deficiencies. However, the Blaugranas won't be able to count on their defensive leader Carles Puyol and fellow central defender Pique for the second leg.
Arsenal will have to overcome Fabregas' leg injury and their own limitations to have a chance to pull off the upset in Spain. A 0-0 tie does nothing for them, so the Gunners will have to have no fear and take advantage of Barca's fragile defense in order to advance.
Bayern Munich 2-Manchester United 1: Edge...Man U 60%
Bayern was lucky to win that game, scoring the game-winning goal in the 90th minute to finish off a gritty comeback. However, Manchester got the away goal it wanted and a one-goal deficit coming back to England is a pretty sweet deal for the Red Devils.
However, Manchester lost its star forward Wayne Rooney for two to four weeks and that is a huge blow to a team that doesn't have much offensive depth to speak of.
However, Manchester is still Manchester and they are very strong at home, so they have a slight edge in a series that will be in doubt until the very last minute.
Inter 1-CSKA Moscow 0: Edge...Inter 55%The Russians are tough, and they won't go down without a fight. They defended extremely well at the San Siro in Italy and went back to Moscow with what they were looking for, a series they can win at home in the bitter cold and what Weather.com predicts to be possible rain.
Inter wasn't too unhappy with the result either because they got the win and kept a clean sheet. They are a better overall team with seasoned veterans as well, so that combined with the win gives them a very narrow edge.
If I was Inter, I wouldn't hesitate and attack CSKA in the first 20 minutes of the second leg in Russia, because if they score one away goal then the Russians have to score three to advance.
Lyon 3-Bordeaux 1: Edge...Lyon 65%
Lisandro Lopez is the best Argentinean forward that is not going to go the Woeld Cup, and he scored two key goals to give Lyon a huge win at home over red hot Bordeaux. In fact, if Argentina had any coach other than Maradona Lopez would probably be the sixth forward in the World Cup roster instead of Palermo.
Bordeaux got an important away goal, so they are still alive in the series, but I see Lyon advancing barring a major collapse.
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