How Messi And Ronaldo Can Deny Bayern And Dortmund Reaching Wembley

From what the whole world has seen this past week, there’s been a widely held assumption that there’s been a tectonic shift in the corridors of power. Spain’s cycle of dominance is at an end and the mantle’s been passed onto the mighty Germans.

Hang on a little, will you? There are two gentlemen who, in almost everyone’s eyes, occupy the world’s best 2 players. Certain people named Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I need not mention what these two are capable of doing to any opposition.  

Hence you have both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich sounding notes of caution about progressing to the final. As the famous saying goes, `It ain`t over till the fat lady sings`!

I must admit that both BvB and Bayern were way better than their Spanish counterparts in the 1^st leg. They made stellar teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid look like second-division sides which is a massive compliment to the preparation which the Germans underwent.

The first-legs played out to perfection for these two sides and if we were to hold a poll now, I’m sure that we’d get easy 93 people out of a 100 saying that it will be an all-German final at Wembley. Based on what we saw in the two matches, who could blame them?

Here lies the catch.

Let us cast our minds back to the 2003-04 UCL season. AC Milan had beaten Deportivo La Coruna 4-1 in the first-leg of the quarter-final in Milan and almost everyone looked ahead to the semis and how Milan would fare there.

But on a certain night at the Riazor, the unthinkable happened. Milan was vanquished 4-0 by a dominant Depor with the likes of Albert Luque and Walter Pandiani wreaking havoc on the visiting defenders.

As the footballing world watched wide eyed, AC Milan were kicked out of the Champions League. In another instance, a certain Monaco side came back from a 4-2 loss to Real Madrid in the first-leg of the quarter-final to win 3-1 in the second-leg and go through. These examples just go to show that big deficits CAN be overcome not only in theory, but also in practice.

Now come Ronaldo and Messi. These guys are heroes for their sides. Time and again they’ve performed to ET levels and scored truckloads of goals not just in La Liga but also in Europe. Not once, but time and again. The second-leg is a chance for these two to literally drag their sides from the abyss into the Promised Land i.e. Wembley.

If anyone’s capable of upsetting the German applecart, it is these two. The class and skills these two have are unbeatable. They take the level of the game to new heights. Messi`s mere presence was the reason Barca drew 1-1 against PSG and went into the semis. Ronaldo scored in each leg to dump his ex-side Manchester United out of the Champions League. When these guys are on song, no marking, nothing can stop them.

If these guys had an inkling of boredom about the game, it is gone. If they needed a massive challenge to showcase what they are made of, here it is. It is now time that CR7 and Leo rose and delivered the goods for their sides.

It goes without saying that their teammates will have to play beyond themselves next week at two formidable grounds, the El Santiago Bernabau and the Nou Camp. Their efforts will go a long way in helping these legends of football cement their already exalted status as the best in the game.  

They have to work their socks off to make home advantage count. Early goals and sustained pressure and the Germans might just start to worry. Ninety minutes to do or die for Barca and Madrid.

This is nothing against the German sides. They`ve been scintillating. But on a personal level, I want the two best players in the game to compete in the biggest stage in club football. That’d be simply the stuff of legend!

Arise O Messi and Ronaldo! Wembley awaits your exalted presence!     

By Yashasvee Prasad @yash647