1. Should Suarez have been sent-off?
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LUIS SUAREZ ULTIMATELY proved the difference on Tuesday night, as his brace ensured Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 in their Champions League first-leg quarter-final.
Nevertheless, Atletico will question whether Suarez should have still been on the field to inspire Barca’s comeback.
The tempestuous striker was involved in two off-the-ball incidents, and by the letter of the law, surely deserved a red card as a result.
BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand was among those to criticise Suarez. When asked whether he should still have been on the pitch to score the match-winning goals, the ex-Man United defender replied: “Not a chance!”
Ferdinand added: “You see the frustration. He hadn’t really had a kick in the game apart from this one (where he kicked out at his opponent)! That’s the Suarez we’ve seen in the past.
We all know he’s a fantastic player, but when you’re doing stuff like that, you’ve got to be punished. He plays on the edge. If you take that out of him you’re not getting the same player.”
2. Will Bayern be left to rue missed opportunities?
Despite scoring inside two minutes on Tuesday night, Bayern struggled to break down Benfica thereafter, and will feel frustrated that they could not build on their 1-0 advantage at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night.
Before the match, Pep Guardiola described Benfica’s defence as ‘the best in Europe,’ and the visitors backed up this praise by being well organised and difficult to break down throughout the first leg, while the hosts also missed a few good chances to extend their advantage.
Consequently, Bayern will probably be somewhat nervous travelling to Portugal, particularly as they were beaten 3-1 there by Porto in last season’s quarter-final away leg.
Guardiola, however, was remaining upbeat, and insisted he was satisfied with the game’s outcome.
I’m very happy with the result because I know how good our opponents are. Credit to my team,” the Bayern coach told reporters.
“When you get to the Champions League quarter-finals, it’s always the second leg that’s key. We head to Lisbon with the intention of winning.”
3. Torres goes from hero to villain
There’s no doubt that the key moment of Tuesday night’s Barcelona-Atletico clash came in the 36th minute.
Atletico were leading 1-0 thanks to Fernando Torres’ clinical finish and looked in control of the game.
However, already on a booking, the former Chelsea and Liverpool striker committed a needless and clumsy challenge that led to a second yellow and his dismissal from the game.
The incident put Diego Simeone’s side at a considerable disadvantage and it was no surprise that Barca duly capitalised on their man advantage, going on to win the match 2-1.
Having scored almost 100 goals over the course of two stints at the club, Torres is already an Atletico Madrid legend, however if they fail to progress from this tie ultimately, Tuesday night’s incident will unquestionably leave a permanent stain on his legacy.
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