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Manchester United v Atlético Madrid: Champions League last 16, second leg – live!
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Some quibbling from Simon Jones. “Regarding this comment of yours - “But the abolition of the away goals rule means the 1-1 draw in Madrid doesn’t mean much. Any win will do for Atletico and they are capable of winning in England - this would have been the case even when away goals DID matter, would it not? If the first leg is 1:1, it would always be the case that any win would be sufficient for away side in the second leg. In this case Atletico.” Indeed, but the point is that even a win in extra-time or on penalties after a 0-0 would do: they don’t have to score (except from the spot) to win. Mind you, their lineup looks like they’ve come to score, and why not, given United’s defensive wobbles.
“United feel like a club on life-support these days,” sniffs Justin Kavanagh. “Their stadium is out of date, their talisman is well into the winter of his career, and even their manager arrived with an expiry date. If anyone in football were to be cast as the villain to pull the plug on this particular patient, it would Diego Simeone. An intriguing hospital drama awaits us.”
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