Champions League review: discontent for Real Madrid in a chaotic conclusion to group play

欧冠综述：皇马队内满是不满，小组赛收官阶段乱象丛生

The big winners

It was billed by broadcasters as “Matchday Mayhem”. Finally, after 17 of the 18 final day matches had finished, came a chaotic denouement. Not even José Mourinho’s long Champions League heritage had included a moment like this, though his wild celebration was familiar. Benfica were beating Real Madrid 3-2, and Mourinho’s former club were already dropping out of the top eight. “I was told [the scoreline] is enough, so let’s close the door,” said Mourinho.

That wasn’t all though: Benfica needed another goal to save themselves, and their keeper, Anatoliy Trubin, was sent up for a corner with seconds of the match remaining. His headed goal from Fredrik Aursnes’s cross was a bullet, and the Estádio da Luz fell into raptures as Benfica grabbed a place in the knockout phase at the death. The eight-round, 36-team group stage had its moment of drama to breathe life into a format many have criticised. The best had been saved for last. Mourinho had also beaten Madrid for the first time in his career.

Within English football, there is not much triumphalism that five of the top eight – those who skip what has become known as the “punishment round” – are from the Premier League. Each of Arsenal, with their perfect record of eight wins from eight, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City are just glad to avoid an extra two matches, respite from the relentless schedule of what has been a bruising domestic season.

Most eye-catching for English teams was Chelsea’s win at Napoli, with João Pedro scoring twice as Antonio Conte’s team eventually ran out of steam. It was a significant victory in Liam Rosenior’s early days as head coach. Newcastle may have made it into the top eight had Harvey Barnes converted a late chance against Paris Saint-Germain, but his team had to settle for a 1-1 draw, which means they enter the knockout round. “The Premier League is such a strong league it can only make you better,” said the Newcastle manager, Eddie Howe. Had they not conceded in the last moments to Kairat’s Ricardinho, Arsenal would have become the first team in competition history to win eight matches in succession by a two-goal margin, hence Piero Hincapié’s rage at the visitors’ consolation goal, which made it 3-2.

Edging out Real Madrid, PSG and Inter in the top eight were Sporting Lisbon, who finished seventh. They followed up last week’s defeat of holders PSG with another piece of late Portuguese drama. Alisson Santos’s 94th minute winner was enough for a 3-2 win over Athletic Club who, alongside Villarreal, were one of two La Liga clubs to exit at the group stage. Sporting’s coach, Rui Borges, has made many forget about Ruben Amorim after last season’s title – and now they are holding their own among the European elite. “They don’t care about the time; they want to play, they want to fight for the game, and they want to be the best,” Borges said proudly of his team.

Surprise finishers in the top 24: Olympiakos, Club Brugge – for the second season running – and Qarabag, who squeezed through, despite a 6-0 loss to Liverpool. Qarabag forward Abdellah Zoubir said: “I’m French, so I’d love to play Paris in the next round, even if they’re the best team in the world right now.”

As was the case last season, the champions face two playoff matches, though perhaps that can help add a competitive edge away from Ligue 1. Sneaking through in 23rd place, with a truly seismic victory at Atlético Madrid, were last week’s darlings, Bodø/Glimt. The Norwegian season does not kick off until March.

Player of the week

Trubin delivered that golden moment, but Benfica’s star on the night was Andreas Schjelderup. The 21-year-old Norwegian scored twice, and has been linked with a move to Brugge, among others. “I should have scored four goals today,” he said, which said something about Real Madrid’s defending.

They said it

For Madrid, Kylian Mbappé pulled few punches after the match. “It hurts to be in the playoffs. We need to fix our issues; we are too inconsistent. We deserve to be in the position we’re in,” said the Frenchman. Álvaro Arbeloa’s regime has not got off to a strong start, and discipline is a clear problem. During those manic last few moments in Lisbon came red cards for both Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo, the latter for dissent.

The pundit’s chair

Is something afoot at Liverpool? For the second week in succession, Steven Gerrard, hardly known for his Roy Keane-style invective, put the boot into Arne Slot. On TNT in the UK, Gerrard criticised Slot’s comments that losing to PSG last season helped Liverpool win the Premier League. “They were 15 points clear [when they lost to PSG in the Champions League],” said Gerrard. “In my opinion they had the league wrapped up by that point. The frustration and the emotion of going out of the UCL, for a player or a fan, it hurts. It kills you. To sort of say that went and helped you when you are already 15 points clear, you can understand the frustrations.”

Looking ahead

Friday’s draw will decide who plays whom in the knockout phase playoff, with teams knowing from their league position they will end up on one of two paths. For example, there is a 50/50 chance of Benfica and Real Madrid being drawn together. If not, Real will play Bodø/Glimt, and Benfica face Inter, another former Mourinho employer.

Jamie Carragher, speaking on CBS’s broadcast, ahead of celebrating his birthday with dancing lessons, had this to say about the bracket as it opens out: “I’ve just seen Liverpool’s potential opponents. Honest to God, this new format, I’ve had enough of it. We finished top last year and we got Paris Saint-Germain. We finished third this year, listen to this; Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray or Juventus and we finished third. If you finish third you can’t get them, you can’t have Atlético Madrid in there!”

Arsenal’s reward for their dominance of the group stage is playing one of Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos in the last 16. Like all of the top eight, they are at home for the second leg.

核心单词解析

1. denouement

含义：n. 结局；收场（尤指赛事、戏剧的戏剧性结局）

例句：The chaotic denouement of the Champions League group stage made it a memorable matchday.

翻译：欧冠小组赛的戏剧性收官，让这个比赛日变得令人难忘。

2. raptures

含义：n. 狂喜；欢腾（rapture 的复数，常与 fall into 搭配）

例句：The Estádio da Luz fell into raptures when Trubin scored the late winning goal for Benfica.

翻译：当特鲁宾为本菲卡打入补时制胜球时，光明球场陷入一片欢腾。

3. respite

含义：n. 喘息；暂缓；短暂休息（常与 from 搭配，表 “从…… 中解脱”）

例句：Avoiding extra playoff matches gives the teams a much-needed respite from the busy schedule.

翻译：避开额外的附加赛，让球队从繁忙的赛程中得到了急需的喘息。

4. bruising

含义：adj. 激烈的；艰难的；令人疲惫的（形容比赛 / 赛季的高强度）

例句：English teams have experienced a bruising domestic season with frequent tough matches.

翻译：英超球队经历了一个艰难的国内赛季，硬仗接连不断。

5. relentless

含义：adj. 不间断的；残酷的；持续施压的

例句：The players are tired of the relentless schedule of both domestic and European matches.

翻译：球员们早已厌倦了国内赛事与欧战无缝衔接的密集赛程。

6. seismic

含义：adj. 震撼性的；重大的；具有深远影响的（形容胜利 / 事件的重要性）

例句：Bodø/Glimt claimed a seismic victory over Atlético Madrid in the Champions League group stage.

翻译：博德闪耀在欧冠小组赛中，取得了一场战胜马德里竞技的震撼性胜利。

7. invective

含义：n. 痛斥；谩骂；激烈抨击（多指言语上的严厉指责）

例句：Steven Gerrard is hardly known for his Roy Keane-style invective in football commentaries.

翻译：史蒂文・杰拉德在足球解说中，向来不以罗伊・基恩式的激烈抨击著称。

8. dissent

含义：n. 异议；反对；不服（体育赛事中多指对裁判判罚的抗议）

例句：Rodrygo received a red card for dissent after arguing with the referee in the dying minutes.

翻译：罗德里戈在比赛最后时刻与裁判争执、表示不服，因抗议判罚被红牌罚下。

9. manic

含义：adj. 混乱的；狂热的；躁狂的（形容比赛的紧张激烈场面）

例句：The manic last few minutes of the match saw two red cards and a dramatic winning goal.

翻译：比赛最后几分钟的混乱时刻，出现了两张红牌和一粒戏剧性的制胜球。

10. bracket

含义：n. （赛事）对阵表；赛程表；括号（文中特指欧冠淘汰赛赛程）

例句：Football fans are eager to see the new bracket for the Champions League knockout phase.

翻译：球迷们迫切想看到欧冠淘汰赛阶段的全新对阵表。

文段翻译

最大赢家

这场赛事被转播方称作 “疯狂比赛日”。终于，在 18 场收官战的 17 场结束后，迎来了一场混乱的戏剧性收官。即便是拥有深厚欧冠底蕴的何塞・穆里尼奥，也从未经历过这样的时刻，尽管他那狂野的庆祝方式早已为人熟知。本菲卡因 3-2 领先皇马，而穆里尼奥的老东家此时已铁定跌出八强。“有人告诉我这个比分足够晋级了，那就守好防线吧。” 穆里尼奥说道。

但故事并未就此结束：本菲卡还需要一粒进球才能确保自己晋级，比赛仅剩数秒时，球队门将阿纳托利・特鲁宾压上参与角球进攻。他接弗雷德里克・奥尔斯内斯的传中头球破门，势大力沉如炮弹一般。补时阶段的这粒进球让本菲卡搭上淘汰赛的末班车，光明球场瞬间陷入一片欢腾。欧冠 36 队参赛的八轮小组赛，终于用这样一个戏剧性瞬间，为这套饱受诟病的赛制注入了一丝活力。最精彩的时刻，终究留在了最后。穆里尼奥也在职业生涯中，首次击败皇马。

英超五支球队跻身欧冠八强 —— 得以避开被称作 “附加赛惩罚轮” 的赛事，英格兰足坛对此并未表现出太多洋洋得意的情绪。阿森纳以八战全胜的完美战绩晋级，利物浦、热刺、切尔西和曼城也均顺利出线，各支球队都只为避开额外两场比赛感到庆幸，这让他们能从高强度的国内赛季密集赛程中，得到一丝喘息。

英超球队的表现中，最亮眼的当属切尔西客场击败那不勒斯。若昂・佩德罗梅开二度，安东尼奥・孔蒂的球队最终体力不支。对于刚出任切尔西主帅的利亚姆・罗西尼尔而言，这是一场意义重大的胜利。哈维・巴恩斯若能把握住对阵巴黎圣日耳曼的补时机会，纽卡斯尔本可跻身八强，但球队最终只能接受 1-1 的平局，进入淘汰赛附加赛。“英超是竞争极强的联赛，这样的历练只会让你变得更优秀。” 纽卡斯尔主帅埃迪・豪说道。阿森纳本可成为欧冠历史上首支八场小组赛均以两球及以上优势取胜的球队，奈何最后时刻被凯拉特的里卡迪尼奥破门，将比分定格为 3-2，皮耶罗・辛卡皮耶对这粒客队安慰球怒不可遏。

葡萄牙体育以第七名的身份，险胜皇马、巴黎圣日耳曼和国际米兰跻身八强。继上周击败卫冕冠军巴黎后，这支球队又一次用葡萄牙式的补时戏剧续写奇迹。阿利松・桑托斯在第 94 分钟的制胜球，帮助球队 3-2 击败毕尔巴鄂竞技。毕尔巴鄂竞技与比利亚雷亚尔，成为小组赛阶段出局的两支西甲球队。上赛季率队夺得联赛冠军后，鲁本・阿莫林的名字逐渐被人淡忘，这一切都归功于葡萄牙体育主帅鲁伊・博尔热斯 —— 如今他的球队已在欧洲豪门之列站稳了脚跟。“我的队员从不在乎比赛时间，他们渴望踢球，渴望为胜利拼争，渴望成为最佳。” 博尔热斯自豪地评价自己的球队。

跻身 24 强的冷门球队包括：奥林匹亚科斯、连续两个赛季晋级的布鲁日，以及即便 0-6 不敌利物浦仍惊险出线的卡拉巴赫。卡拉巴赫前锋阿卜杜拉・祖比尔表示：“我是法国人，所以希望下一轮能对阵巴黎，即便他们现在是世界上最顶尖的球队。”

与上赛季一样，欧冠卫冕冠军仍需参加两场附加赛，不过这或许能为球队带来法甲之外的竞技张力。上周的当红球队博德闪耀，凭借客场击败马德里竞技的震撼性胜利，以第 23 名的身份惊险晋级。挪威联赛要到明年 3 月才会开赛，这支球队拥有充足的备战时间。

本周最佳球员

特鲁宾打入了那粒金子般的进球，但本菲卡当晚的明星球员当属安德烈亚斯・舍尔德鲁普。这位 21 岁的挪威球员梅开二度，据悉布鲁日等多家俱乐部都有意签下他。“我今天本可以进四个球。” 他说道，而这番话也从侧面反映出皇马后防的糟糕表现。

各方言论

对于皇马而言，基利安・姆巴佩在赛后直言不讳。“进入附加赛的滋味太糟糕了。我们必须解决球队的问题，状态实在太不稳定了。如今的处境，都是我们咎由自取。” 这位法国球星说道。阿尔瓦罗・阿韦洛亚的执教生涯开局并不顺利，球队的纪律问题已是显而易见。在里斯本这场比赛混乱的最后几分钟里，劳尔・阿森西奥和罗德里戈先后被红牌罚下，后者更是因抗议裁判判罚被罚。

名宿点评

利物浦队内是否出现了问题？史蒂文・杰拉德向来不以罗伊・基恩式的激烈抨击著称，却连续两周严厉批评阿尔内・斯洛特。在英国 TNT 体育的解说中，杰拉德对斯洛特 “上赛季欧冠负巴黎助力利物浦夺得英超冠军” 的言论提出质疑。“当时他们在英超已经领先 15 分了（欧冠负巴黎时）。” 杰拉德表示，“在我看来，球队那时就已经锁定联赛冠军了。无论是球员还是球迷，欧冠出局的沮丧和失落都是真切的，这种痛苦直击心底。球队早已领先 15 分，却声称欧冠出局的经历助力了英超夺冠，这样的说法难免让人感到不满。”

赛事前瞻

周五的抽签将决定欧冠淘汰赛附加赛的对阵形势，各支球队根据小组赛排名，已确定后续的赛程走向。例如，本菲卡与皇马有五成的概率被抽中相遇。若未能相遇，皇马将对阵博德闪耀，而本菲卡则会遭遇穆里尼奥的另一支老东家 —— 国际米兰。

杰米・卡拉格在哥伦比亚广播公司的转播中发表了自己的看法，他即将上舞蹈课庆祝生日，对于即将展开的欧冠赛程，他直言：“我刚看到利物浦的潜在对手。说实话，我受够这套新赛制了。我们上赛季以小组第一出线，抽到了巴黎圣日耳曼；本赛季以小组第三出线，你们听听潜在对手都是谁：马德里竞技、布鲁日、加拉塔萨雷或尤文图斯。小组第三的签运不该这么差，根本不该抽到马德里竞技！”

阿森纳以小组赛全胜的统治级表现，收获的奖励是在 16 强赛中对阵亚特兰大、勒沃库森、多特蒙德或奥林匹亚科斯中的一支。与所有八强球队一样，阿森纳将拥有淘汰赛次回合的主场优势。