Entertainment
A Song of Ice And Europa
George R. R. Martin will have to forgive us for that pun, but looking back at yesterday’s Champions League game and how the mighty are now fallen into the Europa competition, A Song of Ice and Europa seems an appropriate title.
For Spanish La Liga teams, it was sure as hell a cold one of ice to have all 3 of the league’s strongest teams fall into the second tier of the European club competitions after the group stages round of games.
It could have been worse had the integrity of the league not being saved by the genius that is the Don Carlo Ancelotti, proving this season’s edition of the competition may just be the same as last, with Real Madrid needing to prove how superior the La Liga is again by winning the Champions League.
But can they? That is a very worthy question for fans of the competition as we continue to keep an eye on the tournament.
For former giants of the competition, Barcelona, it appears Winter truly has come for the club again, and in the winter, the proverbial Night King that is Bayern Munich; whom for the 3rd time in a row have risen to become the Spanish side’s ultimate nemesis in the competition.
They left at Camp Nou a performance that embarrassed Barcelona to the extent not even a dragon glass as weapon could have prevented their defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich, who credit to them will send the Blaugranas rising in the Europa league, obviously as walkers in the second tier competition.
Barcelona will find themselves playing in the Europa League Round of 32 after their crashed out from the Champions League on Wednesday’s cold night.
Their failure in the Champions League, means Barcelona will have to cross over the ice wall that is a playoff round to qualify for the last 16.
Looking at the coming Europa League games in the aftermath of the World Cup tournament, this season’s edition will feature a host of big names who fell in the winter that is the Champions League, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Ajax, Juventus rising in the division to challenge its original occupants for the trophy and presumably redemption for crashing out of the Champions League.
