Most people commenting on Fernandinho's pulverising at the hands of Vinicius Jr last week in the first leg couldn't help but reference the Manchester City star's age and understandably so: the 36-year-old was made to look double his age as the Real Madrid star sped past him and ran the length of a half to get his team back into the game and tie.
Age is only a number though, and any confidence Vinicius Jr may have had lining up against another player he was more than a decade younger than for the second leg were extinguished the moment he tried to run past Kyle Walker. As if his return to the team wasn't miraculous enough, the 31-year-old Walker instantly set about showing what an extraordinary defender he is.
For the second Champions League game in a row, Pep Guardiola gambled; at the Etihad, John Stones was rushed back from injury and didn't last 45 minutes, and here Walker came back into the XI having not played for three weeks because of an ankle injury sustained during the quarter-final win over Atletico. "I'm not a guy that likes to risk but there are moments of the season where you have to risk. This is one of them," the manager said before kick-off.
