As Karim Benzema turned in the sort of finish he always does, even the Champions League ran out of great twists. Liverpool inevitably went out to Real Madrid for the third consecutive season, and it was all feeling a bit repetitive. Manchester City again destroyed German opposition in the last 16. Bayern Munich and Chelsea again prevailed.
It isn’t completely like that across the competition, since Napoli have been the season’s revelations. Their explosion has come as part of a wider resurgence for Serie A, with the two Milan clubs ensuring the league has three quarter-finalists for the first time since 2005-06. It also makes Italy, somewhat surprisingly, the best-represented country in the last eight.
