OUR BIG CUP RUNNETH OVER
We asked, nay, pleaded on Tuesday for Big Cup to come back to life after a dull last 16. And how it obliged, although the double-screening leaving us with a very dodgy neck. Six goals inside 32 first-half minutes across the two quarter-finals, leads quickly taken and then quickly overturned, all sides level going into the second leg to keep the tension alive. There was, of course, your bog-standard refereeing controversy during Arsenal 2-2 Bayern Munich, with the Gunners arguing for a late penalty after Bukayo Saka went down, and Bayern denied one themselves earlier after a bizarre incident. Gabriel Magalhães was the culprit, picking up the ball inside his own box from what appeared to be a goal kick from David Raya. Thomas Tuchel was, well, not best pleased by the apparent defence from the referee. “What makes us really angry is the explanation on the field,” fumed Tuchel. “He told our players that it’s a kid’s mistake, and he will not give a penalty like this in a quarter-final. This is a horrible, horrible explanation.”
