If you didn't see this coming, you can't have been paying attention.
Bayern Munich were bulldozed by a spectacular Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, a 3-0 dismissal of the 10-in-a-row Bundesliga winners a sign of the times.
It was a bad night for the men in red, a desperate one for Dayot Upamecano; a match to remember for City, and perhaps the moment the doom-mongers had seen coming.
How can this City team be stopped? They were terrific and dominant, save from a 20-minute spell at the start of the second half when Bayern gamely gave just about as good as they got.
A team into which mind-blowing sums have been invested were destined to scale heady heights such as these, though. The wealth of talent at Pep Guardiola's disposal is unsurpassed, the Abu Dhabi ownership having backed the manager to bring together an elite pool of players.
This is why some with a Bayern allegiance would like German football's tight ownership rules to be relaxed. For now, a tight rein on spending means Bayern cannot possibly compete in the transfer market with City.
Twenty-five years ago, City were hurtling towards relegation to England's third tier. Now they surely are everyone's Champions League favourites, ripe to be crowned kings of Europe for the first time with one foot in the semi-finals.
Erling Haaland's 45th goal of the season put the seal on this rout, leaving Bayern facing near-certain elimination in front of their own fans in next Wednesday's second leg.
Rodri's wonder strike had broken the deadlock, and Bernardo Silva hit the second to quell Bayern's brief resurgence.
Norwegian Haaland has managed the most competitive goals by a player for a Premier League club in a single season. And if you didn't see that coming, you can't have been paying attention. Deadly for Borussia Dortmund, Haaland was bound to score bucketloads in this City team.
Bayern, traditionally the club that scoop up the best talent from within the Bundesliga, had been powerless when the chequebooks came out for Haaland.
Haaland fancied this occasion early on and took aim from an outlandish angle, from an opportunity given a miniscule xG rating of 0.028. The wild slash with his left boot soared over the bar.
Jamal Musiala was denied by an outstanding block from Ruben Dias as Bayern carved out the best chance of the opening 25 minutes, but then £62.6million man Rodri rocked the Germans with his sensational finish.
The wickedly swerving strike with his left foot came from 25 yards, as Bayern waited for a pass from the player who had not scored in 43 previous Champions League appearances.
Former City winger Leroy Sane fired 18 inches wide from 30 yards to serve a reminder of Bayern's threat, but shooting from that range hinted at desperation.
By half-time, Rodri had passing accuracy of 90.3 per cent and had won six of his eight duels. He had also won possession on 10 occasions, more than anyone else on the pitch, while losing the ball just four times. Even setting aside the goal, he had been magnificent, and City's defending was terrific, with Ederson yet to make a save.
Sane drew a first save from Ederson in the first minute of the second half, and the Brazilian did not make a clean catch, rather juggling the ball. He made a better stop two minutes later, and again it was Sane with the strike after being played through by Musiala.
City could not take advantage of haphazard Bayern defending as Joshua Kimmich blocked Haaland's thumping shot, but that was a sign of trouble to come for Bayern.
Bayern brought on former Liverpool forward Sadio Mane in the 69th minute, but it was 2-0 seconds later, before Mane got to touch the ball.
Upamecano looked to step out of defence but hopelessly lost the ball to Jack Grealish, whose clever backheel played in Haaland. As Bayern braced for him to shoot, the Norwegian crossed instead and Bernardo Silva planted a powerful header through Yann Sommer's grasp.
Sommer saved from substitute Julian Alvarez as Bayern's defence was ripped open again, and the third goal arrived when World Cup winner Alvarez crossed from the right flank, £50million centre-back John Stones headed across goal from the far post, and Haaland, the most coveted player in Europe last summer, volleyed in calmly from a chance he was never going to miss.
Joao Cancelo, on loan to Bayern from City, was booed onto the pitch when he appeared as a substitute. Bayern don't think they have the funds to buy the City cast-off, which sums up the difference between these outfits.
City have won their last 11 home games against German sides in this competition by a 42-10 aggregate, and Haaland has 11 goals in seven Champions League games for City now.
It was entirely predictable he would get on the scoresheet at the Etihad Stadium, but here's a thing that changed for Haaland in this game: as well as taking his goals tally to six in eight appearances against Bayern, he finished on the winning side.
He had lost all seven games he played for Dortmund against Bayern.
Things change once you join City. This is a winning machine, a team on a nine-game streak now, and nights like this make you fear for Arsenal, sat increasingly precariously at the top of the Premier League. They make you fear the rest of Europe will be powerless to prevent a rhapsody in blue come the Champions League final in Istanbul, too.
Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw undergoes successful surgery for broken foot
Manchester City Women's striker Khadija 'Bunny' Shaw has revealed she underwent surgery for a broken foot sustained during the Women's Super League match against West Ham United. Shaw, who scored twice in the 5-0 victory over West Ham, had to be substituted at half-time after picking up the injury just before the interval.
The confirmation of Shaw's injury and surgery came via Manchester City, with the club announcing that the Jamaican forward suffered the foot injury late in the first half at the Joie Stadium. As a result of this injury, Shaw will miss Manchester City Women's final three matches of the Barclays Women’s Super League season as she begins her recovery process.
Despite the setback, Shaw remains a top contender for the league’s Golden Boot, having scored an impressive 21 goals in just 18 WSL appearances. In March 2024, she also became Manchester City Women's record goal scorer.
Taking to Instagram, Shaw expressed her gratitude for the support and well-wishes received following her surgery:
"Gutted to know I suffered a broken foot in the game against West Ham but grateful the surgery went well. The greatest stories are those who defy all odds. Thanks to everyone for the heartwarming well wishes on my road to recovery. I appreciate every single one. I will continue working hard off the pitch during my rehab, and I can’t wait to be back doing what I love." ?
Shaw's determination and positive outlook highlight her commitment to returning stronger and continuing her impactful contributions both on and off the pitch. Her recovery journey will undoubtedly be closely followed by fans eagerly awaiting her return to action.
Borussia Dortmund receive injury boosts ahead of Champions League semi-final
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer and forward Donyell Malen are likely to be fit in time for Wednesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at home against Paris Saint-Germain, coach Edin Terzic said on Tuesday.
Dortmund will also have Emre Can and Ian Maatsen back from suspension, while Sabitzer, who was out ill for several days, and Dutch international Malen, recovering from an injury picked up during the March international break, have returned to training.
"Marcel and Donyell both took part in training. We expect that they will be at our disposal tomorrow," said Terzic.
"Marcel is feeling better, and we need him in his form from before his illness tomorrow."
Dortmund have struggled in the league this season and on Saturday suffered a crushing 4-1 loss to direct rivals RB Leipzig, who held on to fourth place, leaving them in fifth with three matches remaining.
The top four teams qualify for the Champions League group stage next season.
Germany is likely to earn a fifth spot as one of the top two in UEFA's coefficient table depending on the remaining results in European competition this season.
Dortmund's deep Champions League run this season, however, has kept fans hopeful of some silverware.
The sides also met in the group stage, with the French side winning 2-0 in Paris before a 1-1 draw in Dortmund.
"You could sense in the return leg that we had learned the lessons from the first game," Terzic said.
"Now PSG look to be at their very peak this season with only one defeat in 2024 and a good run of results. We will have to show an improved performance from that in Dortmund."
"We are confident that will show it tomorrow and next week in Paris. The clear goal is to gain a small advantage after the game tomorrow. We know we have to play at least 180 minutes at the highest level to have any shot at our dream."
Jamaica to host T&T U-17s for two friendly games in week-long camp
Jamaica's Under-17 team will host their Trinidad and Tobago counterparts for two international friendly encounters this weekend.
The games, which forms part of a week-long camp for both teams, will also see the young Soca Warriors, who are scheduled to arrive in the island on Wednesday, lock horns with a local club team during their visit. The first game is scheduled for the UWI-JFF Captain Horace Burrell Centre of Excellence, CHBC on Friday at 4:00pm, while the second encounter will take place on Sunday at 9:00am.
Trinidad and Tobago will then close their visit against the youth team of a prominent club, next Tuesday.
Both the young Reggae Boyz, to be guided by former Reggae Boy midfielder Altimont "Freddy" Butler, Carlton Simmonds and Vassel Reynolds, and the Shawn Cooper-coached young Soca Warriors are preparing for the Concacaf Men's Under-17 Championship which was pushed back to 2025. The tournament was initially scheduled for August this year.
According to recently installed Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) president, Kieron Edwards, this friendly initiative is in line with the TTFA’s application to the FIFA Talent Development Scheme, which aims to provide additional resources to member associations for the elite youth national teams.
Edwards insisted that there will be continuous efforts to provide opportunities for exposure and match preparation for the various national teams.
“In keeping with the executive’s mantra to strengthen partnerships and our relationship with our brothers in CFU, we are pleased to be embarking on this journey to Jamaica,” said Edwards.
“Despite the challenges, the commitment to the continued development of our high-performance programme shines through. This trip marks a pivotal step towards our U-17 team’s quest to qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2025. It’s a testament to the dedication of all involved, securing this opportunity mere days after the new executive’s installation," he added.
The current T&T U-17 selection features several players who have graduated from the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association High Performance Programme and competed at the CONCACAF Boys Under-15 Championship in the Dominican Republic last August, recording memorable wins against Costa Rica and Qatar.
T&T squad: Antuan Louison, Seth Hadeed, Jonathan Mason (Fatima College); Alejandro Harper, Eran Mc Leod (CIC); Nikosi Foncette, Kyron Baptiste, Josiah Simmons, Jimally Renne (Presentation College, Sando); Jasai Theophilus, Jayden Christophe (QRC); Dimitre Jones, Keston Richards (Arima North Sec); Jaydon Caprietta, Jeremiah Daniel, Adasa Richardson, Antonio Hills, Mikhail Clement (Naparima College); Salim Soanes (St Benedict’s College); Necose Moore (Chaguanas North Sec); Riquelme Phillips (Speyside High School)
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