Just when Major League Soccer is on the brink of a historic achievement, the ghosts of previous letdowns appear to ruin everything once again.
This midweek in the wide world of soccer left Toronto FC with a tall task in their quest for CONCACAF glory, while Napoli and Juventus made things even more interesting in Italy, Barcelona’s unbeaten streak takes a back seat to controversy and Cristiano Ronaldo moved to the brink of yet another record.
Because midweek soccer does not stop, 90 Minutes is here with another edition of the Top Five.
1. Uphill battle
The series is not over by any means, but Toronto FC did themselves no favors on Tuesday night.
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The reigning MLS Cup champions now find themselves in a hole after dropping the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League final first leg at a freezing BMO Field, 2-1.
Greg Vanney’s side allowed exactly what they should not have allowed with an away second leg in Mexican territory in mind: away goals. Toronto failed to live up to its powerful self for most of this match, and that dip can be traced to Chivas’ first goal.
Rodolfo Pizarro snuck in the Toronto box through a flat-looking defense to open the count mere second after starting the game. The goal left Toronto so stunned, it took them until the 19th minute to find themselves in the game once again.
But because it was one of those weird, inexplicable performances by an MLS team in a big-time spot, Alex Bono also made a rare mistake that cost the Canadians another away goal, this time on Alan Pulido’s free kick.
Toronto FC find themselves down and in need of a result in enemy territory, uncharted territory in this 2018 CONCACAF Champions League. If Greg Vanney’s side pulls it off in Guadalajara, they will no doubt be the deserving CCL champions.
If they pull it off.
2. Showdown in Turin
The race for the Serie A league title just took a very interesting turn for the spectacular.
Amid a busy yet crazy Wednesday full of key fixtures in Italy, Napoli gained ground on leaders Juventus, who dropped points against an unlikely spoiler.
The Bianconeri were well on their way to a third straight victory (fifth of their last six) at the Ezio Scida stadium against relegation-threatened Crotone. With less than 30 minutes left, Nigerian striker Simy Nwankwo connected with a bicycle kick out of nowhere (more on that later) to score the equalizer.
Perhaps even crazier, the Neapolitans found themselves down 2-1 to Udinese at the San Paolo also with less than half-an-hour to go. Within the last 26 minutes, Napoli scored three unanswered goals to get the three points, just as Juventus failed to overcome the 1-1 against Crotone.
With only four points separating them, Napoli will pay a visit to Juventus Stadium for a key clash against Juve, one that could finish the race or make it a scorching hot one as the Serie A season winds down.
3. Running the well dry
Barcelona is running out of historic firsts to accomplish during their unbeaten La Liga season.
On Tuesday, however, they accomplished something that has sparked more debate and controversy instead of applause.
Barcelona kept their undefeated season alive with a 2-2 draw against the always-tough Celta Vigo at Balaidos. But the talk after the match has nothing to do with the result.
For the first time in 16 years, the Catalonians fielded a side without a single homegrown player.
Think about the long list of graduates from the famous La Masia who have been the backbone of Barcelona, from Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi to Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes and even the forgotten Bojan Krkic.
The absence of La Masia presence on Tuesday is only the result of years without any new graduates and the departure of several others. Barcelona has turned to the transfer market to fill almost every spot, save for those filled by Messi, Iniesta and Gerard Pique.
Tuesday’s lineup, considered an alternative XI to give rest to Messi, Luis Suarez and others, cost them more than 500 million euros over the last few seasons.
A club once proud for its player development and Catalonian roots did not have either on Tuesday, a far cry from their recent glory days.
4. Irresistible force
Just when you think Cristiano Ronaldo has no records left to break, he manages to do it again and again.
The Portuguese scored again (what else is new?) on Wednesday to rescue a lackluster Real Madrid from another home stunner against Athletic Bilbao, but obviously, that is not the news.
What is new is a looming new personal best for Ronaldo. With the goal, he tied his best streak of consecutive games with a goal, now reaching a whopping 12 games.
Perhaps more amazing, he has scored an incredible 22 goals in that span, including La Liga and some high-profile Champions League games against sides like Atletico Madrid, PSG and Juventus.
Say what you will about his underwhelming first half of the season, his second half has been nothing short of astounding.
5. Goal of the week
What is it with Juventus and these bicycle kicks?
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For the second time in less than a month, a bicycle kick could decide Juventus’ destiny, this time in Serie A.
With Juve up 1-0, Nigerian striker Simy Nwankwo located a bouncing ball in the box, proceeded to attempt his best Cristiano Ronaldo impression, and connected to tie the game at one.
Keep this goal in mind, it may just end up deciding the Italian league.
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