Man of the magical night against Madrid: Raphael Guerreiro (M.)
Photo: image/Uwe Kraft
We haven’t heard from Raphael Guerreiro in a long time. Last Saturday he was allowed to kick along for a few minutes again, but this mini-comeback was lost in the desolate performance of his FC Bayern in Heidenheim. Ten days ago, the 2016 Portuguese European champion had to watch in the stands with an injured thigh as his colleagues ruined the Bundesliga summit against their old friends from Dortmund. He was under contract with BVB for seven years before Thomas Tuchel brought him to Munich last summer.
Guerreiro means warrior, which doesn’t quite fit the little virtuoso’s style. The 30-year-old is a great football player. He demonstrated his outstanding skills most impressively in a duel that will be staged again this Wednesday in the European football circus: Borussia Dortmund visits Atlético Madrid – and reminisces about October 2018, when the proud guerrilla fighters of the Argentine Comandante Diego Simeone won 4: 0 were shot from the Westfalenstadion.
Circus Europe
Photo: Private
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The man of that magical night was Guerreiro, although he wasn’t even allowed to play for half an hour. It didn’t work out on Wednesday for a place in the semi-finals of the Champions League, but for supremacy in preliminary group A. At the behest of his coach Lucien Favre, Guerreiro was supposed to stabilize the left side because it seemed only a matter of time before Atlético would equalize BVB’s lead, which had come about by chance. For a long time in Dortmund, Madrid played with the daring grandeur that led them to win the Europa League twice under Simeone and to the final of the Champions League two more times.
Then came Raphael Guerreiro. With his gifted feet and eye for the spaces that opened up as a result of Madrid’s attacking efforts, he changed the tectonics of the entire game. He rose to the position of director on the left chalk line and also did what he usually rarely does. He scored goals, first the secure 2-0, and shortly before the end the final 4-0. “I can’t blame my team for anything,” said a perplexed Diego Simeone, who was used to success with Atlético, but the result was so clear that it was difficult to put anything into perspective. »Dortmund did a wonderful job. This team is on a very good path.«
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This path ended unspectacularly in Europe a few months later with two defeats in the round of 16 against Tottenham Hotspur. And Dortmund also lost the German championship, which was almost certain, against Bayern, who were now nine points behind. But Guerreiro had made an impression, especially on Diego Simeone, who would have been only too happy to bring him to Atlético last summer. The Portuguese chose Bayern and Thomas Tuchel. Success is still a long time coming.
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