Well, well, well: the first legs of the UEFA Champions League semifinals are in the books, and we have a lot to discuss.
We had Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich put on a clinic of end-to-end action in a 5-4 game on Tuesday, while Wednesday saw Atlético Madrid and Arsenal battle to a gritty 1-1 draw that leaves things hanging in the balance heading to the Emirates next week.
So, what to make of it all? ESPN FC writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden, Julien Laurens and Sam Tighe are here to break down the action as it happened and look ahead to the second legs.
- Marcotti: Don't nitpick, just marvel at PSG vs. Bayern - VAR Review: Were Bayern wronged by penalty call? - Atlético, Arsenal still have all to play for in Champions League
Tighe: It was the best game of football I've seen since at least the 2022 FIFA World Cup final... but honestly, it might simply end up going down as the best I've ever seen.
However, mine is not a universally held view. Former players turned pundits Wayne Rooney and Clarence Seedorf were somewhat scathing of the defending on show; the former called it "immature," while the latter was so concerned it prompted him to suggest Arsenal are the favorites to win the Champions League.
OK, fine, it was no rearguard masterclass. There were some two-on-two breaks that exposed wide-open defensive schemes, but the main reason we saw nine goals is because the quality of the attackers was simply too damn high to deal with.
When have you ever seen Nuno Mendes -- possibly the best left back -- torn to shreds like that? Michael Olise gave him the runaround. Meanwhile, the less said about Josip Stanisic's efforts to stop Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the better.
Much of this was simply elite attackers winning their one-on-one battles so convincingly, it made great defenders look shabby. I'm not one to turn my nose up at that sort of thing!
Ogden: I love watching a team execute a well-drilled defensive plan, which is weird considering that I grew up idolizing strikers, but I'm never going to throw a bucket of cold water over a game as enthralling as PSG vs. Bayern by pointing to the defensive shortcomings of both sides. It was an amazing game made better by the fact that risk and adventure were rewarded in the shape of goals and plenty of near misses.
I understand why Rooney and Seedorf focused on the negatives -- there's also a great clip making the rounds of former Republic of Ireland defender Kenny Cunningham suggesting that AC Milan's 0-0 draw with Juventus in the 2003 Champions League final was a better game -- but we all really want to see goals and excitement.