Football very rarely goes to plan.

AC Milan’s new strike force were supposed to quickly start scoring a lot of goals. Feyenoord selling their best player was supposed to mean their season was over. Bayern Munich were supposed to crumble away from home again. Oh, and VAR was supposed to eradicate horrendous refereeing decisions.

As you can see from last night’s Champions League play-off knockout clashes, the sport rarely fails to disappoint when it comes to predictability.

Here Tim Spiers analyses the key talking points from Wednesday evening’s matches.

That penalty decision…

“Football is becoming a completely different sport. Football is now going in a direction that has nothing to do with the game… I don’t know the rules anymore and I certainly don’t like it.”

What on earth could have happened to leave one of European football’s most highly respected managers so utterly dismayed?

Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini was rendered angry and bereft by the decision to award Club Brugge a 91st minute penalty in the first leg of their play-off in Belgium. You could understand why.

Behold, one of the worst penalty decisions you are ever likely to witness…

Video for UK readers

The controversial penalty awarded to Club Brugge in the 91st minute 😬

The Atalanta players are fuming with the referee 😡

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025

“Listening to footballers and coaches, they all have a completely different idea of ​​fouls,” an exasperated Gasperini added. “The tragedy is the contacts: everyone dives to steal and win a yellow or a penalty.”

To recap, a decent tie was winding down to a 1-1 draw, probably a satisfactory result for both sides, when the clocked ticked over 90 minutes and into three minutes of stoppage time.

A seemingly harmless pass went into the box, which Atalanta defender Isak Hien had under control, chased by Brugge striker and Swedish compatriot Gustaf Nilsson.

As Hien jostled for position, his arm appeared to slightly catch Nilsson, who went to ground. There was barely an appeal from the home fans or any Brugge players, but a penalty was given.

Hien was in disbelief, kneeling on the ground, head in hands. Six Atalanta players surrounded the referee in protest, while Gasperini gestured with not one but two hands, in a manner only Italians can reasonably pull off.

VAR Pol van Boekel (from the Netherlands) somehow upheld the decision made by Turkish referee Halil Umut Meler who, after not showing a card all match, booked three Atalanta players (Hien, plus Rafael Toloi and Juan Cuadrado for arguing) in the confusion that followed.

Nilsson got up and scored the penalty, at which point Gasperini whipped off his jacket and stormed down the tunnel before the match had even finished.

Atalanta’s incensed players continued their protests after full-time and security had to escort some of them off the field.

Gasperini addresses the media after the game (Lars Baron – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

“Those who follow football know that it is not a penalty,” midfielder Marten De Roon said, while even Brugge player Hans Vanaken conceded they were “a bit lucky”.

“It’s just ridiculous,” added Atalanta’s Belgian attacker Charles De Ketelaere, who was returning to his old club for the first time, while calling the referee “arrogant”. “If you ask 100 people, I think out of 100 none would say that was a foul.”

Well, funny you should say that Charles, because one of those 100 people clearly wasn’t former referee Christina Unkel, who kept things tight in the referees’ union.

Video for U.S. readers

Should Brugge have been awarded that controversial 94′ penalty? @ChristinaUnkel believes YES 👀 pic.twitter.com/9FaLh9nRNf

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 12, 2025

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Next week’s return leg in Bergamo is tantalisingly poised, then, while next month’s Sweden international get-together should be pretty interesting for Nilsson and Hien, too…

Fab Four flounder

They have been dubbed the Fab Four — a fearsome, fantastic attack that can fire Milan up the Serie A table and deep into the Champions League knockout stages.

USMNT star winger Christian Pulisic, flying wide man Rafael Leao, skilful genius Joao Felix and prolific Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez, four hugely talented players who, in tandem, could prove to be one of Europe’s most electrifying strike forces.

Joao Felix joined on loan from Chelsea last week while Gimenez was signed from Feyenoord, where he had scored 16 goals in 19 games this season, for £26.7million.

And here the Fab Four were in Rotterdam of all places, the home of Feyenoord, unleashed as a quartet for the first time.

The result? Feyenoord 1 AC Milan 0. And Milan’s expected goals (xG) tally for the night? Precisely 0.57.

Fab Four? How about The Four Flops?

A disappointed Pulisic departs the fray in Rotterdam (Marcel ter Bals/DeFodi Images/DeFodi via Getty Images)

OK, it’s only one match and they will need time to gel, but this was certainly an underwhelming evening for Milan’s front players, three of whom were subbed off before the night was done.

Sergio Conceicao’s struggling side could have avoided all this had they won away at Dinamo Zagreb in the final round of group games, but ended up losing 2-1 in Croatia, reflecting what has been a hugely inconsistent season for a team that lies 17 points behind leaders Napoli in Serie A.

Out in Rotterdam they created precious little with an XI that included no Italian players, in what was a fairly incident-free encounter.

Well, except for one that goalkeeper Mike Maignan will instantly want to forget…

GO DEEPER

Pulisic’s Milan suffers first-leg loss to Feyenoord in UCL playoff

Who needs a manager?

This was quite a result for Feyenoord, whose fans must have been fearing the worst given recent turbulent events at the club.

Manager Brian Priske, who succeeded Arne Slot in the summer when the 46-year-old left to manage Liverpool, was sacked just two days before the visit of Milan.

Priske had actually won his final game in charge at the weekend, a 3-0 derby victory over Sparta Rotterdam, but Feyenoord are a lowly fifth in the Dutch Eredivisie, went out of the Dutch Cup to PSV last week and were spanked 6-1 by Lille on Matchday 8 of the group stage, when a victory in France would have seen them finish in the top eight.

Given recent results — and the sale of best player Gimenez to Milan, a transfer which happened after the draw was made for the play-off round — Feyenoord’s supporters could be forgiven for thinking their club was waving a white flag for this tie.

Step forward Maignan, Milan’s France international goalkeeper, with this absolute howler in the third minute of the match.

Nothing much seemed to be on when Igor Paixao cut inside from the left and sent a fairly harmless-looking effort low towards the keeper’s near post, but Maignan, not helped by horribly wet conditions in the Netherlands, pushed the ball into the net.

Video for UK readers

Feyenoord take an early lead! 🔴

Mike Maignan will not want to watch this one back 😬

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025

Video for U.S. readers

Milan’s Mike Maignan will want that one back 😬 pic.twitter.com/pgIKty4CdZ

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 12, 2025

That was pretty much that for the night, other than Paixao smacking a shot off the bar in the second half, and attempting another from the half-way line.

Feyenoord’s xG of 0.58 was only fractionally better than that of Milan on what was a fairly dull evening. But, after the week they just endured, that was absolutely fine with Feyenoord.

Bayern hush Parkhead

They may be enjoying themselves at the top of the Bundesliga, eight points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, but Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich have still shown vulnerabilities this season — especially on the road when faced with an intimidating away atmosphere.

They have only dropped nine points in the league, but seven of those have been lost away from home. In the Champions League they won all four home group games but lost three of four on the road, including at Aston Villa and Feyenoord where the volume was turned up to 11.

Football atmospheres don’t get much louder than Celtic Park on a big European night, so this was a serious test of Bayern’s European credentials. The pre-match noise was so ear-splitting that Celtic defender Alistair Johnston nodded his approval as the decibels went above jet engine levels when the teams lined up before kick off.

When former Bayern youngster Nicolas Kuhn put Celtic in front after just 25 seconds, they could probably hear the noise in Munich. However, that was correctly ruled out for offside and Bayern slowly turned the screw in Glasgow, establishing some dominance in the din and then clinically scoring either side of half time to take charge of the tie.

Michael Olise’s strike was one to savour…

Video for UK readers

WHAT A ROCKET 🚀

Michael Olise cuts in from the right, and rifles a left footed strike into the roof of the net to give the German side the lead in Glasgow ⚽️

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025

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Video for U.S. readers

Michael Olise hits an absolute rocket with the last kick of the first half 🚀😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/yNZj8L5XnE

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 12, 2025

And then a criminally unmarked Harry Kane volleyed in from close range for his 29th goal from 29 appearances this season to quell the Celtic Park roar. That was the 19th goal he has scored beyond Kasper Schmeichel for club and country — five more than he has managed against any other goalkeeper.

Brendan Rodgers’ side rallied impressively in the final stages, with Daizen Maeda’s header keeping their hopes alive, but they will need a minor miracle in Germany next week to progress to the last 16.

Card appeal dashes a dream

The Champions League is supposed to be a competition where dreams are made.

However, for Monaco’s Libyan midfielder Moatasem Al-Musrati, his competition debut turned into a nightmare against Benfica.

The 28-year-old, who is on loan from Besiktas, was on a booking when he saw team-mate Breel Embolo unceremoniously dumped to the floor by Benfica defender Alvaro Carreras.

Denis Zakaria (left) comforts Al-Musrati as he departs the field (Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images)

Al-Musrati thought it was a foul and Italian referee Maurizio Mariani agreed, blowing his whistle. Al-Musrati, though, wanted more than that; he wanted Carreras booked and so gently gestured the universal sign language for “show him a card, ref” in the official’s direction.

Nope, can’t do that. Second booking and then a red, Al-Musrati was off. He will now miss the second leg, and with Monaco 1-0 down you have to wonder if the on-loan midfielder will play again in the Champions League this season. Or perhaps ever again.

On the flip side, Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis is very much living out his Champions League dreams, scoring his sixth goal in the competition this season to give Bruno Lage’s side a crucial advantage going into the return leg in Lisbon next week.

Video for UK readers

A lovely chip from Vangelis Pavlidis grants Benfica the lead over Monaco! 🪵

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— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 12, 2025

Video for U.S. readers

Vangelis Pavlidis chips in his sixth goal in nine matches 🫡 pic.twitter.com/VPgr369wAg

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) February 12, 2025

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Pavlidis scored when this fixture was played in the group stage, too (Benfica won 3-2), as well as scoring a hat-trick against Barcelona and adding another against Juventus.

Only six players have scored more in 2024-25 and it’s an exclusive list — Serhou Guirassy (10), Robert Lewandowski (nine), Raphinha (eight), Erling Haaland (eight), Vinicius Jr (seven) and Kane (seven).

What happens next?

Wednesday’s results

Club Brugge 2 Atalanta 1
Celtic 1 Bayern Munich 2
Feyenoord 1 Milan 0
Monaco 0 Benfica 1

Next week’s second legs

Tuesday, February 18
Atalanta (1) vs Club Bruges (2)
Bayern Munich (2) vs Celtic (1)
Milan (0) vs Feyenoord (1)
Benfica (1) vs Monaco (0)

Wednesday, February 19
Paris Saint-Germain (3) vs Brest (0)
PSV Eindhoven (1) vs Juventus (2)
Real Madrid (3) vs Manchester City (2)
Borussia Dortmund (3) vs Sporting CP (0)

Eight teams will advance to the last 16, to join Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.

The draw for the last 16, quarter-final and semi-final will take place on Friday February 21.

(Top photos: Getty Images)