How will Mbappé and PSG respond? – UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals instant reactions | Do It Live!

James Horncastle joins Rog to recap both UEFA Champions Leagues semi-final games.

(Broadcasted LIVE on Wednesday May 1, at 5:00pm ET.)

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experience together a night of surging energy and phenetic football in Dortmund it was often honestly like watching a six aside game just end to endend frenzy to be honest PSG will hear the sound of double do goal post ringy in their ears um we will touch upon last night’s Royal Rumble Bayern Munich oh my Lord in which Real Madrid kept things eerily alive as is their want in Champions League football we’ll talk about Liverpool and Chelsea Chelsea women a little bit about Everton we also make the case that the conference league is where it’s at this year um it’s a joy to do this not alone but with my friend the Athletics Chief Syria correspondent all round bomb verver welcome back to do it live live from his crib in Piaza flamini room where he awaits the arrival of leusen oh Ben venuto it’s Lord James Horn Castle how are you con Rob rer let’s have it I’m all right B I’m I’m all right I’m just glad that we’re not here alone um this is a do it live which means you dear J fops can be a massive part of the show ask us questions about football or about life here’s house scan the QR code top left of your screen come on to the zoom with producer Jay dubs who’ll get you up to ask your questions come be with me come be with oh the great James H it’s all de only so do not be afraid we’ll get to your questions in a minute but get in line now uh get in the chat we’ll be reading them through the show getting your likes click that little thumbs up thing at the bottom of the screen just come be with us I want to quickly raise the third first Mel ooler of the day to the memory of the novelist Paul AER who died yesterday a gent um who was really literary Brooklyn personified romantic warm uh truly prolific cre ative novelist both hyper local and globally revered dude massive in France um but like flow balagan is self style romantic image very very Left Bank I actually met Paul a couple of times um he’s one of those open gents who made you feel like you’d known him forever within like five minutes of meeting him um which I love because one of his books really has shaped my own life January 1979 aer’s father Samuel died um and that became the seed for his first Memoir the invention of solitude and I buy that book for every one of my friends who who’s lost the parent it’s actually two books in one first book Is Beautiful second book I honestly confess I don’t fully understand it’s a bit above my pay grade but the first book is about life death Solitude memory um he wrote I always sense the future the antithesis of everything it’s always before my eyes I never see a child without thinking that it would grow old nor a cradle without thinking of a grave the sight of a naked woman makes me imagine her skeleton I’m pretty sure Paul Oster just described Everton there James didn’t Paul Oster um didn’t he write a series of letters as well was that to JM cooty which became a book maybe I’m getting mixed up with nard as well he was a man of letters I think I think if we were properly um discussing an obituary um T paa we call him writer filmmaker film director and man of letters what are things to be uh Jam a man of letters I I I recently finished his uh his last novel Bal Gartner um sounds like a lipick player um it’s it’s it’s it’s not about some you know sort of Journey brion’s next goalkeeper exactly but um certainly with all the forers books never judge book by their cover but uh the cover of that book I don’t know what it’s like in the US edition but in the it’s just a piece of it’s a piece of art that is so um yeah one of the first novelists who got me into literature postmodern I mean just pul time introduce you I’m going to just introduce you as a man of letters I love that that you can introduce me as a man of very short misspelled emails I mean that’s really where I am and what iire to be I do love you um James I can like just thr out pul us the crap and you will meet me there as you will as we break down tonight’s game o Wonder Portman one PSG nil battle between old friends group F group stage survivors 1997 Champions if you’re keeping count and the 2020 Runners up um Dortmund fifth in the Bundesliga meeting the champion Farmers from League ear this game not just D’s entire season but their biggest European game in I think 11 years facing up to Qatari infinitely walled PSG almost Dortmund James the last old school team left in this tournament I mean they really are the Underdog’s Choice financially they almost take a throwback to to footballing of your yeah I mean all they’ve got going for them is this wall I don’t know if you’ve heard about it it’s yellow and that’s and that’s it um 25,000 strong and have you by the way have you ever stood in the yellow wall I haven’t stood in it I’ve I’ve looked a scon at it um from being at um but from seeing like some of our friends and colleagues who are there tonight Rory Smith for example I mean um it’s always special is the yellow W but tonight in particular yeah it’s it’s it’s it’s not unusual to see the end behind the goal where there are just flags at the bottom in the kind of lowest tier but to see them all the way up and just like this kind of rat riat of like Flags um is uh was of sales really you really get this like a human oce just like you know sort of behind the goal and yeah you it is special I mean you talk you talk about them as being this kind of not underfunded but sort of sort of certainly Underdog Club in a in in an age of n nation and you know sort of American private equity and and that sort of thing coming into football um I mean they they 10 years ago they were they became the kind of club that you know it’s too expensive for people in London to go and watch Arenal even if you live in London so PE people would get the tube to Luton get on a budget Airline fly over to dund not pay anything for an air not pay anything for a ticket not pay anything for beer and basically then come back and still have enough money to sort of still money to spare on what they would an Arsenal ticket so it it became incredible for that Dortmund is very much like um you know the dates that you hear your Grandpa took your grandma on where it was like you know two cents to get the Staten Island Ferry and a maybe a dime for a hot dog that is dortman I think Miguel Delaney wrote about it before the game they are the only Squad um in modern times to be worth less than 460 million which is460 million Euros which is still an extraordinary amount of money but they are very much like the last um nons super leagy super league s team uh standing uh financially in terms of that might and you mentioned the yellow wall the West Fallen Stadium I mean it was rapturous honestly it was a bit like watching asard in Thor eager for battle joyous attack but susceptible to the old Ragnarok in their own rear end and that crowd did set the tone for the frenzy adrenaline field start um which Sancho began and really never ceased um leading dortmund’s Fay forward psg’s all French front three they buzzed I mean backline going into this said to be suspect um no big chances created in the early exchanges but there’s a beautiful German word kof Kino a lovely phrase uh which literally means head Cinema or the fictional film that’s screening in your head if you have a very vivid imagination I do love a bit of head cinema James and I was shocked ultimately um by just the beautiful imagination um that Dorman brought to this game PSG didn’t have the gu to slow the game down I was surprised he didn’t try and knock the crowd out a bit in those early exchanges but God bless Dortmund in those early moves they were Fearless yeah I mean you talk about kofo I mean the great proper foot of British football punditry often talk about he’s got a picture he’s got a picture in his head uh he can just see everything you know as it’s unraveling and uh and there was certainly aspects of that to the Sanchez’s game today 12 dribbles he completed like 12 I mean like I like a lot of the talk around this game was ah yeah Sancho’s gone back there to kind of ReDiscover his Mojo but you know the real J signing for them is Matson who they got from Chelsea and you Chelsea desperately needs s you know they’ve been sort of you know trying to sell their hotel to back to themselves in order to sort of make you know make their accounts look better so matson’s the big star Sancho fig about it and yet Sancho just tonight just like particularly in a game in the context where everyone’s just expecting kilan bappe to be the guy who blows past everyone it’s just like well look at this kid you know sort of deten harded amazing free and joyous and English and Delirious and dangerous Gustavo Kayo in the chat says the Germans have to have a word for wall of flags if you know what it is let us know all of this paid off 36 minutes David Hass will be performing on it I imagine on the wall FL wall of flags oh my God that’s by way I can imagine an amazingly emotional pop video David Hasselhoff’s next album wall of flags um shot in Berlin on site in the year 1983 but only released now 89y old Matt Hummels dropped a long bomb Nicholas fkr U met the moment almost like a beekeeper at an Arizona Diamond Backs game Cushing that ball oh James Horn castle with the touch of a tender lover perfectly weighted first touch at high speed or what passes at high speed for Nicholas ful Krug then lash low and true it was genuinely it was old school it was it was exclamation point F yeah I mean we’ve talked about Dortmund as being like this um yeah this this last Bastion of of of real football um and on the one hand F Krug he sounds you his name sounds like you know you’re getting it all with him um and yet it all sounds it also sounds like a really expensive um extravagant night out where some someone a billionaire has basically paid for a full crug of champagne um and that champagne is flowing and the cups flow over um and yeah I mean that’s the thing with fkr I mean surprising that a guy like in his early 30s never played in the Champions League before until this season so never played in a Champions League semi-final sort of that moment um it’s magnificent again could it happen anywhere else but Dortmund uh in this competition I’m not so sure yeah in that petri dish that is their own stadium but I love that idea that Fulk is just the most extremely out there’s nights out on the Lash but then there’s a night out with Diego Costa that is the next level that is full CR and it was so hilarious that it was him there were so many Elite world class footballers lited all over that field um but he was the one who was bossing the game um he controlled the ball in the Box dished it off to sabitzer another gentleman feeling the freedom of the weight of Old Trafford off their shoulders um and he span and he voled from the edge of the six-yard bot got blessed on a rumor who was able to follow it P it away um but God it was you could hear the sound of the PSG door hinges beginning to buckle dortman boss ID and Tek had said pregame that PSG are quote purpose built to win this champions league but they didn’t must so much as a first half shot on goal James no no and as you mentioned it was it was donaruma it was G Jo who was kind of you who taken pels by uh the kind of perisian press in Barcelona sort of given like a a0 five out of 10 um for for one of his performances in that tie yeah very generous ultimately you know doing well um doing well tonight against and again as you say I mean edin turich has every right to basically say PSG should be in the final should be winning this competition or whatever because edin turich is a brusy Dortmund manager who doesn’t have levandowski Harland aubameyang uh even Mishi bachai um he’s got just GI Rea giena James giena or even even going back further Chris Chrissy pic you know I mean come on thank you so so yeah I mean again this is one of those tires which leaves you kind of scratching your head it’s like Dortmund have have won again they top this um with with Milan brings us full circle back to Christian Pik um one this group with PSG in AC Milan in there and it’s it’s just completely implausible when you look at their squad you look at their league form you look at how flaky they are um and yet you’re kind of reminded that as much as we’ve all got excited and I mean Rome at the moment and lusen the coming to town um but you know Dortmund take the title race to the final day last year in the Bundesliga and you know maybe if they’ actually not choked and got over the line we’ll be like a this is actually a really good Dortmund team it’s amazing how perspective works like that it’s just like don’t people don’t come here for perspective James they know that I think I get a 0. five perspective but how do you explain PSG Killian bapp had the fewest touches of all PSG outfielders in that first half um you know the pace of the attack did not simmer at all um what was it that put the break on was it the Youth of the team um the energy of the stadium the inability to really baton down Midfield until I mean we talked about that wall and that se Flags Rod I think this this PSG is still very much a work in progress like you know it’s hard actually to cute that when PSG have been built to win ever since the qaris basically bought the club and decided to make it like a soft power uh project for them but like they seem to have ever since the World Cup have said ah you know what let’s strip it back you know Messi you go play Miami Neymar you go to Saudi veratti you go to Qatar and so like what they’ve actually got aside from kilan mbappe who is arguably the best player in the world one of the best players in the world is a pretty new team and so I think the Midfield in particular is like it’s pretty it’s pretty Raw it’s still learning how to play together even though we’re what seven or eight months into this season so the the thing is they’ve missed chances all year that was the that was the amazing thing about their their group stage travails where you know I sat next to my Parisian colleague Julian Lon who kept grabbing my knee over and over again kept falling to his knees uh at every Mis chance that that PSG had and you know I I think it was different for mbappe tonight but I think even mbappe two weeks ago in Barcelona he scores twice in the 4-1 and people were like oh kill what a it’s a it’s a statement performance it’s like well no they’ve been down B have been down to 10 men for 60 minutes like he scored a penalty and he scored in the 89th minute I I’m not sure he actually had that good a game so it’s you know it’s again the cognitive dissonance of looking at PSG and what we come to associate with PSG and the same with mbappe and then actually looking at it in reality and be like H yeah maybe it doesn’t quite all work yet James hor Castle will not stand for Hy on our reductionism but second half the game was shockingly open it was Topsy Turvy neither team had neither control no clinical you had former French president um and convicted criminal Nicholas sarosi just sitting there Grim face watching alongside PSG president NASA Al CI um and their team did come out a different proposition SEC second half is that incredible moment hit both posts within 8 seconds oh poor Julian Lon must have been in big bits in bits I tell you ande ared his body Unleashed they po him you could see he was like running away from the the ball being just like oh Killian you’ve done it again as the ball clipped the right post hakeemi picked up the slop drove one against the leftand post I bet there’s an Italian freeze for that when a team hits both post within eight seconds uh it’s it’s a good bet um to have it’s um it’s not one that I can recall off the you you yeah I’m I’m trying to think of some kissing idiom or something like that like you know kiss on both cheeks or something like that I don’t know but like um love it yeah there is now there is now yeah Dorman’s somehow still alive I mean Sancho just burning down that Wing as we’ve discussed in a way he never did for United found full kug up close delivered what Ray Hudson called a garlic milkshake of a full Krug honestly could have had a hat trick in truth um if that was a garlic milkshake Dem B blasting over from dead center with a goal gaping was I do not know and don’t want to think of what kind of Milkshake by the way I just want to go on record saying I would quite love I think a garlic milkshake to be honest astonishing night astonishing spectacle um this game very very much alive going back to Paris Dortmund will will will no doubt Ru um not getting that second or possibly even third goal PSG will well James how will PSG feel getting out of Dodge just one nil down well they project this image of not being all that bothered they’re like you know well well this year wasn’t supposed to be the year when we were supposed to win the Champions League you know it’s uh it’s teut in transition it’s young we’re we’re we’re we’re a project you know like uh we’re we’re a processed team it’s like no no no no you’re not you still got Killian it’s his last year this is going to be his last chance and I think I think to be honest every Champions League game for the last been framed in that it’s like is this Killian mbappe’s last Champions League game for PSG well um you know next week you know at the park de pron you know it will definitely be his last European game at the park de prance regardless of what the outcome is because the next game is the final so you know Killian it’s it’s up to you it’s up to you God I love that James Horn Castle addresses directly um Killian and buff shouts out God that that would be a headline if you were if you were Gary Neville James Horn Castle calls out Killian mbappe it’s up to you he says there was a shot of Turk the D manager at the end this kid who grew up as a fan on the yellow wall now leads his team the yellow wall behind him right at the like in the 95th minute all I know is at 25 5,000 people in there made incredible memories tonight immense European night memories that they will carry forever um which is incredible to think about I’ve actually watched the game on the yellow wall um you know I am 6’4 I couldn’t see a bloody thing uh but it was still utterly magnificent just to have that wall of joy and bear um and sausage just bouncing around all around you rumors are bound actually that the Club who have a real real love of bringing back old characters are trying to lure former manager Jurgen kback as head of football in 2025 um kind of harking back ever more to that 2010 to13 Glory era that club loves loves bringing back the old guys bit like Chad Michael Murray returning to One Tree Hill uh but in German chat is buzzing about James Horn Castle’s turtleneck um which if you’re not if you’re listening to this on a podcast it just looks like it’s from essentially it’s very Steve Zusi and Christina St says Pep Guardiola is going to be calling James Horn Castle about that turtleneck fronto where is it from James is it Kashmir if it’s not there’ll be no Pep Guardiola C no it’s it’s not cashmir I was um I was uh self-deprecatingly um on on my Instagram account today was drawing comparisons with Captain Heche from Tintin because it was uh it’s it’s been one rainstorm after another here in Rome so I had like this big sort of PE coat on I had this on I’ve obviously got the beard so I looked kind of like this sort of um yeah C mad sea captain rather than any kind of sort of fashion icon so um but it’s it’s chunky I just did not expect to be wearing something this chunky I bought this in Venice is is is is the answer there you go look how this horn horn Castle just spent 3 minutes telling a story in the whole time he’s going do I tell him is it like a humble brag if I tell him I brought it in Venice no I’m going to tell him you got it in Venice it is it is just as you say mad sea captain um actually truly captures I would think seven out of 10 of Pep’s uh aesthetic ethos perfectly um and I love you do you look you you look absolutely stunning and I feel deeply underdressed let’s move on to last night Madrid ah in Bayern uh that one ended 22 Harry Kane June Bellingham Derby England’s two most influential players colliding B like watching um English national team Mark Donaldson and Patrick schwag go up against each other Miguel Delany went as far as to call this the English Messi Ronaldo Dynamic um bit like watching the footballing Herman Bloom take on Max fiser to be honest I do believe and we’ll talk about this the spelling and whispered she’s my Rush B I know she was mine too when he tried to take the P but we’ll get to that in the Champions League ERA this is incredible Bayern and Real Madrid have met more times in the semi-final than any other pairing has met in The Knockouts at all there’s really a been there done that Vibe ahead of the kickoff um I guess once both managers an chelotti and tle have been sacked by Chelsea they kind of they kind of completed football and the opening of the game had just an intense familiarity about it all too Bayern proactive creating opportunities um and Carlo angelotti before the last game against Man City Jude Bellingham caught him yawning so unfazed was he by this stage of the tournament felt like in the opening minutes the whole of real was yawning Bayan tour at them Harry Kane running the game from Deep mode but his team blew chance after chance San the lead offender and we know there’s only one human truth in Champions League football and life that old Champions League Trope rear guard rocked Real Madrid will always find a way against a runner play and also against logic um Madrid we talked about this last time so inevitable James Thomas tuor said pregame you don’t see Real Madrid’s goals coming and lo and behold Tony Cruz eight years a buern player so much intertwisted narrative here sudden he just lifted his chin surveyed the surroundings and unfilled a pass which was honestly the only thing I’ve seen as sexy as this pass is james’ tur Little Neck through the heart of the Munich side Vinnie Jr read it ran onto it left kin MJ in his wake um I mean by the way Kim MJ is Korean um for Eric Dyer um and Vinnie finished with just hips don’t like clinical James who needs possession who needs form who needs passing sequences or even good football um Real Madrid just sees moments big moments and have that necromancy or whatever kind of forbidden Magic they they sprinkle upon it it’s incredible yeah I I like how uh you know if you look at football over the last five 10 years it’s all about okay uh we’re GNA bring in sort of American private e money sort of uh corporatize it and we’re going to make it more rational and the way we’re going to do that is bring in analytics data thing and Madrid just look at all of that and just go and just rip it all up and throw it away um it’s it like there is magical realism about every time you watch them where you’re just like this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever other than the fact that these players are obscenely talented um and they can kill you in in a moment the great thing and I love that about football that it’s it’s it’s still a moment’s game you like pep guard will try and manage and understand single second of every uh of every football game and yet there are there are these seconds that get away from you um and and that’s and Madrid a masters at that that that seems to be what they understand better than any other Godly person Godly being on the planet and it’s um yeah it’s I love that I love that that they are football as if crafted by by magical realism realis more magical I mean they’re they’re like a football team as if written by Gabrielle Garcia Marquez or as if a MAG he’s the sporting director yeah F data F data let’s make crap up and then make it real head Cinema however you see that in Spanish that is exactly what they are it is football of the complete utter imagination by the way I did love Cruz’s modesty post game he said I saw their center backs always follow Vinnie I know Vinnie always makes runs into space that’s why all the credits to Vinnie he opened the space the pass it was okay and God bless Vinnie Jr 23 years of age this is third straight season scoring the Champions League semi-finals just an incredible record a big game goal scoring in big moments so bloody young Bayern shocked as if they’ve been slapped across the face by a cold blut first but Thomas to called Tommy tactics lived up to his middle name made a change at the half through on Rafael Guerrero into Midfield it was his willingness to roam on the left um that seemed to change the game some surprise at the break the Leroy San still on the field jent got a groin injury which meant he had to keep running around during halftime on field so he didn’t warm down um but the decision paid off quickly he cut inside dropped a shoulder slashed home his first goal since October the 28th last year um it was like watching an iron Robin tribute bander it or if iron Robin himself had been aumed from the grave James yeah or or you know sort of his his great wingman uh riveree as well I mean you you talked the kind of sistic element of this guy having a groin problem and having to run run around which You’ think would just aggravate it sort of remind sort of being someone who follows European Sports exclusively football and then you turn on the NFL and like they’ll say like this player has gone out in the first quarter his blown out he’s torn every ligament in his knee and then in the SEC in the second quarter you see he’s on an exercise bike on the side of the pitch and back in water I’m like okay is this where we’re at with with Soaker now it’s you know and and San to be to be better to he okay this is his first go in a long time he was magnificent against Arsenal in the in the game against the Emirates um just absolute uh just a a dagger you know sort of really in games and yeah Tommy T Tommy T who seems to be just like such a hassle for everyone you know sort of um Todd Bley at Chelsea the guaris of Paris San gerain Dortmund you know he does show these like flashes of Brilliance where he’s just like yeah if I just swap my wing bring on this can come and play with Midfield maybe we’ll ch turn this Champions League semi-final around and it’s like oh yeah it’s worked so he is is a lovely he is a lovely man as a human being I think as a manager to your front office he’s like the equivalent of of getting sand down the front of your swim shorts um but I love by the way I love your point about the NFL you don’t want to know what happens in that blue tent the amount of horse placenta those guys guzzled down it’s out of this world and within minutes it would get worse for Real Madrid Jamal Lua the Boyhood roommate and best friend of Jude Bellingham dribbled in a singular style in which he can cut either way with just an effortless a plum fed in the area by Lucas Faz Quest almost out of panic and Harry Kane is on penalty MAA 43 goals and 11 assists now for Harry in 43 games across all comps scoring here we got to talk about it despite the best efforts of Jude bellium to whisper in his ear and put him off Kan was asked what Jude Bell said in that moment before he took the kick um and hurry Kane this is a real quote um he said I honestly don’t know what he was saying I saw him mumbling something so James hon I saw him mumbling something there he goes old D belly I’m just mumbling away again what what what do you think he said James was it like is he like Arsenal Premier League champions 2023 [Laughter] 24 yeah it’s uh yeah I wonder what he maybe it was just completely abstract football maybe it was like um I don’t know Biden in November something I don’t know um but yeah apparently it was just you think Harry Kane knows who Biden is James well if he if he if he he was so zoned in on his penalty that even he Jude Bellingham trash talking or to be honest like it doesn’t even sound like Jude Bellingham was trash talking apparently all he said was you’re going to go left aren’t you and that’s it it’s like okay like I mean that’s for an elite penalty taker like Harry Kane it’s a little bit like Drew Bellingham going going up to him and saying you play for Bayern Munich don’t you so yeah I’m I’m gonna I do play for Bayern Munich and I am gonna go left and I will score because I do that I think and the reality is Harry Kane only speaks German now it’s like genuinely if you’re not coming at me with the with the German I just I don’t Jude it’s only what he said by the way I just want to go on the record of saying Harry Kane is more of a green party guy um but Gage wheeler in the chat wants to get back to the issue of blue tents in the NFL and and football he says Ben White’s blue tent is just canisters of spray tan and a we’s Waldo B God love kage wheeler I love you that is head Cinema Kino whatever it was cop Kino Gage wheeler God bless you and the fact that Harry Kane couldn’t hear the trash talking well done Jude your [ __ ] howery almost at the same levels as as his performance on the night James it was subdued exhausted possibly slightly injured down the stretch Jude Bellingham in this one off kill to Jude almost substitute with cramp with 15 minutes to go and his team still a goal down yeah yeah cramping up apparently had a virus something like that but also like people people have forgotten that hasn’t he been playing with like some kind of uh dislocated shoulder for like four months or something like that or he’s got a shoulder issue I don’t know what it is but rub some of that horse procenter on it um we don’t want to hear his excuses by the way this is amazing this is true he is deeply injured a long-term injury we don’t want to hear that crap though we just want to say Jude Bellingham he was [ __ ] that’s genuinely it’s what we want to say and feel better about ourselves it is it is that’s that’s what is the The Late Night show talking points what’s happened to Jud bellam why is he so crap it fuels the social media debate and and there’ll there’ll come a time there’ll come a time after the Euros where there’ll be like a little newsline on Real Madrid’s website which will say Jude Bellingham has only gone shoulder surgery today and we’ll probably you know that was long overdue um he’s been playing with this for nine months or something and everyone would be like ah wow incredible what an Iron Man just like I just assume at this point when any player has a bad game that like Javier mashiro they’re playing with a ruptured anus um I just like you know maybe Jude Bellingham let’s all be more charitable instead of just like loving mocking calling him a finished player let’s just imagine give people the benefit of the doubt give people the benefit of the ruptured enus possible out in this one incredible start though if it is a ruptured anus he’s had a lot of them Bellingham nine games against Bayern Munich seven losses two drools no wins no goals sure the Germans have a word for for cryp tonight but then as the game seemed to be running out of steam substitutes fatigue just chopping up the flow slowing it down on K Modric to up the tempo as he does so so stunningly to be honest it’s incredible to think that that man 38 years of old age exact same age as Wayne Rooney honestly hard to believe when I say that they’re was the same species um he is the the one man who never seems to slow down and the other is Vinnie Jr who Dan wriggled his way into the box played a quick congested pass to his Brazilian teammate Rodrigo who tipped and tumbled oh over will’ll advis Kim MJ leg as they say in Spain penal um another early dive this time from Manuel Neer and Vinnie blasted his 21st breaking 20 goals for three years in a row um his penalty tying up at twos and that was that Real Madrid this is incredible have not lost the game since January uh that’s a run of 19 games 11 now unbeaten in the Champions League second leg back home at the burner Bay out if Bayern do not find a way to break that streak it’ll be real Madrid back in the final for a sixth time in the past 11 years I think Bayon or Ru the number of chances that they missed and chelot admitted Real Madrid can play much better James what are the big lessons that we learned from this first leg and what do you predict for second leg two electric booing well again this is this is tockles probably his final game um and we don’t hear anything about you know big clubs coming in for him and there’ been some big jobs up um as well which you is surprising maybe on the back of the performance that they gave uh the other night people be like oh yeah he’s he still got it uh Thomas Tule um and then again like those Brazilian boys up front for for Madrid we mentioned that you know they don’t really do data they don’t really do analytics do magical I mean going back to Gabriel Garcia Marquez being their sporting director I they signed those kids when they were like 15 when no no one really it’s very hard to judge players at that and yet now they’ve got a guy who’s who’s scored 20 plus goals in three straight Seasons again it’s just it’s sorcery pure sorcery that’s it so forget tactics forget data magical realism plus sorcery equals unprecedented Champions League Glory anyway we’re all over the Champions League James we love the conference League we love the Europa League you’re in room for tomorrow’s Europa League semifinal between Danielle D Rossi’s Roma uh and German Champion undefeated leusen tomorrow 3 P.M eastern time give us a a Top Line give us the smell of the game well in in Rome they want to Beat the Streak they want to put an end to this 46 game unbeaten run that leusen have have been on of course this time last year in the same uh in the semi-finals Roma actually knocked Leverkusen out the um scored early and then Park Jose Mourinho parked one of those trams that Rome sort of goes by actually one goes to the stud olymp right outside where I’m uh staying right now um obviously Mourinho is no longer around yes exactly um great Caravan um yeah if you if you’ve been watching Ripley don’t know if you’ve seen Ripley on Netflix um it’s entirely based on um R going to um in Rome when he’s not murdering people um so I’m I’m just I’m just here I’m just here to look at carav and watch the football the the NE I Can’t Tell You Why is there a huge gash down and blood down oh anyway Venice um so essentially there’s a feeling they’re going to Beat the Streak are they James I think I think they can I think they’ve got a lot of the similar attributes that Leverkusen have got they never know they beat him they always score late um they’ve got World Cup winners in their team they’ve got World Cup winners in the dogout yeah they’ve been around the block a bit that they don’t take themselves too serious iously which I really like so like even today you had de Roi in his his press conference sat next to Leandro Perez who won the world cup with uh with Argentina and Paredes was asked while D Roi was sat next to him like you know you know what’s so good about your your coach uh and what are the drawbacks you know what can he improve on and he sort of sung D Ro’s Praises for two minutes and’s like oh yeah what can he do better you know what to be honest look at him he eats far too much you imagine saying that to your manager who a World Cup winner and DSi was like I knew he was going to say that I knew he was going to point out my weight it’s just incredible so I think that to me is illustrative of the group that they they’ve got here team spirit not order do a second helping of carbonara if if that’s what the manager wants and um carbonara is is often what you know has won Italian team’s big trophies that was the truth into when they won the treble and that was in 2010 when you thought nutrition was like you know people had sort of got on impactful in nutrition rather than just car looing with you know sort of belly pork and egg and that sort of thing but no carbonara it’s the secret that’s that will beat labus tomorrow being around the block a little bit don’t take themselves too seriously eats too much is possibly the most honest but carefully created online dating profile we got to ask you otherwise I’d be miss the big question everyone in the world of football is asking James Horn castle where is the best place to get a carbonara in room in your mind James give us give us the secret oh I mean there are too many too many places I went to a great restaurant tonight but it’s not reallya restaurant it’s called Zia which means aunti um I’d really recommend going to that and then um there’s if you want like classic sort of Amat Shana cabada um I would say you should go to a place called pen pest um that’s near Parliament building it’s good um so Pizzeria there’s a place called imari or orbitor which um uh morg rep pizza at the morg and it’s all on marble where they cool the dough because the Marble’s really nice and cool and that’s where felini used to go back in the day mad is a place where I definitely recommend oh you can’t unleash the whole clip now James otherwise we’re going to run out of Inc I’ve Got a Feeling uh in a couple of weeks time we’re just going to be doing maybe one fifth football and four fifths horn Castle food recommendations um I got I have so many things to tell you about meals I’ve eaten in room I’m going to hold them all in this is not about me it’s about you um chime on in if you’ve got any food questions for the mighty horn Castle send them our way couple of other elements we do need to touch upon Liverpool Football Club have briefed the press that despite the old ARG barg on the sideline uh klopp and mo beefing in public during last weekend’s frustrating Drew at West Ham well David onstein was among the first to tweet that Liverpool expect Mo Salah to stay and are planning with him being around for at least another campaign the 31y old has given no indication of wanting out well I give that he did kind of give an indication on the sideline um contract will be addressed in due course the Saudi view is Salah intends to remain at Liverpool next season which is fascinating what do you think of them apples James Horn Castle feels like quite you know if you’re on a slot arriving little bit like 10 hardat to deal with the Ronaldo piece of flapping skin um get it wrong and in salah’s words there will be fire um do you feel it tying him down has greater Merit than risk for Liverpool Football Club I mean the Ronaldo comparison is quite interesting just on a sort of abdominal level um I think that’s you know they’re very much you know I think a lot people talk Ronaldo rivalry but really in terms of those those six packs or nine packs 12p packs whatever it’s very much now of thing so maybe that’s what the Saudi league needs you know um in order to for it to go to the next level to transcend um and they’re just um doing what it need they call Depo which is laying false Trails by saying you know he’s he’s not coming we’re not interested but really they just they just want to see some of salah’s ABS um you know going to Al hillal and aliad um false I love that I love that sounds like the best Lloyd Cole album of all time um so essentially you you think there is some truth but you’re also very kind of cynical about this laying down this New Media line because of the what was the word depio depio depio yeah God bless I’m not yeah I’m just I’m just applying magical realism to to football directing here I’m I’m you know if I were Liverpool I’d maybe look at it and say he’s 31 now but uh what new contract you know what duration of his contract is he going to want you know what um how much are we going to have to pay him um because you know a lot of clubs get when 30s they say we’ll give you a one-year deal and it’ll just roll over and it’ll just roll over um so you know considering how all are very focused on data analytics and contract management and Squad assembly and that sort of thing I think it’s quite interesting what they what their thinking might be not only with but with some of the other old in the squad like big Virgil um so so yeah let’s see s data little Liverpool get on to the magical realism tip one more Liverpool note Liverpool women tonight sensationally be EMES Chelsea 43 90th minute goal denting Chelsea’s title Dreams Manchester City now need just four points from the last two games which would leave Emma Hayes truthless in a final year before she becomes US Women’s National team coach God speed Emma we can’t touch upon Liverpool without mentioning the pride of Mery side Everton football club who are having themselves a week survival Against All Odds and all points deductions um bit dark this week unbelievably Grim actually Everton have held talks with debt restructuring advisers and face a risk of administration that’s bankruptcy American listeners if it fails to deal with its heavy debt burden and keep funding day-to-day activities 777 are Lord and saviors they’re kind of Our Saviors in the same way as Scatman KS came to the rescue in The Shining ended up just getting an axe in the old forehead one of their many businesses I don’t know why I’m laughing this is just so miserable this is not why we watch football to talk about debt restructuring and the fact that S7 Budget Airline called bonsa I mean by the way if you’re going to name an Australian budget what kind of a marketing meeting that they have when they’re like hey what how what are we going to name this Australian budget what we call it bonsa all right mate I mean it’s just it’s like they got an Bost kogo just to name it in a press conference mate should we call it mate or should we call it Bon we’ll call it bonsa okay so they got this bloody Airline and it went bankrupt it’s um yesterday oh no Sunday had all of its ples repossessed so Everton not so great is it James Horn Castle can I ask you have you ever thought about buying a Premier League team and can I interest you in everon um I mean if if if if Everton goes into Administration is is is you know one of those clubs where you can pick up then maybe but um yeah it’s it’s all Bleak isn’t it I mean bonser as a as an airline again it just feel like I don’t know if our American listeners are familiar with the uh the the long running Australian sitcom not even sitcom just the series called Neighbors yes um where where they would they would have pets called like Australians would call a pet like bouncer or right bouncer um and it just feels like maybe their their way of like naming companies they owned in Australia was to just go go through pets in Neighbors I think 777 are watching this and thinking maybe we should just reopen the airline under a different name bouncer they’re just taking James Horn Castle ideas now um this is genuinely um this is genuinely a horror show I just love that they called it bonser though it’s just so unbelievably halfast um God that’s the second mention of neighbors um floody hell come on let’s start a g fundme uh and save Everton football club hot takes only in the chat quick question for you Teo verer in the chat on so James Horn Castle catch up on pasta who says no no no no no no no have you become like an Italian have you recalibrated your your um your taste buds um I I think it’s it’s it’s it’s a bit of Cosplay it’s a bit of um it’s very method I would say you know in terms of like you know you uh you know it’s like um uh you know sort of Al it’s it’s dairo playing Travis ble in Taxi Driver you know you just you have to become that person and so I have to become Italian in order to do this convincingly and that’s just uh and no no even though the most famous sort of example of like I don’t know A variation of ketchup on pasta is the pineapple on Pizza thing um and arguably Naples is most famous uh pizzola pizza maker he did this whole thing this summer he was like you know what who’s that he a guy called G Ginos soilo um and he was like you know what I’m just going to put P I’m going to put pineapple on pizza and I’m going to make people love it and he tried and you know I think I I would I’d be convinced that yeah it’s it’s a good thing you know I’m yeah I’m I’m not necessarily anti it but yeah that’s certainly something that um is that Soo is that the restaurant soio yeah God they have they have one the thing thing is they they have some in Milan I think they may I don’t know if they have one in Rome but the thing is like all of these pizzerias that are in Naples like even when they Branch off into like let’s say they do a New York one or a London one the problem is is like the the the mozarella the water the water the water the water and the mozzarella is perishable within like 12 hours so like I’ve got Italian friends of mine who live in chin who will drive down to Naples which is a long drive come back with some mozzarella and eat it um like fruit the same day um because that stuff that we buy in supermarkets is just it’s not so yeah the idea that you could have a you have you could have a pizzeria that those guys have in London New York and it’ be of the same quality that is in Naples it’s just it’s it’s very difficult to it’s difficult to achieve got got mypl I got my Naples sweatshirt on here my Naples PE sweatshirt on here you’re there in your you’re there in your your turtleneck cosplay here I am pretending that I’m having a pizza tasting menu um by the way I’ve got my little rosoli mug here which you you is you bang on the nose a great Ro eery come to New York but the water’s different the cheese tastes different I mean it’s a complete different uh reality in every single regard but I do love your nation um you put on a turtl net you just start dropping the vales off the end of food and you are just like in a completely different frame of mind um we do have to talk quickly we’re going to take your questions my God I love talking to the horn Castle how often do you get to move from Paul uster to traveling Mel uh and back again with a bit of football sandwiched in between we’ll take you guys in one minute I do want to give you a quick update dear listeners on the 2027 World Cup the Women’s World Cup hosting now the United States of Mexico have pulled out of their joint bid to host I think they realized they just did not have the vote um that decision as to whom we’ll host will be made 17th of May I speak to a lot of human beings who do understand FIFA and the weird world of criminology there uh the consensus seems to be this is kind of incredible FIFA told the United States not to bid for 2027 um they needed to give it to South America because they pissed off South America by giving Saudi Arabia the men’s World Cup in 2034 but then the head of the Brazilian Federation eraldo rodrigue he only got himself done for quote irregularities um which then made it seem as if the German Belgium Netherlands high techn bid would get it um but then he was reinstated by the Brazilian Supreme Court which is not corrupt at all I just want to go on the record Brazilian Supreme Court not corrupt at all and so it remains to be seeing what FIFA are going to do uh but FIFA knowing FIFA will Brazil it up mostly because the stadia that they need to construct there good business um we can talk more in questions if that’s of Interest I honestly hate all of this talking about bonser Airlines and stadi in Brazil none of this is why we watch but we’ve got to discuss it because no one is watching The footballing Watchmen uh to your questions uh here on YT Live Scan that QR code in the top left of your screen or click the pin comment in the chat to come on you’re going to a zoom with our producer Jay dubs and Tony he’ll tell you everything you need to know um first question question oh it’s from Joshua in Brooklyn New York come on up Joshua You Beautiful human being you’re on with James Horn Castle what’s your question oh I’m honored to be on uh so I I want to talk about my Bundesliga team uh Dortmund uh here I know I talk about Arsenal mostly but we’re top of the league we don’t have any problems we’re going to win the league clearly so let’s talk Dort for a second um um so I was watching this match right and first of all it moved at such a quick Pace that I didn’t actually have time to be nervous right like I didn’t have any time for anxiety because like it didn’t slow down enough for me to be like nervous or anxious but I’m watching this and I’m like any other stadium in the world like I think Dortmund likely would have lost uh but there was some divine magical mystical intervention that was preventing the ball from going into the back of the net and giving PSG a goal so my question is this is can they keep this up on the road you know at PSG um because there and watching this there’s like a jackal and hide thing going on here where this is such a different team than the one that plays in the Bundesliga each week I’m just wondering if we’re like underestimating their chances of like advancing especially because I don’t know I I think they can hold on to a one- nothing lead at Paris but I guess I’m curious about I I’ve got a question for you before James answerers really two questions there James I how much of this dorant phenomena is a sense of place and then I guess the question is and this is one we’ve got in the chat from Vic RZ um do you think dman has a any chance real chance in the second leg but James before we get into that Joshua you just said my German team which I find truly fascinating have we just done a study of American fandom um and its singularities which we’re going to bring out in a couple of weeks time and one of the first things that’s most astonishing and wonderful about it Sha of place like where you know where I grew up Liverpool you become you know an Everton fan a Liverpool fan you know if you’re from Manchester United City geography drives your fandom Shan of geography here American I think was something like 37% of American fan said they had at least three teams uh that they followed many had more you know my German team my Italian team how many teams do you have is the question Joshua and I’m genuinely fascinated with or in reverence yeah uh uh well I have three I mean Arsenal uh Dortmund and then whoever is playing Spurs uh no I I thought we established I hopped on a EasyJet flight from Luton and uh because I couldn’t afford uh Premier League tickets and I ended up in Dortmund that’s how I became you are James Horn Castle’s story lived out in real life which leads to the mighty count horn Castle himself how much of the dortman performance tonight James was I love that idea any other football ground any other night and Dortmund would have lost but that magic of Team plus Place equals glory and just give us a sense of whether Sha of home turf home Joy home bullly and Rapture uh whether they’ll be the same team in the second leg well within the analytics Community there is uh a lot of talk about A New Concept um which is unquantifiable and it’s called Vibes and um I think when and there are there are some teams where you look at them on a night when they play at home and it’s like it’s is this just Vibes here or is there an actual very meticulous tactical plan going on here has Ed in turich understood exactly all the weak points and how to exploit them in this PSG team um or are they uh riding this wave um that is you know pouring out uh from the yellow wall I think one of the really interesting things about the champions league and we saw it last year with AC Milan and Inter is that teams that are miles out of the title race in in dortmund’s case in the Bundesliga in their case last year they were 25 points off Napoli or something like that in so yeah it means that their season comes down to this and they they put everything into it it becomes the main focus and they kind of overachieve you know because you know as we were talking at the top of this show it was kind of imp plausible that that Dortmund would get this far and yet now they are only 90 minutes away from from a final um which um really does kind of focus the mind and it it’s it’s it’s it’s a 90-minute game it’s a final uh before a final and so in terms of the atmosphere tonight yes um I do think uh as much as there are proper football men out there I’ve heard like Jan Luigi Buon the famous Italy goalkeeper say this I’ve never seen a crowd score a goal um but you know I’ve seen some crazy crazy stuff in a football stadium without smoking any peyote and um and that’s just the that’s that’s the magic that’s the magic of football and so so yeah I I I mean in terms of throwing throwing forward to next week um I can this stage see Dortmund going through they’re still not necessarily my favorites because I just think um PSG have one of the best players in the world who hasn’t turned it on as I think I mentioned in mbappe as much as people I think think he has but he’s still capable of that and as long as um yeah he will remain the very potent threat unless unless he gets injured this weekend by the way I love your notion of Vibes and I cannot wait for the data point XV expected Vibes to start popping up on the broadcast graphic sea D well ahead of the curve he invented a um the concept of fuking Vibes spelled f o k i n um and I just adore who’s been in a music video have you have you seen this music vide blossoms name the band by the way when I first saw it you can see on the Everton website there’s a video of blossoms a banned from Stockport which is just outside of Manchester explaining how and why they got Shawn Dy into their music video I actually thought they’d just taken clips of Shawn Dy saying weird stuff from other videos no sea D was actually um and you can hear the story behind it on today’s early kickoff podcast on our early kickoff podcast stream just Google early kickoff men in Blazers and you will find it it’s an incredible story sea D massive massive music fan the story involves a Rick Ashley concert I will leave it there but it is unbelievable shout out to BL as for just like he’s a good lad he’s just very funny he’s very down to earth he’s very methed in his acting is one of my favorite lines he [ __ ] loves his music it’s well God you know what we’ve all got something that we’re good at Sean and yours is music um last question before we go because we’re almost at an hour and I don’t want to keep you James because I know you got a massive day tomorrow um but it is to pull this together um it’s one from James K in South Dakota um who asks Raj the scenes in Dortmund tonight truly moving got me Jones in for a trip to experience it all in person heard you talk a little bit about it last night on European nights with Rory Smith uh but for those of us who have not been to Dortmund where should it fall on our football bucket list is there anything that compares there’s no better man to ask than hamz horn Castle I mean in terms of bucket list places you’re a gentleman that rooms around Europe you’ve been you’ve seen you’ve smelt um give us your top three uh well I think anyone who loves football should go and watch football in Argentina I so that’s not Europe but it’s closer is it closer to the US you fantastic just get off that flight you’re ready to go it’s amazing yeah so that is that’s top top of the B bucket list I would say um in the in Europe I would say come here come to from um certainly in the last four years the atmosphere at the stud olympico is just incredible it feels like it’s a one one Club city rather than a two Club City with latio um and then the the other thing I would say is go to sansiro as well go and watch a game with inter or Milan if best go watch the Derby that is um a truly yeah I think people were reminded of it in the Champions League semi-finals last year how special that atmosphere and how special that ground is because it’s just this concrete um Arena which just sweats history sweats it really does and it’s um yeah I love going it’s a privilege to go there every time I get the opportunity I couldn’t agree more I’ve been to that Derby I mean if you love football and anger smoking through football that game is utter made for you I was actually at Rumor for the very first time this December um I saw Lukaku defang Napoli in the most um in the most joyous way um and it was it was a genuinely memory soak a very different vibe a very beautiful evening is there is there a hidden less obvious musty in Italy are you going to like pluck out like EMP Kumo Siri B is where I want to go when they come up into into the big time that story is unb effing believable but is it like is there a coniss choice that you throw out in Italy for us uh well Palmer got promoted today as well Palmer for a certain Generation Um people get very very fond of them um I think in atmosphere definitely go to Genoa go go to a particularly at the moment like even though they are owned by your wouldbe owners the Bonza Airline guys s77 um the the because they they they got them relegated in the first year but the Vibes were so good that they they bounced back up and because like they bounce back up it’s like this is amazing like often teams that go down from the Premier League like being in the championship more because they can actually maybe win the championship in a way that they just can never win the Premier League and it’s it’s sort of the same in in Italy with the second division and so the atmosphere at the Luigi Fades is like a proper chocolate box ground no running track um but the they don’t have what’s called in Italy the ends behind the goals are called cordiva the the it’s it literally means the bend the South C curve or something like that South Bend um but in uh Genoa they’re called the gradinata um and gradinata is um like Steps it’s like I suppose you could say it’s like terrorist proper terrorist terroristes um and so that’s it makes it that makes it pretty special the the unfortunate thing is that Soria in the second division at the moment gener in the Top Flight um so you you’re not going to get to see the deby De La Lanterna the um the lighthouse Derby as it’s known um where uh but that is that is a great that feels quite South American um uh in in the land of pesta that is Gen would love to carer I can imagine 777 trying to persuade um Genoa to change their name to bonsa uh it’s only a couple of letters mate and it’s good vertical integration for the brand I would love to go to a gen game with you I would love to go to an Atlanta game um God it is Delirious the life you lead it is a joy to hear from your mouth I want to thank everybody for their calls we’re at an hour and I do want to get hamz hor Castle off the bed he’s got a big day um tomorrow before we do go look at everything coming up at men and Blazers World Headquarters all of it sponsored by Michelob Ultra Superior light beer tomorrow on the men and Blazers podcast feed is a beautiful episode of vamos oh with the recovering Daryl DK that great okahoma who’s recovering from a second Achilles injury what an Agony it’s quite an emotional episode both Daryl and herk are quite brilliant in it can’t wait for you to hear it it drop on the men and Blazers podcast feed tomorrow on the women’s game Feed a wonderful conversation between Sam muis and Manchester City Star and our former teammate Alex Greenwood City by the way one step closer to that women’s Super League title um I will be back on Friday with a Paul Mullen podcast special what a reome John what an incredible human being we’ve also got Anthony Robinson uh jumping on to come and spend some time with us talking about the coopa America and his imminent second child godspeed to the Robinson family um all in our latest episode of this week in reom coming soon powered by sto CW until then um all is remaining for me to do is just thank you so deeply James there are a few human beings that have your range you have got Cru range what Cruz can do with the ball you can do with the mind I think we’re all the better for it you beautiful human being it’s full kug full kug is what I great always when when when you you when you were grandfather and your grandchild turns on to you and says Grandpa James what is the secret of life and you say always go full C son always always for and to you listeners we hope you all a t life for that horn Castle full KRW Spirit big big love saying courage