The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 concluded in spectacular fashion, leaving a trail of high-scoring thrillers, tactical masterclasses, and heartbreak. While Barcelona and PSG turned their ties into clinical routs, Real Madrid weathered a storm against a 10-man Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid survived a spirited Tottenham comeback to book their spots in the final eight
Manchester City’s hopes of a “remontada” were dealt a fatal blow early at the Bernabéu. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Pep Guardiola’s side saw their task become nearly impossible when Bernardo Silva was shown a straight red card for a handball in the 20th minute.
Vinicius Jr, clinical from the spot, sent Gianluigi Donnarumma the wrong way to extend the aggregate lead to 4-0. Although Erling Haaland pulled one back before the interval, City couldn’t break the Madrid wall. Vinicius Jr added insult to injury deep in stoppage time, scoring his second of the night to secure a 2-1 win (5-1 aggregate) for Los Blancos. Real Madrid now look set for a mouth-watering clash with Bayern Munich in the next round.
In the most lopsided tie of the round, FC Barcelona dismantled Newcastle United with a 7-2 victory on the night. Following a competitive 1-1 draw in the first leg, the floodgates opened in Catalonia.
Young sensations Lamine Yamal and Marc Bernal joined Raphinha on the scoresheet in a frantic first half, while Anthony Elanga provided a brief glimmer of hope for the Magpies with a brace. However, the second half belonged to the veterans; Robert Lewandowski netted twice and Fermin Lopez added another to turn the match into a rout. Barcelona now awaits the winner of Atletico Madrid vs. Tottenham.
Chelsea’s European campaign ended in disappointment as the defending champions, PSG, proved far too strong. Luis Enrique’s side followed up a dominant first leg with a 3-1 win in London, ending with a massive 8-2 aggregate scoreline.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola silenced Stamford Bridge within the first 15 minutes, effectively ending the contest. 19-year-old Senny Mayulu capped off the performance in the 62nd minute. Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior faces tough questions as his side continues to struggle for form both domestically and in Europe. PSG will face either Liverpool or Galatasaray in the quarter-finals.
In the most competitive tie of the night, Tottenham Hotspur fell just short of a historic comeback. Trailing 5-2 after a disastrous first leg in Madrid, Igor Tudor’s men fought back with a 3-2 win at home.
Randal Kolo Muani and Xavi Simons sparked belief in North London, but Atletico’s Julian Alvarez and a decisive header from David Hancko ensured the Spanish side progressed 7-5 on aggregate. Despite the exit, Spurs earned plaudits for their bravery, forcing Atletico goalkeeper Julian Musso into eight crucial saves.
Atalanta are out of the Champions League after another rough night with Bayern Munich, as Harry Kane scored twice in a 4-1 result on the night, 10-2 on aggregate.
The 6-1 first leg defeat in Bergamo meant a miracle was needed to reach the quarter-finals, but La Dea made the trip without suspended Yunus Musah, giving Charles De Ketelaere his first start since meniscus damage on February 5, with Giacomo Raspadori back on the bench. Bayern had Joshua Kimmich and Michael Olise banned, plus Manuel Neuer, Sven Ulreich, Leon Klanac, Alphonso Davies and Jamal Musiala injured. Goalkeeper Jonas Urbig recovered from concussion to take the gloves.
Arsenal are through to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, keeping alive their dream of winning the quadruple this season, after seeing off Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 (3-1 on aggregate) at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Eberechi Eze and Declan Rice got the goals for Arsenal, a pair of stellar strikes from just outside the penalty area, in the 36th and 63rd minutes. Leverkusen put just two shots (of nine total) on target and did very little to threaten David Raya’s goal in the second leg.
Up next, the Gunners will try to claim trophy no. 1 in the League Cup final on Sunday (12:30 pm ET), when they face Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. Sporting CP await in the quarterfinals of the Champions League next month, after the Portuguese side overturned their 3-0 deficit to Bodo/Glimt earlier on Tuesday.
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt’s improbable men’s Champions League run has come to an abrupt end, after they had appeared set to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Glimt had beaten Portuguese champions Sporting CP 3-0 in last week’s round-of-16 first-leg game in Bodo, only to suffer a 5-0 defeat in Tuesday’s second leg in Lisbon.
Glimt’s defeat brings a fairytale run in the competition to an end: Kjetil Knutsen’s team were competing in the Champions League for the first time and picked up some famous results along the way. In the league phase, they defeated European giants Manchester City and Atletico Madrid and finished 23rd in the table, qualifying for the play-off round.
They drew 20-time Italian champions Inter, securing a shock 3-1 home win in the first leg before a 2-1 victory at San Siro in the second leg, becoming the first ever Norwegian club to progress in a Champions League knockout tie.
Bodo is a town located in the north of Norway, just above the Arctic Circle, and has a population of just over 42,000.
Sporting are only the fifth team in the competition’s history to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg. Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna first achieved the feat against AC Milan in 2004 and it was not repeated for another 14 years, when Barcelona defeated Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 in a last-16 second leg. Barca were then on the losing side of the equation in the next two years, against Roma in 2017 and against Liverpool in 2018.
Centre-back Goncalo Inacio gave Sporting the lead on Tuesday before Pedro Goncalves tapped in a second just after the hour mark.
Sporting were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute by Swiss referee Sandro Scharer after Bodo defender Fredrik Bjorkan was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box when it was fired at him from close range. Colombian forward Luis Suarez converted the resulting spot-kick.
Maximiliano Araujo completed the comeback two minutes into extra-time, with Rafael Nel adding a fifth in the closing stages to help send Sporting into the quarter-finals for only the second time in their history.
