Surprising, expected, record-breaking, comprehensive, and maybe even controversial. These are just a few words we can use to describe the Champions League last-16 ties after the dust has settled.
Going into this week’s fixtures, I had a few expectations. Starting at Anfield on Tuesday evening, I thought Liverpool would get the job done against PSG. I must admit, PSG surprised me in the first leg, and they probably shouldn’t have come out of that game on the losing end. But this Liverpool team has that knack for winning games even when they’re off the pace, and that’s exactly how it played out in Paris.
I expected it to be a different story with Liverpool at home. I thought they might win, if not comfortably, at least by a goal. But it was PSG, after 12 minutes, who took the lead and scored the only goal of the game, leading to a tense 90 minutes to follow. The game ended in a draw after 120 minutes, and it was PSG who progressed on penalties. Heartbreaking for the home team, who, in my mind, were definitely one of the favorites to go all the way.
Wednesday saw further drama in the Madrid derby. After Conor Gallagher’s record-breaking goal—scored just 27 seconds into the match, making it the fastest by an Engliash player in Champions League history—I thought Atlético would build on that and go through on the night, given their home advantage. But the game turned into a tight affair and could have been sealed by Vinicius Junior after a foul on Kylian Mbappé led to a penalty in the 70th minute. But it wasn’t to be, as Vinicius Junior skied his shot. The game stayed 1-0, and it was in the drama of a penalty shootout that a moment of controversy arose. As Julian Álvarez stepped up to take his penalty, he slipped, but still dispatched the ball into the net. Moments later, with Atlético fans still celebrating, VAR intervened. The penalty was ruled out after VAR spotted that the ball had been touched twice before crossing the line. In real time, I didn’t see it, and it took several replays from multiple angles for me to agree. Ultimately, though, it was the correct decision. Heartbreaking for Atlético, who I actually thought were the better team over the two legs.
Aston Villa made easy work of their tie overall, building on their first-leg 3-1 win over Club Brugge to win 3-0 at home and cruise into the quarter-finals. Personally, I would have Villa as a dark horse to reach the final. Unai Emery is a bit of a cup specialist, and I’d fancy them to give PSG a tough time in the next round.
Over at the Emirates Stadium, a rotated Arsenal team played out a 2-2 draw with PSV Eindhoven to sail through to the next stage after their first-leg demolition (7-1). They now face a daunting but tantalizing tie with Real Madrid in the quarter-finals. Arsenal will need to find their scoring form to get through that one. Based on their league form, that’s something they’ve struggled with lately.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich continued their first-leg dominance over Bayer Leverkusen, winning 2-0 on the night and 5-0 on aggregate.
A 3-1 home win was more than enough for Barcelona to defeat Benfica 4-1 on aggregate.
Inter Milan dispatched Feyenoord with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
Borussia Dortmund came from behind away from home on Wednesday night to win their tie with Lille 2-1 on the night and 3-2 overall.
That’s it for today! I’d love to hear what people think. Are Villa a potential dark horse for the final? What’s your opinion on the Atlético penalty, and how big of an ask is the next round for Arsenal? Or, if you have any thoughts on any of the Champions League ties from the last 16, drop them in the comments or head to the community hub to hash it all out there.
Cheers for now!