Full Results (Quarter Finals 2nd leg) Atletico Madrid 1—2 Barcelona Liverpool 0—2 PSG Arsenal 0—0 Sporting CP Bayern 4—3 Real Madrid Game of the Matchday Bayern 4 –3 Real Madrid If the first leg at the Bernabeu was hailed as a 'refreshing', both teams cranked that up to eleven this time around. Just like in Madrid, this was two heavyweights going blow for blow until the final whistle. The hero of the first leg Manuel Neuer turned into the villain really soon as he gave the ball away to Arda Guler in under a minute who fired the ball into an empty net from 35 yards out, a sign of things to come. Guler then struck a beautiful free-kick on either side of Bayern goals from Aleksandar Pavlovic and Harry Kane before Kylian Mbappe swept home in the 42nd minute, And Madrid lead 3–2 on the break. The second half started in much calmer fashion in comparison. That wasn't down to a lack of trying from either sides though, a...
Full Results (Quarter Finals 2nd leg)
- Atletico Madrid 1—2 Barcelona
- Liverpool 0—2 PSG
- Arsenal 0—0 Sporting CP
- Bayern 4—3 Real Madrid
Game of the Matchday
If the first leg at the Bernabeu was hailed as a 'refreshing', both teams cranked that up to eleven this time around. Just like in Madrid, this was two heavyweights going blow for blow until the final whistle. The hero of the first leg Manuel Neuer turned into the villain really soon as he gave the ball away to Arda Guler in under a minute who fired the ball into an empty net from 35 yards out, a sign of things to come. Guler then struck a beautiful free-kick on either side of Bayern goals from Aleksandar Pavlovic and Harry Kane before Kylian Mbappe swept home in the 42nd minute, And Madrid lead 3–2 on the break. The second half started in much calmer fashion in comparison. That wasn't down to a lack of trying from either sides though, as they both teams failed to take their chances. Then everything changed in the 86th minute as Eduardo Camavinga’s got a second yellow card which left Madrid's defense completely exposed for the final stretch and ultimately cost his side the chance of progression. Bayern of course took full advantage of the extra man, with Luis Diaz leveling the game in the 89th minute before Michael Olise settled the tie with a stoppage-time winner. What a game!
Biggest Surprise
Arsenal 0–0 Sporting
The game going alongside that Bayern-Madrid was this rather dull affair. The combined xG of both teams couldn't even reach 1. Both teams hit the woodwork but could only have 1 shot on target each. One of the best chance creating teams in all Europe Sporting, and one of the favourites to win the competition Arsenal, aided by their home advantage, you would have expected to see much more quality attacking play than what both these side actually produced. It was a nervy, awkward 0-0 that saw Arsenal scrape through to the semi-finals by the skin of their teeth, leaving the home fans more relieved rather than excited.
Best Team Performance
Atletico Madrid 1–2 Barcelona
Even though they ultimately went out, Barcelona’s performance at the Metropolitano was one filled with absolute determination. After the disaster in the first leg, Hansi Flick’s side came out with a mission. Lamine Yamal silenced the raucous home crowd in the 4th minute, and Ferran Torres made it 2-0 by the 24th, momentarily leveling the aggregate score and leaving Atleti shell-shocked. However, Ademola Lookman pulled one back for Atleti to bring the stadium back to life, prompting Barca to dial up the pressure even further in a second half where they suffocated the hosts with 78% possession. With the aggregate lead back in their hands, Atletico retreated into a defensive shell and relied solely on the counter-attack, eventually baiting Barca into their own kryptonite as Eric Garcia was shown a red card for a desperate last-man tackle. Despite a frantic final push from the Catalans, Atletico’s first-leg cushion proved to be a mountain too high to climb.
Player of the Matchday
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Lamine Yamal is officially generational. To walk into the Metropolitano at his age — 18 if you forgot — and dictate a Champions League quarter-final is actually generational. He scored a clinical opener in the 4th minute to instill tremendous confidence in his side's belief. He then turned his attentionn to providing for his teammates as he created 4 big chances and generated an xA of 0.86 and an xGA of 1.45. His vision was on another level, constantly finding pockets of space and forcing the Atleti backline into desperate recovery tackles. Even in defeat, he was the best player on the pitch. No disrespect to others, but this is his Barcelona team.
Honorable mentions - Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Harry Kane (Bayern) & Ousmane Dembele (PSG)
Moment of the Matchday
Michael Olise curls a winner against Real Madrid
The moment that shook the Allianz Arena and sent the home fans into a frenzy. It happened in the 94th minute with the very last kick of the game when Michael Olise decided to write himself into Bayern folklore. The game was tied at 3–3 and the aggregate sitting at a delicate one goal lead. Madrid were pushing. Their attack was intercepted and Bayern went on the counter but when Luis Diaz failed to pick out Olise, he got down on his knees showing visible frustration. Then a minute later Harry Kane passed the ball to Olise around the middle of the ground, he danced past a tired Madrid challenge, and finally curled a finish past Andriy Lunin – a move he was trying to do all night – to make it 4-3. Like commentator Guy Mowbray called it "All he has to do is keep the ball, go to the corner with it, he's not thinking about that, he's thinking about another and HE'S GOT ANOTHER". Olise has been an absolute menace throughout this entire quarter-final tie, and that stoppage-time strike was his final exclamation point.
Late-Night Thoughts
Life moves fast! From hero to zero for Manuel Neuer. But let me tell you first-hand I will not be surprised if he once again pulls off a masterclass against PSG. Another trophyless season for Real Madrid surprisingly, who would have thought that when they signed Kylian Mbappe last season. Mo Salah's final UCL game at Anfield started with him on the bench. He got on the pitch early to replace the injured Hugo Ekitike and it was visible he had a real fire under his belly. But ultimately his team could not do the job. Another legend who got another shot at a final UCL home game is Antoine Griezmann when he faces Arsenal in the semi-final. Two polar opposite ties lie ahead. Attack vs attack and defence vs defence. Both of the intriguing in their own ways. Bring on the semis!
Looking Ahead – Semi Final 1st leg Fixtures (IST Kick-offs)
Wednesday, 29 April
- PSG vs Bayern — 12:30 am
Thursday, 30 April
- Atletico Madrid vs Arsenal — 12:30 am
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