Controversies and Penalties; All You Need to Know about this Week’s Champions League Results

This week’s UEFA Champions League matches saw the completion of the Round of 16 stages with eight teams moving onto the quarter-final stages of the tournament. From Bayern’s dominance to Real’s narrow Madrid Derby victory and from Barcelona’s triumph to Liverpool’s surprise exit, the following article covers and highlights the four most captivating clashes this week.

Controversial VAR call hands Real a thrilling Madrid Derby Win

A debatable decision, end-to-end action and an enthralling penalty shootout, all of these came together to curate an intense and riveting Madrid Derby in the second leg of the Round of 16 clash between city rivals, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Following up on an already closely contested first leg, the match exceeded expectations as both clubs were relentless in attack with the Atletico Madrid being particularly aggressive.

Gallagher’s 1^st Minute Strike puts Atletico in Command

Chasing a 1-goal disadvantage, Atletico could not have asked for a better start as Connor Gallagher put the hosts on level terms, just 27 seconds into the match. Capitalising on the positive start, Atletico Madrid were for most parts of the match, the far better team.

On the other hand, despite commanding a dominant 62% of possession, Real Madrid failed to make the most of it with just three shots on target, compared to Atletico’s eight.

With Atletico consistently threatening with brilliant counter-attacks, star keeper Thibaut Courtois was resilience personified as pulled out seven staggering saves, ensuring that his side was still in contention.

Vinicius Jr Fails to Convert Penalty

Faith was kind to Real Madrid as they were awarded a spot kick in the 68^th minute, after Clement Lenglet illegally brought down Mbappe who was too quick for the French centre-back. As Vinicius Jr stepped up to take the penalty, a Real Madrid goal seemed inevitable, however to the shock and surprise of everyone watching, the Brazilian forward skied it.

What followed in the end moments of the game was a prolonged streak of attacking attempts, with Rudiger putting in a crucial and expertly judged block in the first half of extra-time to force the contest into penalties.

Disallowed penalty eliminates Atletico

Eventually the outcome of the match was to be decided through a string of penalties, and if penalties are not already enthralling enough, a controversial VAR call that disallowed a converted penalty by Julian Alvarez, certainly added a new element of intrigue. With Alvarez’s penalty disallowed due to probable double-touch, Marcus Llorente hit the crossbar before Oblak failed to contain Antonio Rudiger’s penalty, thus reiterating that Real Madrid is invincible in the Champions League.

Dembele, Donnarumma star in Paris-Saint Germain’s stunning triumph over Liverpool

In an adrenaline enticing encounter, French heavyweights Paris-Saint Germain triumphed over Liverpool in a match that went down to the wire. After conceding a 1-goal lead at home, PSG arrived at Anfield, one of the most intimidating stadiums in world football, to contest for a top-8 spot against favourites, Liverpool. The initial minutes of the match aligned with the public perception as Liverpool dominated proceedings with main man Mohamed Salah failing to convert a golden opportunity as Nuno Mendes put in an incredible block.

Dembele strikes PSG Level

However, the 12^th minute marked a turn in the tide, with Ousmane Dembele putting the visitors on level terms as a swift counter-attack exposed gaps in Liverpool’s midfield and defence. What followed next was a series of astonishing saves at each end of the pitch. With Kvaratskhelia and Dembele acting as constant threats and Vitinha controlling the mid-field with a stand-out performance, Alisson was frequently called into action.

Donnarumma to the Rescue

Likewise, Donnarumma guarded the PSG goal ably through a flurry of fine saves. Trent Alexander-Arnold got into probing positions before he was taken out due to injury, with Quansah replacing him, who himself came close to scoring twice.

Midfield maestro Dominic Szoboszlai looked in sublime touch as he spearheaded Liverpool’s efforts to get back in front. However, brilliant defensive acumen and smart positioning of Nuno Mendes and Pacho ensured that the contest was forced into penalties.

Reminiscent of Euro 2020 Finals, Donnarumma stepped once again as he blocked out penalties from Nunez and Jones while his team-mates managed to put four past Alisson to conjure an incredible upset. By eliminating front-runners Liverpool, PSG created history as it was the first time in Liverpool history that the Red Devils were knocked out after establishing a first leg victory away from home.

Dream Duo, Yamal and Raphinha strike again as Barcelona boss Benfica to secure QF Berth

In what eventually turned out to be a one-sided affair, Catalan giants, Barcelona dominated proceedings as they extended upon their slender 1-0 lead in the first leg. In a high octane first half that saw all four goals being scored followed by a relatively quieter second half, Barcelona drew first blood as Raphinha put one past Benfica in the 11^th minute.

Lamine Yamal stars for Barcelona

While the scorecard credited the skipper for the goal, it truly belonged to 17-year old prodigy, Lamine Yamal who single-handedly operated and executed the attack, dribbling past the defence with poise and panache, before assisting with a signature trivela that found Raphinha perfectly.

However, while the Barcelona fans were celebrating the opening goal, Benfica came back strongly as captain Nicolas Otamendi spectacularly headed home a wonderfully crafted delivery by Schjelderup, a mere two minutes after conceding the opener.

With the scores level on 1-1, Barca starboy Lamine Yamal produced another piece of art as he moved past Tomas Araujo and curled one from distance to provide Barcelona the lead again as the ball gracefully ended up in the top corner.

Raphinha makes it a Brace

Soon after, captain Raphinha kept his red-hot form burning as he drilled one past Trubin to give Barcelona a 4-1 lead on aggregate. The half-time whistle came as a relief for the visiting Benfica as their hopes of a quarter-final spot were squashed by the brilliance of the destructive duo of Raphinha and Lamine Yamal.

The second half was a dull one compared to the first as Barcelona controlled the midfield through the magic and mastery of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong. With Liverpool knocked out of the tournament, FC Barcelona may be recognised as the front-runners for this season’s Champions League as they will take on Borussia Dortmund in the Quarter-Finals.

Harry Kane scores his 10^th of the campaign as Bayern march past Leverkusen with a Clinical 2-0 Victory

Beginning the German clash with a comprehensive 3-0 lead in the first leg, Bayern Munich continued their dominance as they revelled away from home to thump hosts, Bayer Leverkusen by a 2-goal margin.

Injury to Florian Writz haunts Leverkusen

Side-lined by an ankle injury, prodigy and key player Florian Writz missed out on the ever important Round of 16 clash against domestic rivals Bayern Munich. This absence was eminently evident as Bayer Leverkusen seemed to have lost the duel even before the whistle was blown, lacking their signature flair and control in the attacking third.

Even though the hosts commanded a higher 53% possession they failed to capitalise with just three shots on target out of an attempted seventeen. In contrast, the German giants were at their belligerent best as they seemed to orchestrate the evening’s proceedings. Despite decent chances in the first half, neither team was able to put the ball in the back of the net.

Kane Scores and Assists

However, the 52^nd minute saw English striker Harry Kane add to Leverkusen’s misery to put them four goals behind on aggregate. In what turned out to be an absolute defensive mishap, a free-kick from Joshua Kimmich landed on the feet of Harry Kane who kept his composure to score from point-blank range.

With a mountain to climb, Bayer Leverkusen’s first shot on target came in the 65^th minute with Jeremie Frimpong’s long-range effort. However, just as Xabi Alonso’s side seemed to be on the cusp of one of their infamous comebacks, Alphonso Davies sealed the deal as he expertly finished off an artistic assist provided by Harry Kane.

While the whistle blew with the scoreboard reading 2-0 in favour of the visitors, it could have been far worse for the hosts, had Jamal Musiala not hit the woodwork twice in the dying moments of the game. Eventually, it was Bundesliga top-contenders Bayern Munich that progressed to the Quarters for a sixth successive time, as last year’s underdogs, Bayer Leverkusen were comprehensively outplayed in both fixtures.