UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals (Second Legs)

Aston Villa vs PSG - Villa Park (4-5 AGG)

A thrilling night in Birmingham with goals, a possible comeback and drama from start to finish. The game didn’t start well for Villa as PSG went 0-2 up on the night to seemingly put the tie to bed as it was 1-5 on aggregate by the 27th minute. However, a quick response goal and a resurgence in the Villa side in the second half had them within 1 goal by 57 minutes in. Despite their best efforts and a great performance from Gianluigi Donnarumma, they were not able to get the goal they needed and PSG went through to the semi-finals. A terrific run in this year’s competition for the English club but over the 2 legs PSG were too much for them to handle. 

It took just 11 minutes for PSG to score their first goal of the night. On a counter attack, Bradley Barcola was down the left side as he put the ball across the box. It created a mix up between Emi Martinez and Pau Torres with the ball coming loose and falling to the feet of an arriving Hakimi. He made no mistake putting the ball into the top corner with a slight deflection from Martinez as he tried to make the save. 

Their second goal came from another counter attack that went the same way but this time on the right hand side with Ousmane Dembele. Dembele was able to travel with the ball and get just inside the box before passing it to a free Nuno Mendes. He manages to turn and take a touch before curling the ball off the post and in, to double PSG’s lead. The ideal start for the French Champions as they were 1-5 up on aggregate within 27 minutes of the second leg. 

A quick response was needed from Aston Villa which they managed to do as they pulled a goal back before half time. Good play from Rashford and McGinn set up Youri Tielemans to have a shot in the box. He was looking for the far corner but thanks to a deflection off Willian Pacho it wrong footed the goal keeper and went in the near side. A much needed goal for Villa as they went in at half time needing 3 goals instead of 4. 

Into the second half, the Villa players will have known that they needed an early goal. Within 10 minutes they got the second goal they needed, thanks to John McGinn. A driving run through the middle of the pitch which he chose to chance a shot from 20 yards out. The ball looped over a helpless Donnarumma as it flew into the top corner to give more hope to the Villa fans. Another deflection helped with Villa’s fortunes but it gained more momentum for them to kick on. 

The final goal was all but made by Rashford, he got the ball on the right hand side and immediately drove at the PSG defence. He used great side and strength to get past 2 of the PSG players before laying the ball back to a waiting Ezri Konsa. A finish into the bottom corner as if he was a number 9 all of his life. The Villa Park crowd erupted as they started to believe. 

However, good defending and great goalkeeping from Donnarumma maintained the Villa pressure as they were able to hang on and go through. Over the 2 legs they were probably the deserved winners of the tie. Excellent pieces of quality from both sides in the 2 games with PSG coming out on top in the end. 

Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona - Signal Iduna Park (3-5 AGG)

Dortmund made a great effort to overturn the first leg deficit, however in the end it proved to be too much. Despite a hat-trick from Serhou Guirassy, Barcelona were able to go through into the semi-finals for the first time in 6 years. Barca only managed 2 shots on target, showing their defensiveness in this game to see the tie through. Dortmund tried their best and did have chances but another great performance from Szczesny limited the score to what it was. Another great run in the competition for Dortmund comes to an end with Barcelona, many people’s favorite to win the competition.

It was a great start for Dortmund as they got a goal back in the 11th minute, thanks to good play from Adayemi. He drove towards the Barca defence from the wing, with a scooped pass to Pascal Gross. Gross managed to get to the ball before an out rushing Szczesny, who fouled him, with a penalty given immediately. Up stepped Guirassy, who already had 2 goals against Barca this season. He did not feel any pressure as he chipped in the ball into the roof of the net to give Dortmund the start they needed to the game. 

The second goal came from a corner, swung into the back post and won by Bensebaini. He managed to put it across goal to the near post to a waiting Guirassy, who headed it home from close range. At the start of the second half the comeback seemed more possible than ever if Dortmund could keep up the momentum and continue applying pressure. 

However, in the 54th minute the killer blow was handed to Dortmund as they conceded to make the gap 3 again. A swooping ball down the right side from Kounde set Fermin Lopez down the line. He fired the ball into the box towards a waiting Lewandowski, but Bensebaini got their first. Unfortunately, he misjudged his clearance and put it into his own net. A moment to forget for the Algerian defender who had just played a crucial role in getting his side another goal. 

That was not the end of the action as Dortmund had one last go. Great play down the right wing from substitute Julien Duranville to get past 2 Barcelona players. He put the ball in and it was dealt with poorly as it fell to Guirassy. He finished it emphatically into the roof of the net, grabbing the hat-trick he deserved from the performance on the night. He grabbed the ball immediately with his teammates to get the game going again but they were unable to add any more goals. 

Barcelona went through thanks to their first leg performance which always made it hard for Dortmund to come back from. The German club gave their best efforts in the second leg but it proved too much of an uphill task. The Catalan club reach their first semi-final of the Champions League since 2019. 

Real Madrid vs Arsenal - Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (1-5 AGG) 

A big night in the Spanish capital which didn’t go to plan for the reigning champions. Despite having nearly 70% possession and nearly 20 shots on goal, they couldn’t make it count. Although they did nearly score inside 2 minutes, Kylian Mbappe was offside quite clearly. On the other hand, Arsenal put on a disciplined and patient performance to punish Madrid for their missed opportunities. Arsenal earned their win on the night with a 2-1 victory. Providing a 5-1 aggregate victory and a first appearance in the semi-final of the UCL since 2009. 

The match also wasn’t short of controversy with penalties given to both teams, both with VAR interventions. Arsenal’s was awarded after the referee was recommended to review his decision. Once he did it was clear that Mikel Merino was fouled by Raul Ascensio in the box. Bukayo Saka stepped up to take the penalty, but a very weak penalty where he chipped the ball to the left of the goalkeeper, was saved by Courtois. 

Alternatively, Real Madrid were awarded a penalty after the referee decided Declan Rice had impeded Kylian Mbappe as he tried to go into the box on a set piece. However, Francois Letexier was once again told to review his decision, which he then overturned much to the dislike of the Real Madrid fans. 

In the 65th minute, a long ball forward was knocked on by Merino beating 2 Madrid defenders in the air to set Saka away. Saka was 1v1 with Rudiger on the right side before passing it back to Martin Odegaard. Some great footwork by the Norwegian before a give and go with Rice in the middle. The ball was then given to Merino, who opened his body up and turned before a delicate pass to Saka on the run in the box. He dinked the ball over an onrushing Courtois into the bottom corner. 

Only 2 minutes after, a nightmare at the back for Arsenal as William Saliba took too much time on the ball with Vinicius Jr. quickly in to take the ball off his toes. An open goal in front of Vinicius as he scored even though slightly off balance. A slight glimmer of hope given to the Spanish club but it did not extend further than that goal in the end. 

Even though Arsenal were effectively already through, they did not stop their attacking intentions. They put the tie fully to an end in stoppage time of the second half as Merino set substitute Gabriel Martinelli away one on one with Fran Garcia. Martinelli used his pace and cut across Garcia which he could do nothing about, then curling the ball into the bottom corner to seal Arsenal’s semi-final place in this year’s Champions League against PSG. 

Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich - San Siro Stadium (4-3 AGG) 

A tightly contested game for both sides which Inter Milan prevailed in. The stats were in favour of the visitors but both teams had similar amounts of clear cut chances for the majority of the game. Some brilliant defending from both teams prevented the score from being more. Bayern did increase the pressure in the final 15 minutes but Inter held out for the draw on the night and victory in the tie. A semi-final opponent awaits in Barcelona, a repeat of the infamous 2010 semi-final of the Champions League. 

The scoring was opened by Bayern with a cross from the left by Sane, well defended by Inter. It fell to Goretzka on the edge of the box, who gave it to Harry Kane inside the box. One on one against Dimarco, he quickly took a touch onto his right foot and fired it into the bottom left corner.

Inter equalised in a matter of minutes from a corner delivered by Dimarco. There were a few ricochets in the box from different players, but the quickest to react was Lautaro Martinez who managed to volley the ball into the bottom corner. Joshua Kimmich tried to get there after it deflected off his knee, but he missed the ball and it dropped for Martinez to hit it. Inter led the tie again on aggregate.

Just a few minutes after Inter took the lead on the night. It started from a shot that seemed destined for the bottom corner by Matteo Darmian but excellent defending from Eric Dier at the last second sent it out for a corner instead. From the resulting corner, former Bayern man Benjamin Pavard rose above everyone and powered his header into the back of the net. No chance for Jonas Urbig in the Bayern goal as it was from point blank range. 

Bayern managed to get a goal back with just under 15 minutes left. A corner from Michael Olise was passed to Serge Gnabry, who was free on the edge of the box. He crossed the ball to the back post with Eric Dier seeming to head it back across goal but it ended up going into the far corner. More pressure was applied in the last minutes and into added time but Bayern were unable to find the goal they needed. The tie ended 4-3 to Inter on aggregate as they advanced to their second semi-final in 3 years. 

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL DRAW:

BARCELONA VS INTER MILAN 

ARSENAL VS PSG