UEFA Champions League - Round Of 16 (1st legs)
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa - Jan Breydel Stadium (1-3 AGG)
The score for the first leg seems to flatter the English club as a 3-1 win doesn’t seem to be reflected on the stats. The home side had more shots, corners and just edged possession with 56% but a late implosion saw the tie seem to escape the hands of the Belgian side as a 1-1 draw turned into a 3-1 defeat within 6 minutes at the end of the first leg. A 3-1 deficit would be very hard to overturn at Villa Park for Brugge.
Just over 2 minutes in a set piece from Villa loops into the air off the head of Tyrone Mings with Leon Bailey meeting the ball on the volley for a lightning fast finish into the bottom corner, 1-0 Villa. In the 12th minute the ball was looped up to Christos Tzolis who looks to take on Disasi before laying the ball back to an arriving Maxim De Cyper, who finished brilliantly into the far corner. The score is all square again.
The 69th minute brings another chance for Brugge with Tzolis with the ball on the wing again before a great cross is handed down by Hans Vanaken but an unbelievable outstretched leg from Tyrone Mings stops the ball going in. An incredible bit of last gasp defending to keep the score level. However, an unfortunate moment for Club Brugge defender Brandon Mechele as a Morgan Rodgers cross was turned into his own net by the Belgian defender. Aston Villa 2-1 Club Brugge.
Club Brugge then becomes its own worst enemy as Tzolis with a terrible first touch to take the ball down in the box is capitalised on by Cash. This draws a tired challenge from the Brugge player with a penalty given instantly. Marco Assensio takes the penalty and finishes into the bottom corner to give Aston Villa a healthy lead going into the reverse fixture. Assensio now becomes the first player to reach 10 or more goals as a substitute in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid - Santiago Bernabeu Stadium (2-1 AGG)
The Madrid derby in the UCL knockout stages, with many memorable games in the history of the competition between the 2 sides. From the 2014 UCL Final to this tie, these matches always provide eventful moments. The home side started the game on the front foot, with an early goal to show for it. The first half was mostly in favour of Real however chances did come for Atleti. One chance came to former Manchester City man Julian Alvarez who found the equaliser. The second half saw Real’s Brahim Diaz show some individual magic for the eventual winner, before Diego Simeone decided to go very defensive for the remainder of the game. Perhaps a thought of taking the one goal deficit back home to the Metropolitano, thinking his team can overturn that.
The first goal came within 4 minutes with Frederico Valverde providing an inch perfect pass from just past the halfway line to Rodrygo who cuts inside before wrapping his foot around the ball to curl into the top corner. No chance for Jan Oblak as Real took the lead early on.
Atletico didn't create many chances in the first half but Julian Alvarez took the ball from the left side of the box and cuts in inside the corner of the box and bends one beautifully off the post to draw Atleti level just past the half hour mark. A potentially crucial goal in the tie for the away side.
Into the second half, good play between Brhaim Diaz, Vini Jr. and Farland Mendy on the Real left hand side. The ball comes to Diaz in a similar position to Alvarez in the first half. He shows terrific foot work to go past Gimenez and Simeone as he places the ball into the far corner. Real take the lead again thanks to some individual brilliance from Brahim Diaz. Which proves to be the winner in the first game for the 15 time champions.
PSV Eindhoven vs Arsenal - Phillips Stadium (1-7 AGG)
A potential tough game on paper for Arsenal away from home against a PSV side that had just knocked out Juventus. The match ended up being very one sided with Arsenal coming away with an extremely comfortable victory to take back to North London. Although the lead was only a 2 goal margin at half time, by the 50th minute the match was out of sight for PSV with a 5-1 scoreline, before more goals added towards the end of the game to all but end the tie before the second leg. Even though the stats show a much closer match, Arsenal proved more clinical and too much for the Dutch side.
The opener came in the 18th minute with Declan Rice floating a ball to the back post with Jurrien Timber towering above the last defender to head in Arsenal’s first goal of the evening. The second came just 3 minutes later, Trossard with a smart pinpoint pass to Myles Lewis-Skelly, who finds another teenage team mate in Ethan Nwaneri. He fires the ball past the helpless Walter Benitez to double Arsenal’s lead.
They then get their third of the first half with Timber looking to try and get his second of the game, but the shot is blocked. Before he can try and get a follow up shot a PSV defender challenges well but a mix up between defenders gives a golden opportunity to Mikel Merino. He slots the ball through the legs of Olivier Boscagli in the corner. Another goal for the makeshift Striker for Arsenal.
Before halftime PSV were handed a lifeline in the form of a penalty due to a foul from Thomas Partey during a PSV corner. A silly foul by Partey who puts his arm around the neck of Luke De Jong, with the referee immediately pointing to the spot. Noa Lang makes no mistake and leaves David Raya pinned to the spot as he whips the penalty to the top left corner. PSV 1-3 Arsenal at the break.
Just over a minute into the second half Nwaneri put a dangerous cross in from the right hand side. It is saved by the keeper but he puts it straight into the box and into the path of Martin Odegaard who finishes easily just outside the 6 yard box. The 3 goal lead was restored for the North London side.
The next goal came down the side of the left hand side this time as Calafiori was near the side of the box as he played a ball to Trossard. He lets the ball run and lifts the ball over Benitez for Arsenal’s 5th goal. A cheeky but smart finish from the Belgian winger.
A driving run from Odegaard with the PSV defence standing off, which invites the shot from the edge of the box which Benitez manages to get a hand to but unable to keep the ball out as Odegaard gets his second of the match. The final goal comes through the middle of the pitch, from Rice to Odegaard to Calafiori in the box. The left back makes the run out of position but in the right place at the right time as he finishes on his weaker right foot off the post and in. A calm and collected finish for the Italian left back, which could be easily mistaken for a striker’s finish.
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille - Signal Iduna Park (1-1 AGG)
A fairly even but uneventful game for the most part between the two sides. The away having the better of the stats in pretty much every department. Both teams only managed one shot on target in the entire game which were the goals they scored. An important scoreline for Lille, especially considering they went behind and had home advantage in the second leg. All to play for in the return fixture.
The breakthrough came in the 22nd minute from a corner as Lille got the ball away to the edge of the box through some good defending. However, waiting on the edge of the box was Karim Adeyemi. He hits the ball first time with a sweet half volley that zips across the surface, clipping the inside of the post as it goes into the back of the net. Sensational technique and execution from the 23 Dortmund star man that put Dortmund 1-0 up in the game.
An equaliser for Lille came from a nice move going through the middle of the pitch starting from their left hand side. Key passes cutting through the Dortmund team as Benjamin Andre gives it to Jonathan David, he plays the lovely ball through to Hakon Arnar Haraldsson. He takes a touch and pokes the ball in the corner of the net, a smart and quick finish by the Icelandic player. A goal that levelled the tie and ensured Lille go back to France with it all to play for.
Feyenoord vs Inter - Stadion Feijenoord - De Kuip (0-2 AGG)
The home team had the better of the ball in the opening stages with some good chances, including Brighton loanee Ibrahim Osman forcing a smart save from Josep Martinez in the Inter goal within the first 3 minutes. The Italians champions still had work to do after the break despite being 0-1 up. This was helped by an early goal in the second half from Martinez but Feyenoord still had chances and almost equalized shortly after from Moder.
Inter looked to be heading back to the San Siro with a 3 goal advantage as a penalty was awarded from VAR intervention for a foul on Thauram. However, with the usual penalty takers not on the pitch Zielinski would step up, but a terrific save from Timon Wellenreuther kept the Dutch side in the tie. Both sides continued to have chances but Inter take a 2 goal lead back to Milan in a good position to progress.
Good work down the right hand side for Inter would lead to the first goal as Dumfries would get the ball on the corner of the Feyenoord box before a pass back to Barella. He put in a first time cross into the far side of the 6 yard box to a waiting Marcus Thauram. The number 9 with a clever finish on the outside of his boot whilst in the air, sneaking into the top corner to give Inter a well needed goal.
The second goal for Inter would come just over 5 minutes into the second half, a move started and finished by Lautaro Martinez. The Inter Captain held up the ball well before passing to an open Bastoni, who used a fake shot to make it past a defender before laying it off to Zielinski on the edge of the box. The shot was blocked and straight back to Zielinski, he then chose to pass it to Martinez in the box who fired the ball into the roof of the net. The goal made Lautaro Martinez Inter’s all-time top goal scorer in their European Cup/Champions League history with 18 goals.
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen - Allianz Arena (3-0 AGG)
A game dominated by Bayern as they take a comfortable 3-0 lead to Leverkusen who only managed 1 shot on target in the entire match. Although it could have been a different story if Jeremie Frimpong had taken advantage of a poor backpass from Upamecano. As well as a red card for Nordi Mukiele just past the hour mark which didn’t help Leverkusen as they tried to get back into the game although already 3-0 down at this point.
Another goal started and created by a Striker as Harry Kane dropped deep to receive the ball and switched the ball to Michael Olise who drove with the ball before a cross which Kane was on the receiving end of with a bullet header into the bottom corner. A header which shouldn’t have been won by the Englishman but he showed more desire as Mukiele switched off at the back post.
Just past the hour mark Kimmich received the ball on the left hand side, he delivered a slightly overhit cross which seemed to be routine catching practice for the Leverkusen goalkeeper but was spilled. Musiala was there to immediately poach the ball into the net with an outstretched leg, making it 2-0 to Bayern.
The third goal for Bayern came from the penalty spot. After a VAR review from referee Michael Oliver, he deemed Edmond Tapsoba was holding Harry Kane, preventing him from attacking the ball. Therefore, a penalty was given which Kane took himself and placed into the top right hand corner. A healthy 3-0 lead for Bayern.
The score should have been more as some wonderful skill from Musiala as he tipped the ball over the head of with the outside of his right boot. He then laid it off to Jao Paulinha who was unable to keep the ball down, clipping the crossbar as it went over. Unlucky for both men as it could have been a special and memorable goal in this year's Champions League.
Benfica vs Barcelona - Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (0-1 AGG)
A game in which the stats were dominated by Benfica but they were unable to make it count as Barcelona go back to their temporary home with a narrow 1-0 lead thanks to Raphinha. The match was not short of chances for both teams, Benfica could have taken the lead inside 20 seconds except for a strong hand from Wojciech Sczcesny. Then his opposite number came to the rescue of Benfica in the 12th minute as he stopped Olmo, Lewandowski and Lamal from putting Barca ahead.
The game took a turn just after the 20th minute as Benfica’s Pavlidis looked to be through before a rash challenge from Cubarsi led to him being sent off. He could have no complaints as he did not get the ball, denied a goal scoring opportunity and was the last man.
The breakthrough came just after 60 minutes, against the run of play with Benfica creating all of the chances. A mistake at the back for Benfica by Antonio Silva gave the ball to Raphinha who was quick to make them regret the mistake with just 2 touches before a quality finish from just outside the box into the bottom corner.
The game didn’t end without more chances for Benfica as it seemed they had a penalty for a foul on Belotti by Sczcesny. However, the offside flag came to the rescue of Barcelona as the semi automatic technology showed he was marginally offside.
An inspired performance from the Barcelona goalkeeper who came out of retirement in October to sign for the Catalan club due to Ter Stegen’s unfortunate injury. A performance to keep Barcelona ahead in the tie and he has been an incredible signing not just in the Champions League but also La Liga.
PSG vs Liverpool - Parc Des Princes (0-1 AGG)
A game dominated by PSG as they had over 70% possession and 10 times as many shots on target as Liverpool. Countless opportunities and efforts on goal stopped by Liverpool keeper Allison, who managed to keep out everything that faced him. A fantastic performance from him.
Within the first 20 minutes PSG did have a goal disallowed for offside. The new signing from Napoli, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia getting the ball in the box before curling the ball with his weak foot into the far corner. However, when the ball was played he was marginally offside so the goal had to be chalked off.
An eventful first half had more drama as Ibrahima Konate seemed to foul Bradley Barcola as the last man and denying a goal scoring opportunity. However, even after going to VAR it was decided that it was a fair tackle. A decision that seemed skeptical, puzzling not just PSG supporters and players but also commentators.
Despite constant pressure from PSG, the score remained goalless. The breakthrough came in the 87th minute was a ball forward by Allison finding its way to Darwin Nunez. On the edge of the box, Nunez was unselfish to find an arriving Harvey Elliott who opened his body to find the far corner. Just a minute after coming off the bench to replace Mohammed Salah, Elliott puts Liverpool ahead in what could be a crucial goal in the tie. The only goal of the game as Liverpool go back to Anfield with a slender 1-0 lead.