With the first round of knockouts in the UEFA Champions League coming to a close, let’s recap what has happened.
Manchester City vs. Copenhagen
Leg One: 3-1
Leg Two: 3-1, 6-2 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: Manchester City easily reserves a spot in the quarter-finals, with an expected win against the Danish team. However, during both goals, they let in against Copenhagen, and their defense looked shaky, which could cause issues later in the tournament.
Real Madrid vs. RB Leipzig
Leg One: 1-0
Leg Two: 1-1, 2-1 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: Real Madrid took home an easy victory, but their lack of an in-form striker prevented them from winning more comfortably.
PSG vs. Real Sociedad
Leg One: 2-0
Leg Two: 2-1, 4-1 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: PSG performed very well overall, with some of their problems from previous years finally getting solved. Real Sociedad’s highly defensive tactics would be tough to break, but PSG proved they can compete at the top by breaking it.
Bayern Munich vs. Lazio
Leg One: 0-1
Leg Two: 3-0, 3-1 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: The first leg showed that this Bayern side under Thomas Tuchel has been struggling recently in the Bundesliga. During the second leg, though, the team flipped the switch and crushed Lazio, paving the way for a quarter-final appearance.
Borussia Dortmund vs. PSV Eindhoven
Leg One: 1-1
Leg Two: 2-0, 3-1 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: Poor refereeing decisions led this matchup to be closer than most thought, but Dortmund got the expected win.
Atletico Madrid vs. Inter Milan
Leg One: 0-1
Leg Two: 2-1, 2-2 on aggregate, 3-2 on penalties, Atletico advances
Biggest Takeaway: Atletico Madrid shows that they can still compete at the top and make a name for themselves by beating Inter Milan, leading their domestic league by 16 points.
Arsenal vs. Porto
Leg One: 0-1
Leg Two: 1-0, 1-1 on aggregate, 4-2 on penalties, Arsenal advances
Biggest Takeaway: The current Premier League leaders looked poor on the attack in their matches against Porto, which could hint at poorer performances in the quarter-finals. The Portuguese team outclassed Arteta’s tactics on attack, but Arsenal was too talented to lose.
Barcelona vs. Napoli
Leg One: 1-1
Leg Two: 3-1, 4-2 on aggregate
Biggest Takeaway: Barcelona convinces many that they still have a shot at the finals, despite struggles in previous years.
Let’s look forward to some exciting quarter-finals!