The first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals was held on April 8th and 9th. Four exciting games were played over the two days. Some of them will surely end up in the competition’s Hall of Fame.
The quarterfinal game began with both teams trying to assert dominance on the field. Bayern was more aggressive in the beginning, and its players made multiple attempts to change the score. One of them included a spectacular hit of the right post performed by Harry Kane. Despite the team’s attempts, instead of scoring, they were the first to concede a goal, due to a shot by Lautaro Martinez.
The second half started slow but picked up in the last ten minutes of regular time. In the 85th minute, Bayern’s Thomas Muller equalized the score after an assist from Konrad Laimer. The fans gathered at the stadium rejoiced, but their happiness was short-lived. Only three minutes later, Inter was back in the lead due to Davide Frattesi’s efforts. Although four minutes were added to the game, it wasn’t enough for the German team to get back on their feet. They will be heading into the second leg of the quarterfinals with a big disadvantage.
There wasn’t much to be said about the first half of the quarterfinal game between The Gunners and Los Blancos, but the second half has made its mark on the history of football. It all began when Arsenal was awarded a free kick in quite a good position. Declan Rice, a midfielder who has never before scored a direct free kick, was chosen to perform the play. After he kicked the ball, Real’s defense could do nothing but watch as it soared right by Thibaut Courtois’ near post. Just like that, Arsenal was in the lead.
That was not the end of Rice’s stunning performance. Only twelve minutes later, the Gunners were awarded a second free kick, and he, once again, managed to convert it into a goal. His second play was even better than the first one. Rice went for the top corner and calculated the ball’s trajectory almost perfectly.
With Real’s confidence shaken, it wasn’t long before Arsenal scored for the third time. In the 75th minute, Mikel Merino made it 3:0 for the English team. As if not enough had gone wrong for the Spanish team, they finished the game down one player, since Eduardo Camavinga had to leave the field in the added time. It is hard to imagine the game going any worse than it had for Real. They will need to score at least 3 goals in the second leg to even have a chance of going through to the semi-finals.
The first half of the quarterfinal game between the French and the English was pretty even. PSG was first to concede a goal after Morgan Rogers’ attempt. Youri Tielemans noted an assist. The score was equalized four minutes later, after a corner for PSG. Desire Doue, assisted by Nuno Mendes, was the one to score. Despite a few attempts, there were no more goals before halftime.
After the break, the scales of victory tipped in PSG’s direction. Only four minutes after the second half began, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shot the ball into Aston Villa’s net, putting his team in the lead. The score would stay at 2:1 for the rest of regular time, despite Villa’s attempts to equalize it. The last goal of the game was scored by Nuno Mendes, assisted by Ousmane Dembele, in the second minute of added time. The final score was 3:1 for the Parisian team.
The final of the four quarterfinal games was held at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona. It was a crushing victory for the Spanish team. Barcelona pressed Borussia from the very first minutes of the game. Their efforts culminated in a goal scored in the 25th minute after a joint effort by Raphinha and Pau Cubarsi. Even though the German team picked up speed after the score changed, they were unable to find their way past Barcelona’s defense.
Borussia conceded three more goals before the game ended. Two of them were added to the tally of Robert Lewandowski, who went on to be named the Man of the Match. The last one was scored by Lamine Yamal. The final score, to the disappointment of all Dortmund fans, was 4:0.
None of the eight teams were knocked out of the Champions League just yet. The pairs will face each other once more next week in the second leg of the quarterfinals. Some, like Barcelona or Arsenal, head into the games with a decided advantage. Others will need to put their all into the upcoming matches if they want to keep their chances of winning European football’s biggest trophy alive.
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