Published: April 8, 2026 at 10:14 am
Bayern Munich sealed their first win against Real Madrid in 10 attempts even as substitute Kai Havertz guided in the stoppage-time winner as Arsenal edged Sporting CP to claim a first-leg success in their Champions League quarterfinal on Tuesday.
Vincent Kompany’s men had started in purposeful fashion, Dayot Upamecano forcing Álvaro Carreras into a goalline clearance early on. Andriy Lunin had to be at his very best to produce a smart reaction stop to thwart Serge Gnabry shortly before the half-hour.
Munich take a 2-0 lead
The Bundesliga outfit opened the scoring with the interval approaching, Luis Díaz sweeping into the bottom right of goal after being released by a perfectly-weighted Serge Gnabry through ball.
The visitors pounced again with the second period barely 30 seconds old to double their lead in style, Harry Kane guiding in a crisp side-footed finish from outside the box following Michael Olise’s lay-off.
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Harry Kane matched his best campaign for goals in a Champions League season with his 11th of this term, as many as he managed in the whole of 2024-25. Kane has struck 15 goals in his last 14 Champions League outings. He has now scored in the away fixture in each of Bayern’s last three Champions League quarterfinal ties.
“We knew that coming to Madrid and trying to get a result is always difficult. We played some really good stuff and we could have done even better, maybe the final ball, the final finish, we had some good chances. But credit to Madrid as well,” said Kane.
Mbappe reduces the margin
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu sensed another famous Champions League comeback when Los Blancos cranked up the pressure, Vinícius Júnior rustling the side netting and Manuel Neuer denying Kylian Mbappé with a one-handed save, before the France international cut the deficit thanks to a burst of pace to meet a low Trent Alexander-Arnold cross.
Kylian Mbappé became the first player to register 14 strikes in a Champions League campaign since Madrid’s Karim Benzema hit 15 in 2021-22.
Both teams had opportunities for a fourth goal of an enthralling contest, Bayern substitute Jamal Musiala rolling an effort just wide of the upright and Mbappé’s fierce curler flying the wrong side of the post with Neuer rooted to the spot.
“We talked at half-time about keeping it tight but [conceded] quickly after the break. Mostly, in the second half we did a bit better. Our goal gives us hope but this was a night when we knew we were playing a talented, dangerous team,” said Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa
“We are happy. Any win at the Bernabéu is a good result. We can build on it and the next game is at home. They were incredibly dangerous at times, look at their quality, but we stayed dangerous, too. Now our objective is to go and win at home,” said Vincent Kompany, Bayern head coach.
Havertz scores winner for Arsenal
In Lisbon, Kai Havertz scored late to secure a one-goal advantage for Arsenal against Sporting CP.
Stern defences were set to win the day in Lisbon until Arsenal substitute Kai Havertz struck the stoppage-time winner. The first half had ended goalless, though both sides struck the crossbar early on.
First was Sporting’s Maximiliano Araújo, who raced on to Ousmane Diomande’s excellent pass in the sixth minute but saw his blistering left-footed effort tipped onto the crossbar by David Raya.
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Arsenal’s turn to threaten came nine minutes later, Noni Madueke rattling woodwork directly from an inswinging corner before Martin Ødegaard shot wide from the rebound.
Chances remained at a premium in the second half until the closing stages when Havertz, less than ten minutes after Geny Catamo had tested Raya with a close-range header, guided in the winner from Gabriel Martinelli’s excellent set-up.
Dowman sets new record
The introduction of Max Dowman in the 76th minute also gave cause for Arsenal celebration, the young forward becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in the Champions League quarterfinals at 16 years and 97 days old. He beat the previous mark set by Lamine Yamal (16 years and 272 days old).
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Arsenal have remained undefeated against Sporting CP in UEFA competition, earning their third win to go along with three draws. The Gunners have lost only one of their last 12 UEFA matches against Portuguese teams.
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Arsenal are unbeaten in the first leg of their last nine European Cup/Champions League quarterfinal ties, while Sporting CP lost at home for the first time since August 30, 2025 when they were defeated by 2-1 Porto in their domestic league.
“I’m very happy. To win away from home in the quarterfinals of the Champions League against a team that haven’t lost for so long at home is so difficult,” Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta told Amazon Prime.
Speaking to UEFA, Sporting coach Rui Borges said: “It’s frustrating. It’s only natural to feel a bit frustrated after the great game we played here against a top-class side. If you look at the 92 minutes, we had three or four clear-cut chances, whereas they had none apart from the disallowed goal. We just needed to be a bit sharper in front of goal. That’s football; let’s keep our heads up and believe that it’s possible.”
