Barcelona, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Atlético de Madrid sealed quarterfinal berths as the UEFA Champions League round of 16 concluded on Wednesday. Twenty-three goals flew in as Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern secured their round of 16 progress in style while Atleti survived a Tottenham fightback.
Barcelona hammer Newcastle
Barcelona overcame Newcastle and reached the quarterfinals behind a dazzling second-half display at the Camp Nou. Barcelona won 7-2 with an aggregate of 8-3.
A closely-contested first half finished with the hosts leading 3-2, Lamine Yamal converting an added-time penalty after Anthony Elanga had replied to both Raphinha’s opener and then Marc Bernal’s close-range effort.
The visitors could not pull level for a third time, however, as Barça quickly set the tone for a roaring second half through Fermín López’s breakaway goal. Robert Lewandowski added two more shortly after, the second brilliantly set up by Yamal, before Raphinha capped the victory by intercepting and finishing in the Newcastle box.
“I’m very happy and very proud, both of my myself and the team. We made some mistakes – in defence, it was a little bit too easy for Newcastle to score – but if you score seven goals, you can be very happy,” Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski told TNT Sports.
Barcelona’s Raphinha was named Player of the Match.
Kane’s double helps Bayern cruise past Atalanta
Harry Kane’s double, the second his 50th Champions League goal, ensured Bayern Munich claim an emphatic success. Bayern defeated Atalanta 4-1 (aggregate 10-2).
Kane opened the scoring from the spot following Giorgio Scalvini’s handball before bringing up his half-century in stunning fashion, powering into the top corner after a skilful turn.
Lennart Karl added a third when sweeping in a Luis Díaz pass, the 18-year-old later returning the favour for the Colombian international to finish with aplomb. La Dea grabbed a late consolation, Lazar Samardžić nodding in from close range, but that did not detract from Bayern’s convincing display.
“Tonight shows how we prepare for every game. It doesn’t matter the result, it doesn’t matter whether we play home or away, we have a mindset of what we want to do and how we want to hurt teams. Today was no different. It would have been easy to take our foot off the gas and cruise a little bit, but we wanted to keep sending a message, not to anyone else, but to ourselves,” said Harry Kane.
“I would probably say it was (one of my best Champions League goals) actually. I’m trying to think of some others off the top of my head, but one of my favourites in my career. The way it panned out, the way I moved, a mixture of all my training and all my techniques. For it to come off like that was pretty special,” Kane, who was named Player of the Match, told UEFA on his second goal.
On the tie against Real Madrid, Kane said: “It’s going to be a big game for sure. Bayern Munich against Real Madrid, two of the biggest teams in Europe, in the quarterfinals. We’ll prepare like we do for every game. We’ll look at their strengths and weaknesses and try to exploit them. We have a way of playing that doesn’t change much, no matter who we play. It’ll be no different in the quarterfinals.”
Salah helps Liverpool turn first-leg deficit upside down
Mohamed Salah took his Champions League tally to 50 with an exquisite curling effort at Anfield as Liverpool overturned a first-leg deficit to set up a quarterfinal against holders Paris St Germain (PSG). Liverpool defeated Galatasaray 4-0 for an aggregate of 4-1.
Dominik Szoboszlai’s precise drive levelled the tie in the 25th minute as the hosts swiftly asserted their dominance, although the impressive Uğurcan Çakır saved Salah’s penalty during first half added time.
Mohamed Salah took his Champions League tally to 50 with an exquisite curling effort at Anfield as Liverpool overturned a first-leg deficit to set up a quarterfinal against holders Paris St Germain (PSG). Liverpool defeated Galatasaray 4-0 for an aggregate of 4-1. Pic: Liverpool FC
Salah bounced back to set up Hugo Ekitiké six minutes after the break and Ryan Gravenberch’s finish two minutes later preceded the forward’s landmark 62nd-minute goal, making the Egyptian international the first African to reach the total in the competition.
“(The goal) says a lot about him after he (had) a penalty (saved) just before half-time. He assisted Hugo (Ekitiké) and then scored a trademark goal. It tells you a lot about his mental strength. He said he felt something, so let’s see,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot said aboutMohamed Salah’s milestone and second-half injury.
“We lost our two away games against Galatasaray. I respect them, but today we were the better team,” said Liverpool skipper Virgin van Dijk.
“They’re an incredible team. We faced them last season (in the round of 16). Here at Anfield, we played a fantastic game against them, the best game I’ve managed in my career. Both teams just playing football to entertain the fans. We were the only team that brought them to extra time and penalties. They’ve shown this season that they haven’t dropped a level,” Slot said on the quarterfinal against PSG.
Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai was named Player of the Match.
Atletico get past Tottenham
Atletico de Madrid twice came back to stifle Tottenham and reach the quarterfinals, despite eventually losing in London. Tottenham won 3-2 but lost the aggregate 5-7. The home side had the better of the first half and led at the breakthrough Randal Kolo Muani’s header, only for Julián Alvarez’s 14th Champions League goal in 17 appearances to cancel it out after the restart.
Spurs offered a quick response through a curling Xavi Simons strike but Dávid Hancko’s header all but ended their hopes. A Simons penalty in added time gave the hosts victory on the night, but Atleti progressed 7-5 on aggregate.
“We’ve become more of a team, for sure, with more spirit and more belief. We need to continue in this way. We need to refresh now, because we are not in an easy situation with our injuries, but we will be ready for Sunday against Nottingham Forest (in the Premier League),” said Tottenham manager Igor Tudor.