Wednesday, February 12, 2025
HomesportChampions League takeaways: Arsenal, Barcelona return to quarterfinals

Champions League takeaways: Arsenal, Barcelona return to quarterfinals


Arsenal is again within the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the primary moment in 14 years. Later buying and selling accommodation wins within the two-match, total-goals-wins form with Porto, the Gunners prevailed in a penalty shootout in London during which goalkeeper David Raya made two saves — together with the clinching spot as opposed to Brazilian ahead Galeno:

In Spain, Barcelona needy its personal drought by means of turning back the ultimate 8 for the primary moment since 2020, when Lionel Messi used to be nonetheless pulling the wools in Catalonia.

Arsenal and Barça will secured Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid within the after spherical, with the general two entrants to be motivated on Wednesday.

Listed below are a few fast ideas on Tuesday’s video games plus a look forward to the general two spherical of 16 2nd leg contests.

Gunners shake off arguable name to proceed

The hosts wanted a minimum of a one-goal win in London simply to ship this form to difference moment next given up a past due target in Portugal two weeks in the past. And issues gave the impression to be precisely heading in the right direction on the Emirates when Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal the supremacy simply prior to half-time.

The momentum used to be all on Arsenal’s facet at that time, and the house facet appeared destined for its first quarterfinal look since 2010 when Martin Ødegaard added what gave the impression of the all-important 2nd with about 25 mins to advance — just for the would-be form winner to be snuffed out when he dominated that Porto defender Pepe have been fouled at the play games.

It used to be most probably a cushy name in a competition of this magnitude, however the resolution stood regardless of the objections of Mikel Arteta. The Gunners’ supervisor used to be incredulous, and he used to be promptly proven a yellow card.

Arsenal’s gamers, at the alternative hand, by no means misplaced their heads. And now they have got a quarterfinal form to arrange for.

Barcelona outlasts plucky Napoli

Heading into Tuesday’s decider, many of the power used to be on Barça next those two facets performed to a 1-1 attract ultimate day’s opener. A lot of that rigidity evaporated when Fermín López and João Cancelo put the hosts forward 2-0 at the evening and 3-1 on mixture with aims two mins aside early within the first 1/2.

That modified at the 30 minutes mark, when Napoli middle again Amir Rrahmani (of all society) clawed one again for the guests, who had been all of sudden only a target clear of pulling even. The after 50-plus mins had been performed on a knife’s edge. However a defensive slog this wasn’t. Like a couple of prizefighters status toe-to-toe, Barcelona and Napoli traded blows a lot of the remainder of the way in which. The hosts completed with a gaudy 24 pictures on target, 10 of the ones on track.

However the Italian champs gave nearly as just right as they were given. The Neapolitans even out-possessed Barça as they pressed ahead on the lookout for the equalizer, managing 14 makes an attempt on target of their very own. 

The step forward accident they wanted by no means got here, even though, depart the door obvious for Robert Lewandowski to position the scoreline out of achieve when he restored the Blaugrana‘s two-goal cushion with simply seven mins of ordinary moment to play games:

Dortmund, Inter Milan are Wednesday’s faves

The knockout level has over-delivered up to now, with a spate of exciting, hotly contested home-and-homes. Wednesday’s two suits arrange the similar manner.

Latter occasion’s dropping finalist, Inter Milan, takes a 1-0 merit to Spain’s capital, the place they’ll face a battle-tested Atlético Madrid facet this is greater than in a position to overturning that thin insufficiency.

PSV and Borussia Dortmund connect 1-1 in Eindhoven two weeks in the past, a competition that the hosts in reality must’ve received. PSV’s slew of squandered probabilities in that one may just come again to hang-out them within the rematch in Germany. BVB is undefeated within the Champions League on the 81,000-seat Westfalenstadion this season.

Doug McIntyre is a football essayist for FOX Sports activities. Prior to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities in 2021, he used to be a team of workers essayist with ESPN and Yahoo Sports activities and he has lined United States males’s and ladies’s nationwide groups at a couple of FIFA Global Cups. Practice him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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