The second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals concluded on Wednesday with defending champions Bayern Munich getting eliminated after a clinical performance from PSG. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City kept their hopes up for a historic quadruple, while Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea seek European glory to compensate for their subpar performance in the Premier League.
Here’s our analysis of the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals:
Paris Saint-Germain 0 – 1 Bayern Munich (3-3 on agg.):
PSG managed to hold back a vicious Bayern Munich attack to advance to the semi-finals of the Champions League at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. Bayern won the fixture 1-0, and tied with PSG 3-3 on aggregate goals, but PSG advanced to the semi-finals based on the away-goals rule.
While Bayern squandered their chances in the first leg of the tie in Munich, it was PSG’s turn to squander their chances away on Tuesday. Midway through the game, the superstar pair of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe took centre stage, with the Brazilian hitting the post thrice in a span of minutes. Such was the quality of the pair’s play that Julian Draxler and Idrissa Gueye were forced to raise their game and Colin Dagba had to move up from the right-back position.
But a reinvigorated Bayern turned things around to counterattack the hosts, with Eric Choupo-Moting scoring five minutes from the break. Mauricio Pochettino’s men decided to keep pushing towards a goal, with Neymar coming close to an equaliser. PSG ultimately held Bayern back at their home ground, taking sweet revenge for their 1-0 loss to the Bavarians in the final of the last edition of the Champions League.
Liverpool 0 – 0 Real Madrid (1-3 on agg.):
Liverpool’s dream of another Champions League title ended on Wednesday as Jurgen Klopp’s men spent a wasteful night at Anfield. A goalless draw was enough for Zinedine Zidane’s men to progress to the semi-finals as they were up 3-1 heading into the second leg of the tie.
Real Madrid held back the Reds with a resilient but fluid defence combined with the alertness of Thibaut Courtois. Liverpool’s shots on goal started early in the game, with Mohamed Salah and James Milner pouncing on an injury-hit Madrid defence. The hosts would have been up 2-0 within the first 12 minutes if not for the skills of Thibaut Courtois.
Liverpool were on the offensive as the night progressed, but as was evident, their momentum and hopes kept dwindling. Salah and Alexander-Arnold kept pouncing on the goal, but only to be denied by a makeshift defence together with Courtois. Jurgen Klopp threw every attacking option he could find at Anfield, but he could not find a breakthrough. Liverpool still only have three goals and one win at Anfield in 2021, and the goalless draw only reflects the story of their season.
Chelsea 0 – 1 Porto (2-1 on agg.):
Thomas Tuchel’s men survived a late goal to earn a semi-final berth in the Champions League, with their 2-0 victory last week more than enough to compensate for Tuesday’s 0-1 loss in Seville. Chelsea took a conservative approach to the game given their two-goal lead, eager to make no mistakes and give any chances to Porto.
Porto were less than impressive on Tuesday night as they failed to convert possession of the ball into any meaningful action in front of the goal. The Blues were orderly in their defence of free-kicks and corners, which was enough on a nerve-free night. Edouard Mendy’s poor clearance almost offered Jesus Corona a first-half chance, while Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount had opportunities in the second half.
Manchester City 2 – 1 Borussia Dortmund (4-2 on agg.):
Manchester City are through to the semi-finals for the second time as the Citizens had to fight for a comeback win at the Westfalenstadion on Wednesday. Pep Guardiola’s men entered the second leg of the tie with a 2-1 lead over Dortmund, but Jude Bellingham’s composed finish just 15 minutes into the game levelled the difference.
The early goal by Dortmund awakened City’s XI to the threat that Dortmund posed, and the visitors quickly regrouped to launch a counter-offensive of their own. Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez came close to scoring goals but failed to level the score. Both teams went into the half time break with the aggregate scores tied at 2-2, and the tie wide open.
City were the dominant side in the second half when Mahrez converted a penalty conceded by Emre Can to level the score. It was Phil Folden who sealed the deal for Citizens in the 75th minute with a brilliant sprint of the ball.
Looking Forward
Manchester City are in sublime form this season as they look for their first-ever quadruple. But they have to face the formidable Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals, and the fixture will be a blockbuster to watch. Zinedine Zidane has a chance to make history this year as he looks for his fourth Champions League title with Real Madrid. But Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea have a superior record over Real Madrid in competitive fixtures, and the Blues will surely put up a fight as they might not be a part of the Champions League next year.
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