Champions League
Arsenal – Real Madrid: Bend It Like Declan (3-0)
This tie was a battle between seasoned veterans and novices at the elite European level. It seemed for a while the tide would turn against the
Lille – Borussia Dortmund: Kovac’s Tweaks Send Dortmund to the Quarter-Finals (1-2)
After a balanced first leg, Niko Kovac’s subtle changes in Dortmund’s attack proved decisive in Lille. Karim Adeyemi’s roaming role stretched Lille’s defense just enough to
Atletico Madrid – Real Madrid: Real Controversially Win Madrid Derby On Penalties To Keep Champions League Hopes Alive (1-0, 2-4 After Penalties)
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid side eventually won on penalties against arch city rivals Atletico in the Madrid derby to keep their hopes of retaining the Champions
Barcelona – Benfica: Barcelona Breeze Onwards Into The Quarter-Finals (3-1)
Barcelona briefly pressed pause on their season to pay respects to a well-respected member of their backroom staff. But the action at the front and center
Liverpool – Paris Saint-Germain: Enrique Withdraws Maximum Winnings From The Slot Machine (0-1, 1-4 After Penalties)
Over three hours of football could not split the league leaders of England and France, only for an Italian to make all the difference. Gianluigi Donnarumma
Benfica – Barcelona: Hansi Leaves Lisbon Indebted To Defensive Dedication (0-1)
Few matchups in this season’s Champions League have delivered entertainment quite like Barcelona versus Benfica. The league phase clash between these two sides was a thrilling,
Paris Saint-Germain – Liverpool: Late Looting In Lucho’s Lair (0-1)
This was not the game we had expected. Paris Saint-Germain had dictated proceedings throughout their first-leg clash with Liverpool, yet Alisson Becker inflicted his own dominance
Real Madrid – Atlético Madrid: a hard-fought tie (2-1)
Madrid’s derby turned out exactly as Carlo Ancelotti stated in his pre-match conference. A hard-fought clash was decided on fine margins. Rodrygo and Brahim Diaz’ aesthetically
PSV – Arsenal: Arsenal Crush PSV With Pressing And Precision (1-7)
Arsenal’s high pressing game stunted PSV’s buildup early on, and they were able to take advantage of a weak man-oriented defensive scheme from the home side
Real Madrid – Manchester City: Kylian Mbappé Mangles Manchester City’s Dreams (3-1)
The last two winners of the Champions League would not have expected to end up in a playoff. But only one outfit could correct their course