UCL round of 16 recap: Looking ahead to the Quarterfinals
March 29, 2023
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is complete, and onto the quarterfinals we go. Here are four of the most exciting matchups that took place and a breakdown of what occurred.
Milan 1-0 Tottenham
Two sloppy performances from Tottenham’s attack will leave them trophyless once again, as it only took Milan one goal to knock them out of the competition. Christian Romero picked up a yellow card in the second leg and the rest of the squad failed to pick up the slack with the time they had left. Not the best performance for a team many had pegged as a dark horse candidate.
Bayern 3-0 PSG
Arguably the most anticipated Round of 16 matchup ended in a whimper as Paris Saint-Germain failed to really get anything going whatsoever between both legs. The injuries to Mbappe and Neymar definitely hurt, and Leo Messi was held in check by Bayern’s defense. The German giants are without a doubt one of the favorites as the tournament moves on.
Man City 8-1 RB Leipzig
This one looked competitive early thanks to a 1-1 tie at Red Bull Arena, but Man City responded in the second leg with seven (yes, seven) goals en route to yet another UCL quarterfinal. Superstar striker Erling Haaland scored five goals, tying the all-time UCL record for most in one game. If City gets hot, it could spell trouble for the rest of the field.
Real Madrid 6-2 Liverpool
Liverpool got off to a hot start at Anfield in the first leg, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first 15 minutes, but it didn’t last long, as Madrid scored six unanswered over the last 150 minutes of game time to make it to the quarters once again. Liverpool center back Joe Gomez played arguably the worst game of his career in the first match, with him being directly responsible for at least two goals.
There is no doubt that these UCL round of 16 matches have been one to remember. The quarter-finals will take place on April 11 and 18, so be sure to tune in!