By Staff Writer: Adhithya Rajagopalan/AR
To read my Champions League RO16 preview, CLICK HERE
To read part 2 of this review, click HERE
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE ROUND OF 16 POST-MATCH REVIEW PART 1
8 teams progressed to the quarterfinals in the UEFA Champions League last month. Below are my reviews for each of the first four matches that took place on 3/8 and 3/9.
BAYERN 7 – 1 RB SALZBURG (8-2 AGGREGATE), 3/8
After Salzburg’s phenomenal defensive performance in the first leg, there was little doubt Bayern, being one of the best teams in Europe, would eventually get the job done. Robert Lewandowski’s 11 minute hat-trick is one of the fastest Champions League hat-tricks in history, only third to two miraculous 8 and 9 minute hat-tricks. The game made for fantastic viewing, and Bayern once again displayed their classic German ruthlessness to move on to the quarterfinals with ease.
LIVERPOOL 0 – 1 INTER MILAN (2-1 AGGREGATE), 3/8
A rare home loss at Anfield revealed many problems with the English side. The first leg was hotly contested and mostly even, but Liverpool showed tenacity in their attack to get a safe 2-0 win. That same attacking tenacity was missing in the second leg, and they seemed bereft of any creativity up top. They were lucky not to concede a second after Lautaro Martinez’s missile into the top corner. Unlucky for a holistically strong Inter side, but the progressing Liverpool needs to address their attacking tactics; they have more than enough talent in Salah and Mane, but they need to adjust their play to ensure they don’t get dismantled against a stronger side.
PARIS SG 1 – 3 REAL MADRID (2-3 AGGREGATE), 3/9
There’s much to be said about this calamity of a showing from PSG. It was a strong performance as usual from Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, but too many big names failed to impress. None of their defense or midfield showed up ready to play, and Gianluigi Donnarumma proved again with his mishaps and errors that he still has a long way to go from achieving his true potential. Real Madrid on the other hand had a strong attacking performance, again, to prove they deserved qualification for the quarterfinals. Karim Benzema dazzled with a hat-trick after his slow performance in Paris some weeks before. Formalities are surely the only thing between Mbappe’s departure to Madrid after this disaster.
MAN CITY 0 – 0 SPORTING CP (5-0 AGGREGATE), 3/9
After their perfect showing some weeks prior in the first leg, City manager Pep Guardiola safely took the foot off the pedal to focus on the ongoing domestic title race. This leg was largely unnecessary and as a result was supremely drab and slow. City did what they needed to do and put away a less dangerous Sporting side to advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Pep and City fans alike will be hoping this stellar form they are in will continue into their matchup against an unpredictable Atletico Madrid.
The Quarterfinal matchups are listed below.
Benfica vs Liverpool, 4/5 and 4/13
Man City vs Atletico Madrid, 4/5 and 4/13
Bayern vs Villareal, 4/6 and 4/12
Chelsea vs Real Madrid, 4/6 and 4/12 – BEST MATCHUP
See you in the quarterfinals!