The remaining four teams that qualified for quarter-finals of this year’s UEFA Champions League became known on Wednesday, March 12.
Earlier, on Tuesday, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Inter Milan had booked their places in the last-eight.
On Wednesday, the last batch of four also qualified.
Real beat Atletico in dramatic penalty shootout (Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid; agg: 2-2, 2-4 on pens)
Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez had a penalty dramatically ruled out in the shootout as Real Madrid edged out their city rivals to reach the quarter-finals.
They will face Arsenal in the last eight, having kept alive their hopes of winning a record-extending 16th Champions League trophy.
Neither side could find a winning goal before the end of extra time after Conor Gallagher’s strike – just 27 seconds into the game – had levelled the tie on aggregate after Real’s 2-1 first-leg win at the Bernabeu.
That meant penalties were needed to determine the outcome and, after the first three had been converted, former Manchester City forward Alvarez stepped up to take Atletico’s second.
He slipped while taking it, but the ball ended up in the back of the net. While it was initially given, the successful spot-kick was subsequently ruled out by the video assistant referee (VAR), with Alvarez having been deemed to have touched the ball twice as he struck his effort.
Fede Valverde converted his penalty to put Real 3-1 ahead and although Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak saved Lucas Vazquez’s spot-kick to briefly give Atletico hope, Marcos Llorente hit the bar.
Antonio Rudiger then stepped up to squeeze home the decisive penalty to send Real through by a 4-2 margin.
Villa finish the job off against 10-man Club Brugge (FT: Aston Villa 3-0 Club Brugge; agg 6-1)
Aston Villa completed a comfortable passage into a Champions League quarter-final with Paris St-Germain (PSG) after cruising to victory against Club Brugge at Villa Park.
Unai Emery’s side were in prime position as they protected a 3-1 advantage from the first leg in Belgium, putting the tie out of the reach of the visitors following the half-time introduction of on-loan talisman Marco Asensio.
A risk-free first 45 minutes was only notable for Club Brugge defender Kyriani Sabbe’s 16th-minute red card for hauling back Marcus Rashford as he chased keeper Emiliano Martinez’s long clearance.
Asensio, outstanding since his arrival from PSG, secured Villa’s passage into the last eight five minutes after coming on with a neat finish from Leon Bailey’s clever pass.
Ian Maatsen added the second from close range seven minutes later, his first for the club, following good work by Morgan Rogers, then Asensio added his second and Villa’s third after 61 minutes. It was a simple finish set up perfectly by Rashford.
It means Emery and Asensio will both face their former club, conquerors of Liverpool on Tuesday, March 11, at the last-16 stage, in the last eight of the Champions League.
Arsenal to face Real Madrid after 9-3 aggregate win
Arsenal completed a resounding 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven to set up a mouthwatering Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid.
Holders Real beat capital rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties – and Arsenal will likely have to find top gear against the Spanish giants in the last eight after cruising past their Dutch opponents.
Leading 7-1 from the first leg in the Netherlands, the Gunners took the opportunity to make wholesale changes to their starting XI.
While there were also huge swathes of empty seats around a subdued Emirates Stadium, those in attendance were treated to a sumptuous opening goal from one of three left-backs selected by manager Mikel Arteta.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, who has found himself on the periphery at times, picked up possession from Raheem Sterling’s touch inside and whipped a superb effort into the left corner.
However, any thoughts of the floodgates opening and Arsenal eclipsing Bayern Munich’s record 12-1 thrashing of Sporting over two legs at the same stage of the competition in 2008-09, did not come to fruition.
Instead, a distinct absence of jeopardy to the tie only appeared to contribute to a dip in Arsenal’s intensity, with the overall outcome never in any doubt.
Former Tottenham winger Ivan Perisic expertly found the top-right corner from Guus Til’s pass to give the visitors a deserved equaliser.
And while Myles Lewis-Skelly hit the post for the home side at 1-1 and a brilliant Sterling run and cross from the right allowed Declan Rice to head Arsenal back in front, they were unable to pull clear.
PSV, who were backed by a spirited away following, restored some pride when Couhaib Driouech collected Isaac Babadi’s incisive pass to chip over the oncoming home goalkeeper David Raya and ensure they left London with a merited draw.
Dortmund fight back to advance (Lille 1-2 Borussia Dortmund; agg 2-3)
Borussia Dortmund came from behind to beat Lille and reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
The French hosts took a fifth-minute lead when Jonathan David swept a first-time finish through the legs of the unfortunate Gregor Kobel.
It put Lille 2-1 up on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in the away leg in Germany.
But, having come close several times, Dortmund hit back in the second half and levelled in the 54th minute when captain Emre Can converted a penalty after Thomas Meunier nudged Serhou Guirassy in the box.
Maximilian Beier then headed narrowly wide, but made amends in the 65th minute, firing into the roof of the net from Guirassy’s pass.
Canada forward David had a chance to level the tie and send Lille into the last eight of the competition for a first time, but his close-range effort was well saved, while Hakon Haraldsson’s dipping strike was pushed over the bar by Kobel.
Niko Kovac’s Dortmund side will now face La Liga giants Barcelona next month.
Who Meets Who In The Qtr-Finals?
Tuesday April 8, 2025:
*Arsenal vs Real Madrid
*Barcelona vs Dortmund
*Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan
*PSG vs Aston Villa
Tuesday, April 15,2025:
*Aston Villa vs PSG
*Dortmund vs Barcelona
*Inter Milan vs Bayern Munich
*Real Madrid vs Arsenal
*Courtesy bbc.com
