Paris Saint-Germain Eliminates Liverpool to Advance Alongside Bayern, Inter, and Barcelona
Paris Saint-Germain pulled off a dramatic comeback after losing 1-0 at home in the first leg, defeating Liverpool by the same scoreline at Anfield before securing a 4-1 victory in the penalty shootout to book a spot in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals. The French side joins Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, and Barcelona in the next round.
The Parisians struck early to level the aggregate score, with Ousmane Dembélé finding the net in the 12th minute. The match remained tied through extra time, leading to penalties, where PSG triumphed 4-1. Uruguayan forward Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones missed their spot-kicks, both saved by Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG will now face the winner of the tie between Club Brugge and Aston Villa in the quarterfinals.
After the match, team captain Marquinhos expressed his joy, saying: “It was a fantastic performance. We absolutely deserved to qualify over the two legs, without a doubt. He added: “We have no limits to what we can achieve, but we must keep improving and not stop here.”
Bayer Leverkusen’s Painful Exit
Bayern Munich secured their quarterfinal spot by completing a dominant victory over Bayer Leverkusen, winning 2-0 away after a 3-0 first-leg triumph. English striker Harry Kane opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, following his brace in the first leg, before Canadian full-back Alphonso Davies sealed the win in the 71st minute.
Kane became the first English player to score 10 goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign. Speaking after the match, he said: “From the first minute, we didn’t want to sit back and defend our lead. We wanted to dominate, press, and create chances to win the game.” He continued: “I think we did that well in the first half, creating better chances. In the second, we knew they would push forward and try different things, but we punished them.”
Bayern, a six-time UCL winner, has now reached the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive season. They will face Inter Milan, who defeated Feyenoord Rotterdam 2-1 at San Siro after winning the first leg 2-0.
French forward Marcus Thuram (8’) and Turkish midfielder Hakan Çalhanoğlu (51’, penalty) scored for Inter, while Polish midfielder Jakub Moder (42’, penalty) netted for Feyenoord.
This marks Inter’s second quarterfinal appearance in three seasons (2022-23 and 2024-25), after failing to reach this stage in 11 previous editions.
Barcelona’s Offense Strikes Again
Barcelona was the first team to seal a quarterfinal berth, defeating Benfica 3-1 at home, following a 1-0 first-leg victory.
All of Barça’s goals came in the first half, with Brazilian winger Raphinha scoring twice (11’ & 42’) and teenage sensation Lamine Yamal adding another (27’). Benfica’s only goal came from Argentine defender Nicolás Otamendi (13’).
The La Liga leaders will now face the winner of the tie between Borussia Dortmund and Lille, who play tonight after a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Signal Iduna Park.
A minute of silence was observed before kickoff in honor of Barcelona’s team doctor Carles Minarro Garcia, who passed away last Saturday, leading to the postponement of their La Liga match against Osasuna.
Head coach Hansi Flick opted to rest several key players, including Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Yamal, midway through the second half, in preparation for their crucial La Liga showdown against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.
