In this article, we take a look at all the action from the second legs of the Round of 16 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL).
Barcelona 3-1 SL Benfica (Agg: 4-1)
Raphinha scored twice with Lamine Yamal netting a stunning strike in between as Barcelona dismantled SL Benfica 3-1 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Tuesday, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 4-1 aggregate victory.
The 17-year-old Spain winger worked his magic with a spectacular solo run to gift Raphinha the opener in the 11th minute. Benfica hit back through a Nicolas Otamendi header from a corner two minutes later, but Barca kept piling on the pressure with Yamal proving a nightmare for Benfica left back Samuel Dahl.
Yamal teed up chances for both Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo and missed with a low strike from the edge of the box, before he finally put the home side back in front in the 28th minute. Raphinha extended Barca’s lead from a quick counter-attack in the 42nd minute to go top of the Champions League scoring chart this season with 11 goals.
Barca managed the game after the break against a Benfica side that lacked both the will and firepower to pose a real threat to the Catalan giants in a second half that looked like a glorified training session. Barca are currently on a 17-game unbeaten run across all competitions and are in contention for three major titles.
The Catalan club will meet the winner of the tie between Lille and Borussia Dortmund, who play on Wednesday after the first leg in Germany ended in a 1-1 draw.
Inter Milan 2-1 Feyenoord (Agg: 4-1)
Marcus Thuram and Hakan Çalhanoglu were on target as Inter Milan beat Feyenoord 2-1 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the San Siro on Tuesday to advance comfortably into the quarterfinals with a 4-1 aggregate win.
Three-time winners Inter last lifted the trophy in 2010, beating Bayern in the final in a treble-winning season, and Inzaghi’s side are still on course to repeat that feat, with a Coppa Italia semi final also to come in April.
Feyenoord came into the game with an uphill task after losing 2-0 at home last week, and by the eighth minute they were left with a mountain to climb following Thuram’s superb solo goal.
Mehdi Taremi sent a shot straight at the keeper as Inter looked to put the tie even further out of reach but Feyenoord pulled one back three minutes before the break from the penalty spot.
Any hope of a Feyenoord comeback all but ended when Çalhanoglu made up for his mistake by converting his own penalty six minutes into the second half after Thomas Beelen fouled Taremi.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0-2 Bayern Munich (Agg: 5-0)
Harry Kane made history as Bayern Munich confirmed their place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a comfortable 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Kane’s second-half strike was his 10th goal in the competition this season, becoming the first English player to reach double figures in a single edition of the European Cup or the Champions League.
The England captain also grabbed the assist for Alphonso Davies’ 71st-minute effort to seal a 5-0 aggregate win and a date with Inter in the next round after they progressed past Feyenoord on Tuesday.
The absence of star man Florian Wirtz, who was ruled out of the contest with an ankle ligament injury, proved pivotal for Leverkusen, who had to wait until the 65th minute to register a shot on target.
Kane then struck the crossbar as Bayern went in search of a third, with Jamal Musiala then striking the post, but their two-goal advantage was enough in the end.
Liverpool 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain (Agg: 1-1, PSG won 4-1 on penalties)
Liverpool’s Champions League pursuit came to an abrupt halt after they lost on penalties to an outstanding Paris St-Germain side after a night of drama at Anfield.
With Liverpool making the running, there was always the chance PSG’s outstanding strikeforce could punish them on the counter and so it proved after only 12 minutes – with a large helping hand from the home defence.
Ousmane Dembélé’s early goal provided the platform for the turnaround, with Liverpool unable to break the French visitors down, while PSG were a constant threat.PSG had other opportunities but could not cash in, Alisson rushing out to save at the feet of Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia firing off target when well placed.
Liverpool mounted sustained pressure after the break but struggled to break down PSG’s resilient rearguard, although it took a fine clawing save from Gianluigi Donnarumma to keep out Luis Díaz’s header, while substitute Jarell Quansah struck the post and Dominik Szoboszlai had an effort ruled out for offside.
PSG were by far the better side in extra time, with Alisson making a magnificent save from Dembélé before Liverpool’s fate was sealed on penalties.
PSG, in the end, earned a deserved victory away from home with keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma emerging as their hero in the shootout, saving from Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones before Désiré Doué hammered home the winning spot-kick in front of the travelling Parisians.
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