In this article, we take a look at all the action from the second legs of the Playoff Round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League (UCL).
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | Atalanta BC 1-3 Club Brugge KV (agg: 2-5)
Chemsdine Talbi scored an early double as Club Brugge stormed into the Champions League last 16 with a shock 3-1 away victory over Atalanta, securing a 5-2 aggregate win.
Talbi fired home just two minutes into Tuesday’s clash before doubling his tally and his side’s lead at the Gewiss Stadium in the 27th minute. Ferran Jutglà netted Brugge’s third goal in a dominant first-half performance, leaving Atalanta reeling with a 3-0 deficit at the interval.
Nicky Hayen’s side still had to defend resolutely in the second half as Atalanta looked to conjure up an unlikely comeback. Ademola Lookman pulled one back less than a minute into the second half but then had a penalty saved by veteran goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who made several other important stops.
Those saves and their inability to break through only added to Atalanta’s frustration as captain Rafael Tolói was sent off late on for violent conduct towards Maxim De Cuyper in the 87th minute.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | FC Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic FC (agg: 3-2)
Millions of Celtic hearts were broken on Tuesday as Bayern Munich scraped through with one of the scrappiest of goals in the final seconds to secure a 1-1 draw on the night and a 2-1 aggregate win.
The first half was an entertaining spectacle as Celtic headed into half-time wondering how they had not found the net, with Daizen Maeda, Callum McGregor, and Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn all coming close early on, though Bayern also had chances of their own, most notably when Harry Kane crashed the bar just before the break.
As the game crossed the hour mark, Celtic gained momentum and took the lead on the night when Kühn was played through by Maeda and slotted past Manuel Neuer, pulling the Bhoys level in the tie. They then faced an onslaught from Bayern in the remaining 30 minutes of the game, with the hosts missing a number of clear goalscoring opportunities. The Bavarians were eventually awarded for their persistence in the final seconds of the game when substitute Alphonso Davies turned in from close range.
In the Round of 16, Bayern Munich will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atlético Madrid, while Celtic fail to win a knockout tie for the tenth consecutive time in this competition.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | AC Milan 1-1 Feyenoord Rotterdam (agg: 1-2)
Feyenoord knocked Milan out of the Champions League as they recovered to draw 1-1 on Tuesday for a 2-1 aggregate playoff win, with the hosts losing Theo Hernández six minutes into the second half.
Milan went on the attack from the start and took less than a minute to level the tie on aggregate when Santiago Giménez scored against his former club. They looked likely to take the overall lead before the break as well, but Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther made some important saves to keep the Dutch side in the game.
Feyenoord’s chances received a massive boost six minutes into the second half when Hernández picked up a second booking for simulation, but the visitors continued to struggle to create any real opportunities. Hugo Bueno floated a delightful ball to the far post from outside the area and substitute Julián Carranza rose unchallenged to power his header over Milan keeper Mike Maignan. The Rossoneri pushed desperately for a goal to take the tie to extra-time, but Feyenoord held on.
Feyenoord will meet either Inter Milan or Arsenal in the last 16, with their opponents to be decided in Friday’s draw.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | SL Benfica 3-3 AS Monaco (agg: 4-3)
Benfica snatched a thrilling 3-3 draw against Monaco on Tuesday to reach the Champions League last 16 with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Monaco twice led on the night and came close to forcing extra-time, but Orkun Kökçü’s 84th-minute equaliser helped Benfica scrape through in Lisbon. Benfica, who had a one-goal advantage from the first leg, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute with winger Kerem Aktürkoglu’s close-range strike after a fine pass from Vangelis Pavlidis. But Monaco had the hosts on the ropes for much of the match and saw Takumi Minamino equalise with a simple finish ten minutes later before Eliesse Ben Seghir put them in front after the break with a stunning first-time shot inside the right post.
Benfica were then awarded a penalty, which Pavlidis coolly converted from the spot to make it 2-2 before Monaco substitute George Ilenikhena scored in the 81st minute to give the away fans a glimmer of hope, but Kökçü’s goal a few minutes later sealed the tie for the Portuguese side.
Benfica will be up against either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16.
Also read: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Sponsors
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Sporting CP (agg: 3-0)
Borussia Dortmund and Sporting played out a goalless draw at the Signal Iduna Park, allowing the former into the Round of 16 with a 3-0 aggregate win.
Playing without their star striker Viktor Gyökeres, Sporting looked happy to sit back and hit on the counter. Dortmund had the first real chance of the night, but Marcel Sabitzer’s curling shot from distance went wide of the post. The first half ended goalless.
BVB were awarded a penalty in the 58th minute when Sporting keeper Rui Silva fouled Karim Adeyemi in the box, but the Sporting keeper saved the resulting spot-kick from Serhou Guirassy. Substitute Giovanni Reyna then scuffed a glorious opportunity as he hit the crossbar and failed to score from the rebound. The game ended without any real opportunity from Sporting, who looked resigned to a defeat.
Last year’s finalists will play either Aston Villa or Lille in the Round of 16.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | PSV Eindhoven 3-1 Juventus FC (agg: 4-3)
PSV overturned a one-goal deficit from the first leg and scored an extra-time winner to eliminate Juventus from the Champions League.
Playing at home, PSV showed early intent, with winger Noah Lang a constant threat for the Old Lady. However, neither side could manage clear-cut chances in the first half, which ended goalless.
In the 53rd minute, Lang drove forward and crossed into the box for an onrushing Ivan Perišic, who scored the opener with a sublime finish. However, Juve equalised ten minutes later through Timothy Weah’s powerful shot into the far bottom corner.
The game went into extra-time, during which again PSV looked the more attacking side. They eventually scored the winner through defender Ryan Flamingo, who scored from close range as Juve defenders failed to clear a Perišic cross into the box. This game further accentuated Italian football’s misfortunes as, after Milan and Atalanta, Juve too bowed out of the European topflight.
PSV Eindhoven will face either Arsenal or Inter Milan in the Round of 16.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | Real Madrid CF 3-1 Manchester City FC (agg: 6-3)
Kylian Mbappé’s hattrick guided Los Blancos into the last 16, knocking out Manchester City with a comfortable win at the Santiago Bernabéu.
The Cityzens were already at a disadvantage, missing their main man Erling Haaland due to a knee injury. Real Madrid then made matters even worse when they took the lead in the fourth minute: a long ball forward couldn’t be cleared by City defender Rúben Dias, and Mbappé latched onto it and lobbed it over an onrushing Ederson. Mbappé then doubled the lead when he scored from close range, leaving a desperate Joško Gvardiol on the floor. City could hardly manage a shot on target in the first half.
The hosts piled on the pressure in the second half and missed a couple of chances before Mbappé put the result beyond doubt with his hattrick in the 61st minute, scoring from the edge of the box after being teed up by Rodrygo. City earned a late consolation through Nico González, but it was too late.
Real Madrid will face either Atlético Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the Round of 16.
UCL 2024/25 Playoffs Leg 2 | Paris Saint-Germain FC 7-0 Stade Brestois 29 (agg: 10-0)
Paris Saint-Germain absolutely destroyed Brest, ending their maiden Champions League campaign in utter humiliation. Seven different players scored for PSG in the game where they ran riot against their out-of-sorts fellow French side.
The opener was scored by winger Bradley Barcola in the 20th minute as he got hold of a long ball forward, dribbled past his marker into the box, and scored at the near post. January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the score in the 39th minute with a tight-angle finish.
Brest tried to find a response, but PSG killed their momentum with another goal just before the hour mark through Vitinha. Four minutes later, Désiré Doué added a fourth. The reigning Ligue 1 champions were making merry, and soon Nuno Mendes added a fifth in the 69th minute. Forward Gonçalo Ramos scored the sixth in the 76th minute, and ten minutes later the Parisians went into seventh heaven when Senny Mayulu scored four minutes from time to complete the rout.
PSG won this game with their best-ever aggregate margin in the Champions League and will now play either Barcelona or Liverpool in the Round of 16.
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