The first-ever UEFA Champions League (UCL) playoffs took place over the past two weeks, as 16 teams battled it out for eight Round of 16 spots. In case you missed out on the action, let me catch you up on the world’s most prestigious club soccer competition. This is part two to an earlier article, so make sure you check that out as well!
Real Madrid vs Manchester City: 6-3 (agg.)
A modern-day classic provided a thrilling display of football as Real Madrid charged past Manchester City. Their first meeting at The Etihad saw a closely-matched contest that went down to the wire; a late Jude Bellingham winner, courtesy of a clearance error from City and a brilliant pass by Vinícius Júnior, saw Los Blancos walk away with a 3-2 victory. Seeking classification, Carlo Ancelotti’s team then hosted the Sky Blues this past Wednesday, stunning them with a 3-1 drive that may be Kylian Mbappé‘s best performance at the Bernabéu so far. Disadvantaged by front-man Erling Haaland’s benching, City could not retaliate as the Madrid-side booked themselves a spot in the next round of the competition.
Bayern Munich vs Celtic F.C.: 3-2 (agg.)
The leading teams in the German and Scottish leagues met in two very entertaining and well-matched clashes. At Celtic Park, the Bavarians emerged victorious due to back-to-back moments of brilliance by Michael Olise and Harry Kane. Although the Bhoys managed to pull one back from a corner, they headed into the second leg of the match needing a decisive victory at the Allianz Arena. In Bavaria, Celtic hopes were kept alive as they went one up in the second half of the match off of a defensive blunder by the home team. After missing a clear chance for a second goal, the Celts suffered heartbreak as Canada’s Alphonso Davies helped lift his team to the next round with a goal in the last 30 seconds of regulation.
S.L. Benfica vs AS Monaco F.C.: 4-3 (agg.)
Bruno Lage’s team prevailed over Les Monegasques to grab a spot in the round of 16; in the first match at the Stade Louis III, the Aguias went up 1-0 with a chip by recent arrival Vangelis Pavlidis. This slight advantage meant that Benfica had to bring their A-Game as they hosted the second-leg of the team – and it’s safe to say, the evening did not disappoint. Benfica opened the scoring with a powerful shot from Kerem Aktürkoğlu, after an impressive disarm by Leandro Barreiro. Monaco then equalized with two goals by Takumi Minamino and Eliesse Ben Seghir after several near-misses, bringing the score level. A penalty was then awarded after a foul on midfielder Fredrik Aursnes, which Pavlidis quickly sunk into the back of the net. Five minutes later, Monaco equalized again with a shot by George Ilenikhena, setting the evening off to a dramatic finish. However, any hopes of extra-time on the visiting teams' part were dashed as Benfica scored their third of the night courtesy of Orkun Kökçü, securing a hard-fought classification.
Club Brugge vs Atalanta BC: 5-2 (agg.)
Watch out, Atalanta – there is a new underdog story in town. Club Brugge, one of the relatively unknown clubs in the competition, completed an upset to knockout one of the past seasons’ most prominent underdog stories. After an eventful first half, courtesy of goals by Brugge’s Ferran Jutglà and Atalanta’s Mario Pašalić, the former walked away from the first match of the playoffs with a slim lead, due to a very controversial last-minute penalty. Heading into the second game, the Belgian side secured their classification in front of an ecstatic home crowd at Gewiss Stadium, with a 3-1 outing against Gian Piero Gasperini’s men. Youth academy alum Chemsdine Talbi bagged a brace, scoring his first and second Champions League goals before the clock reached 30 minutes. At the end of the first half, Jutglà connected with a pass from Christos Tzolis to score a stunning goal. Although Ademola Lookman found the back of the net, giving Atalanta their only goal of the match, the Serie A side was eliminated from the UCL.
