EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

A Close look at The 2020-21 Champions League Quarter-Finalists

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We have come to the end of another round of the Champions League which has been simply outstanding. 8 teams progressed and will be facing each other in the Quarter-Finals, for which the draw will be held this Friday after the completion of the Europa League‘s round of 16.

This was the first time in the history of the Champions League that we saw the competition take place without the fans. We all thought no one will be able to enjoy it as fans were a crucial part of the tournament. However, it turned out to be better than anyone expected.

With no fans to boo or support, it was a complete neutral matchup between the clubs. There were some interesting group matches which have now been long forgotten. But the Round of 16 has given enough to talk about till the next fixtures.

How the Champions League Quarter-Finalists faired in the previous round

FC Porto : Juventus (4-4 on aggregate)

FC Porto dumped one of the powerhouses in the Champions League on away goals advantage. Their incredible display makes them the underdogs for the remainder of the competition.

In the first leg, both their goals came early in both halves as they lead by a solitary goal. With Cristiano Ronaldo on the other side, that lead was insufficient. But a former teammate in the name of Pepe denied any possible comeback.

The 38-year-old put on a Man-of-the-Match display as they won on away goals. It was a dramatic finish with 2 goals coming in 5 minutes of the added time from both sides.

Paris Saint-Germain : Barcelona (5-2 on aggregate)

They had a strong group where they left it late to qualify. Their Ligue 1 form has been hot and cold and is sitting 2nd in the league. However, their Champions League form has been great.

Their matchup with Barcelona was the most awaited match of the round. PSG has been waiting for a while to get their revenge and they got that in style.

They finished off the game in the first leg itself thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s solo performance in which he scored a hattrick. It was a huge mountain to climb in the 2nd leg for Barcelona and they gave everything they got but eventually succumbed to their errors.

Borussia Dortmund : Sevilla (5-4 on aggregate)

Dortmund defeated a resilient Sevilla, all thanks to Erling Haaland. The Norwegian scored 2 goals in both legs and broke many records along with it to help his team progress.

He has already got 10 goals and will be the main man to lead his club further into the competition. Their progress further will be a tough task given their defensive displays. Any opponent they will be facing will be a big gun, so they will have to improve considerably to stand a chance

Liverpool : RB Leipzig (4-0 on aggregate)

It is really confusing about how Liverpool is now playing. They are on a downfall in the Premier League with a European spot for next season a doubt, and here in the Champions League they comfortably dumped out last year’s semi-finalists.

RB Leipzig had dumped out another Premier League club in the group stage and they were hoping to take advantage of the out of form Reds. It turned out completely different as Klopp ensured that the club is not giving up on anything easily.

Manchester City : Borussia Monchengladbach (4-0 on aggregate)

Manchester City cruised by scoring 2 goals in each leg. It was clearly dominant display by Pep’s team as they displayed their defensive might again. Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin de Bruyne scored 2 brilliant goals.

The real test for The Citizens lies ahead as they have reached the stage which they have never been able to surpass. Despite having a really strong team, they somehow succumb in the quarter-finals.

Real Madrid : Atalanta (4-1 on aggregate)

The Champions League specialists, Real Madrid defeated Atalanta, putting aside their 3-year misery. They finally progressed into the quarters since they last won the cup.

It was Karim Benzema who shone with some brilliant display scored a goal in their rout against Atalanta. The 13 times winners took the lead in the first leg by a goal, taking advantage of 10-man Atalanta. They improved considerably in the second leg with Sergio Ramos making a comeback with a goal to his name as well.

Bayern Munich : Lazio (6-2 on aggregate)

This was the biggest margin win of this round. The defending Champions are doing a great job so far in their title defense season. They won both the legs, although they loosened up a little in the second leg.

The man in hot form, Robert Lewandowski scored in both legs taking his season’s tally to 39. It was a pretty obvious result as Lazio turned out to be the unlucky team.

Chelsea : Atletico Madrid (3-0 on aggregate)

This was one of the most unexpected results of this round. Chelsea completely outplayed the La Liga leaders and even defeated them both the times without conceding even a goal. It was also for the first time in 7 years, they progressed to the quarter-finals. It was a good night’s work from the London side.

Chelsea has been a completely different team after Thomas Tuchel took over. They are yet to be defeated under him and with this win, it is now 6 clean sheets in a row for them.

A brilliant overhead kick from Oliver Giroud in the first leg gave them the crucial away lead. The second leg saw them dominate Atletico Madrid. With this form, Chelsea cannot be ruled out as a potential challenger.

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