Arsenal go through, Chelsea and City exit
Sam Cunningham looks back at Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg between Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.
Arsenal 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Agg. 3-1)
Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Janis Blaswich looked almost unbeatable until Eberechi Eze produced an unstoppable strike to send Arsenal through to the quarter-finals.
The striker will have had a few harder, sharper shots than the one that put Arsenal ahead for their first UEFA Champions League goal in a tie on the knife’s edge after a 1-1 draw in the first leg.
Eze controlled the ball with his left foot on the turn, then hit a half-volley with his right from outside the area with extraordinary force.
“I’ve seen few players who can hit the ball like him,” teammate Declan Rice said. TNT Sports. “We need to put him on the ball more.”
The 27-year-old celebrated by showing off the Arsenal badge on his shirt with a huge smile on his face.
Blaswich had already made six saves in the opening half hour to make life difficult for the Gunners, so it took a moment of genius from a player who, if the predictions prove correct, is about to flourish.
Fans on social media have nicknamed him ‘Spring Eze’ for his habit of being fit in March, April and May. Nineteen of his 40 Premier League goals have come in April and May, and he already has two in March this season.
Rice settled the tie with a precise side-footed shot into the bottom right corner from outside the box, sending them into the last eight for the third consecutive season, where they will face Sporting Lisbon. The first leg will be played on April 7.
David Raya, meanwhile, preserved his clean sheet and avoided a nervy finish with another phenomenal save.
Thinking about Sunday’s EFL Cup final at Wembley against Manchester City, Mikel Arteta immediately prepared three substitutes after the second goal.
See: Arsenal report
Manchester City 1-2 Real Madrid (Agg. 1-5)
Man City’s hopes of a dramatic comeback against Real Madrid effectively ended in the 22nd minute when Bernardo Silva was sent off for handball and Vinicius Junior converted the resulting penalty to put Real Madrid four goals ahead on aggregate.
Man City had applied plenty of pressure early on, but a quick break from Real Madrid saw Vinicius Junior hit the inside of the post. When the ball came back to the Brazilian striker, his shot was blocked by Silva’s outstretched arm. The Portuguese midfielder received his first ever red card in 582 club appearances.
Man City’s initial effort was impeccable. Thibaut Courtois made a series of saves, although in a frantic first half Vinicius Junior missed a glorious chance to add another when he only had Gianluigi Donnarumma to beat but he missed with his foot wide.
Erling Haaland scored a goal – his first goal since February 11 – but was replaced in the 56th minute by Omar Marmoush, with Pep Guardiola possibly saving the striker for the EFL Cup final.
Playing 70 minutes with ten players was far from ideal preparation for competing for the first trophy of the season.
Vinicius Junior scored the winner in second-half stoppage time.
“We are disappointed with this defeat but it is a harsh reality,” said Jeremy Doku. Amazon Prime. “When you experience the games, you don’t feel like they were much better than us, even if that seems like the score.”
He added: “This campaign will teach us some lessons, we will learn a lot for future ones.”
See: Man City report
Chelsea 0-3 Paris Saint-Germain (Total: 2-8)
Chelsea suffered one of the heaviest home-and-away defeats in the club’s Champions League history and another defender was injured.
Chances of overcoming a three-goal deficit evaporated when Paris Saint-Germain scored two goals in the first 14 minutes.
The Champions League debut was difficult for Mamadou Sarr. With Reece James injured and Malo Gusto ill, the 20-year-old was forced to play out of position at right back and let the ball slip under his foot, gifting Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a clear run to score in the sixth minute.
The second goal was a moment of individual brilliance: Bradley Barcola received the ball on the edge of the Chelsea penalty area, took a touch and sent the ball into the top corner.
With astonishing precision, PSG scored five goals from five shots from 2-2 in Paris to two ahead in London, before Senny Mayulu added a third in the second half.
Sarr was replaced at half-time by Josh Acheampong, and Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior made three more changes before the hour mark, with a tough trip to Everton looming on Saturday. Chelsea must win this match to stay in contention and qualify for the Champions League next season.
But they finished the match with 10 men when Trevoh Chalobah was carried off on a stretcher and Rosenior had no substitutes left.
“He has a sprained ankle, so I’m praying it’s nothing too serious because we can’t lose another defender,” Rosenior said. TNT Sports.
“When you’re going through a tough time you have to make sure your habits are good. We have a really tough game at Everton and we have to be at our best to get a result there.”
See: Chelsea report