Around the Champions League: Round Of 16 Leg 2

Story posted March 14, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Ben Palillo

The first four games of the second leg of the Round of 16 have come to an end. So let’s catch up on all the action.

Chelsea hosted Borussia Dortmund to open the second leg

The Blues dominated early, producing plenty of dangerous chances but could not find the back of the net.

Just when it looked like the game would enter the break scoreless, Chelsea finally broke through.

In the 43rd minute, Ben Chilwell sent a cross to Raheem Sterling, who smashed it in to tie the aggregate at one.

As the second half began, Chelsea’s offensive pressure continued.

Chilwell attempted to make a cross in the box that struck Marius Wolf’s hand. After a VAR review, Chelsea was awarded a penalty.

Kai Havertz stepped to the spot but hit it off the post. However, Havertz received a rare second chance as Borussia Dortmund was called for encroachment.

Havertz stutter-stepped before confidently sliding it into the bottom right corner to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead on the aggregate.

The closest Borussia Dortmund came to equalizing was a 61st-minute strike from Wolf that keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga palmed away.

Club Brugge traveled to Estádio da Luz to take on Benfica

Benfica dominated the game from the start, and they had a first-minute goal from João Mário, but it was ultimately disallowed due to an offside during the buildup.

In the 38th minute, Benfica finally got the goal that felt inevitable. Gonçalo Ramos sent a cross between two defenders to Rafa, who maneuvered around two defenders before sliding it into the bottom left corner.

In the 45th+2, Ramos made a great run, dribbling around three defenders before blasting it past Simon Mignolet to give Benfica a 2-0 lead entering the break.

Twelve minutes later, Ramos scored his second of the game off a low cross from Alex Grimaldo.

In the 71st minute, Mário calmly converted a penalty, and six minutes later, David Neres slid a shot into the bottom right corner to make it 5-0 Benfica.

Club Brugge got a consolation goal from Bjorn Meijer in the 87th minute to make the aggregate 7-1.

Benfica will be heading to the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

After escaping Parc des Princes with a 1-0 victory, Bayern Munich hosted Paris Saint-Germain to open up Wednesday’s second-leg action.

Both sides had chances, but through 60 minutes, the game remained scoreless. Then in the 61st minute, Bayern Munich got the crucial opening goal.

Marco Verratti got his pocket picked by Thomas Müller, who slid it to Leon Goretzka. Goretzka passed to Eric Choupo-Moting, who tapped it in to give Bayern Munich a 2-0 aggregate lead.

In the 89th minute, Serge Gnabry followed up a great run with a fantastic finish to end Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League hopes.

Tottenham hosted AC Milan in the knockout stage's first goalless draw

Despite trailing 1-0 on the aggregate, the Hotspurs showed little urgency in the first half.

Tottenham showed some urgency in the second half, but Cristian Romero got sent off in the 77th minute after collecting a second yellow, dashing the Hotspurs' hopes of an aggregate equalizer.

Despite playing with 10 men, in the 90th+3, Harry Kane had a golden opportunity to score. Kane struck a header from the center of the box that Mike Maignan managed to dive and keep out.

The Champions League will draw the quarterfinal matchups on March 17.

 

Ben Palillo is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.