Champions League Round of 16

Story posted February 25, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Patrick Lepre

With the second week of matchups in the Round of 16 first legs in the Champions League taking place, here’s a wrap-up of what happened in each match.

Chelsea defeat Lille swiftly

The defending champs took on Lille at Stamford Bridge in the first leg. With Romelu Lukaku resting on the bench, Havertz took his spot as a striker.

It began with a goal from Kai Havertz in the eighth minute from a corner. Havertz has a knack for scoring in the Champions League.

Christian Pulisic then finished it off in the 63rd minute to put Chelsea up 2-0 in the first leg. Chelsea who has pretty much surrendered the league title is now all focused on the Champions League and league cups.

It’d be hard to imagine Chelsea letting this one slip away in the second leg.

Juventus and Villarreal stalemate

It didn’t take Juventus very long to score as Dusan Vlahovic scored in the first minute. It then took till the 66th minute for Villarreal to equalize as Dani Parejo scored.

As it stands now since the away goal rule has been abolished this fixture will be heading to extra time if no one scores in the second leg.

Juventus should have an advantage as they will be at home in Allianz Arena.

Manchester United survive vs Atletico Madrid

This fixture started with a goal from João Félix for Atletico Madrid in the seventh minute off a header. United looked to be frustrated and outplayed the entire first half as they didn’t have a single touch in Atletico’s box.

Manchester United broke through finally in the 80th minute as Anthony Elanga finished a through ball from Bruno Fernandes.

United was lucky to have just gotten a tie as Atletico hit the crossbar twice which could’ve easily made this a score of 3-1 in Atleticos favor.

The second leg takes place at Old Trafford for United’s favor. Maybe Cristiano Ronaldo, Mr. Champions League himself can have his imprint on the second leg like he historically always has against Atletico.

Ajax and Benfica goal-fest ends in a draw

A total of 4 first-leg goals were shared between these two teams. Dusan Tadic scored the opener in the 18th minute for Ajax.

This followed with an own goal by Ajax’s Sébastian Haller scoring an own goal in the 25th minute. Four minutes later Haller redeemed himself by scoring putting Ajax up 2-1 at the time.

However, this goal was canceled out in the 72nd minute by Benfica’s Roman Yaremchuk.

As it ends 2-2 like the other three games this week that ended in a draw since the away goal rule has been revoked it will be interesting to see how many of these games see extra time.

Patrick Lepre is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email pjl5466@psu.edu.