Champions League: Quarterfinals leg one roundup

The Champions League quarterfinals began this week and the matches brought some shocking results. If you missed the games, we got you covered.

The first legs of the Champions League quarterfinals weren’t too evenly matched. All four matches were victories for one of the sides and each one might be enough to seal a place in the semifinals. Here is what you might have missed.

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Liverpool 3-0 Manchester City

Liverpool put on a first half for the ages. They absolutely dominated Manchester City with relentless attack and most importantly, a strong midfield. Salah, Chamberlain, and Mane added more goals to their tallies in the win that could pencil in a spot in the semifinals for Liverpool.

The real heroes of the game were James Milner, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andrew Robertson. All three defended Kevin De Bruyne whenever he gained possession and tight tackles on him kept the ball with the Reds. A clean sheet against Manchester City at home is a feat for Liverpool.

Manchester City can still win this and go back to the semifinals. In the three times these two sides have played each other this season, City has outscored Liverpool 8-7. Guardiola will need an alternative gameplan to get three goals at the Etihad next week. Not going through Kevin De Bruyne should be the first thing he does. Incorporating Leroy Sane more and even starting Sterling might be enough to bring victory to Manchester City.

Barcelona 4-1 Roma

Barcelona dominated Roma in the second half. Two own goals meant luck was on Barca’s side in the home leg. Luis Suarez then ended his Champions League goal drought to ensure the massive 4-1 win. If I had to put my money on one team to advance next week, it would be Barcelona. Roma was no-match for them. Barcelona needed Suarez to get that goal and have their frontline all in the best form possible. A good frontline for Barcelona means the title will be much easier to attain.

Juventus 0-3 Real Madrid

The story of this game is the goal above. IT IS AMAZING!!! Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League is the best footballer of all time. He scored two in the away win over Juventus and has scored four in his last two games against the Italian champions. Since January, everyone has been saying Zidane’s only hope is to win the Champions League. With goals like this, a three-peat will happen. Bye bye Juventus.

Sevilla 1-2 Bayern Munich

Bayern did win the match, but one thing should be made very clear. We should stop assuming Sevilla is the worst team remaining. These guys can play toe-to-toe with anyone and they were with Bayern until Thiago Alcantara’s game winner for the second away goal. It is a very challenging task for Sevilla to steal it at Bayern next week. It is possible though. Sevilla’s defense is strong enough to hold Bayern and two goals will win it for them. Atletico Madrid knocked Bayern out at Allianz in 2016. Why can’t Sevilla?

All four of these matches had spectacular goals. None of them had any late drama we expect in the Champions League quarterfinals. The second legs could be the same story. If you want late drama, this Bayern-Sevilla second leg is the match you want to watch. You should still just watch all of them (even if you are at work).