<Gianluigi Buffon, right, Leonardo Bonucci, left, and other former Juventus stars carry a wreath for ex team-mate Alex Manninger
“‘You seen this?’ Antoine Griezmann laughed. Matteo Ruggeri tried to push the camera away. The staples in his splattered forehead stuck out. Blood continued to gush. ‘El Tigre’s gonna look better now,’ his Atletico Madrid team-mate, Koke, joked. Even the club’s social media admin got in on the act. ‘Call an ambulance!’ Ruggeri did not emerge unscathed from playing one-on-one with arguably the best player on the planet. Lamine Yamal skipped past him. He nutmegged and eluded him. Atletico’s head coach, Diego Simeone, shouted at him. ‘Matteo! Matteo!’ Back in the dressing room at the Metropolitano, Ruggeri raised a fist and smiled. It was worth it. Atletico were through to the Champions League semi-finals at Barcelona’s expense and the 23-year-old Italian, one of three former Atalanta players in their team, looked like a warrior. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)
Serie A Briefing: Kean’s mea culpa, Pulisic’s beard, and Juventus’ emotional tribute to Manninger
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“As Giorgi Mamardashvili disappeared down the tunnel on a stretcher, Everton smelt blood. Liverpool’s narrow lead had been wiped out by Beto, who had 
“Real Madrid have been known to not take defeats well. This is the most successful club in Champions League history, with a record 15 titles, so it is perhaps to be expected that they are not used to losing. Many of the club’s players and officials infamously skipped the 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony when 
“And… breathe. An action-packed Champions League quarter-final second leg saw Arda Guler score within 35 seconds after a Manuel Neuer error, five first-half goals, a decisive Eduardo Camavinga sending off, and two brilliant late efforts from Luis Diaz and Michael Olise, as Bayern Munich progressed to the semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate win against Real Madrid. It means Bayern will face the holders, Paris Saint-Germain, in the last four as they seek their first Champions League title in six years. …”
“For all the talk of nerves and late-season hiccups, Arsenal’s hopes of achieving a Premier League-Champions League double are still alive after Mikel Arteta’s men progressed in the Champions League, setting up a semi-final against Atletico Madrid. The 1-0 first-leg advantage earned in Lisbon was enough to see off Sporting CP after a goalless second leg at the Emirates. Sporting had chances. Geny Catamo came closest to breaking the deadlock towards the end of the first half, striking the post as the visitors edged the opening 45 minutes. At times, they cut through Arsenal with ease, but the way in which Arsenal held firm and controlled the match in the latter stages will please many fans, especially after their recent run of poor results. …”
“Barcelona’s defeat in the Champions League quarter-finals means their suffering goes on in a competition they have not won since 2015. Luis Enrique was in charge when Barca last claimed the trophy, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar up front in a treble-winning team. Last season, they reached the semi-finals — and progressing further was the big aim this campaign. Instead, Hansi Flick’s side were again knocked out by Atletico Madrid, who also defeated them in the Copa del Rey. …”
“Liverpool were outplayed and outclassed in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain. Even if they managed to escape Paris with the tie still alive, they have their work cut out to overturn the 2-0 deficit. Luis Enrique’s reigning European champions are unquestionably one of the best teams in the world — but PSG are not unbeatable. The Athletic explores how other teams have earned positive results against the Ligue 1 side, and how Liverpool can turn this quarter-final around. …”
“The whistles got louder and louder. Joe Gomez was standing on the touchline at the Parc des Princes, using a towel to dry the ball before he could take a throw-in, and the locals were not impressed. The Liverpool defender looked uncomfortable, but he kept on drying. Eventually, with the noise reaching a crescendo and the referee hurrying him along, he hurled the ball into the penalty area. Nothing came of it, but at least Gomez had given Paris Saint-Germain something to think about — even if their supporters took it as an affront. …”
“The graphics are laid out and printed on A4. They are slipped into plastic sheets and placed in files. Corner kicks. Dead-ball routines. Designs that have defined this season in football, making celebrities out of specialist coaches, their impact so outsized they have become almost as prominent as head coaches. The discourse around set pieces has changed accordingly. Whenever they are brought up in the context of today’s game, it’s about the quality of the delivery, the block on the goalkeeper, a push on the back of a defender, a training-ground routine well-executed. The conversation is hardly ever about a free-kick shot. A curler. A daisy-cutter. A kiss on the underside of the bar. A goal of the year. …”
“Goals from Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ensured Paris Saint-Germain built a convincing first-leg lead against a Liverpool side that struggled to lay a hand on the European champions. Arne Slot’s side will take limited consolation in the knowledge that it could have been worse, were it not for some erratic fishing from the hosts and a couple of important saves from Giorgi Mamardashvili. Liverpool lined up with three at the back, which meant Mohamed Salah was reduced to a place on the substitutes’ bench — where he remained for the duration, despite Liverpool chasing the game. …”
“Atletico Madrid exorcised their Camp Nou demons and will take a 2-0 advantage into next week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg after humbling Barcelona behind enemy lines for the first time in two decades. Julian Alvarez emphatically punished a Pau Cubarsi red card, bending home an unstoppable free kick from the resulting dead ball to put Diego Simeone’s side ahead in the first half, before Alexander Sorloth poked home the visitors’ second to hand Atletico their first win at the Camp Nou since February 2006. …”
“Bayern Munich have served real notice of their intent. Vincent Kompany and his players departed the pitch at the Bernabeu celebrating the Germans’ first win over Real Madrid for 14 years, and their first in this arena over 90 minutes for a quarter of a century. That they might actually have ended partly frustrated to be taking only a one-goal advantage back to Bavaria sums up how well they played — up to a point. …”
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“If you were picking a match to play after losing 4-0 to Manchester City, it would not be a trip to France to face defending European champions Paris Saint-Germain. Yet that’s the challenge for Arne Slot and his players as they aim to bounce back from this season’s latest low and keep their hopes of winning the Champions League alive. 
“THE current season had been something of an anti-climax for Newcastle United. After winning their first trophy since 1969 in 2024-25, expectations were relatively high at the club, but they look likely to fail in their bid for a Champions League place and they might not have enough in them to qualify for any of the European competitions. The club has yet to fully capitalise on having wealthy owners but you sense that this will come in time – Newcastle’s loyal followers would argue securing silverware is a sign that the process is working. However, there is talk of manager Eddie Howe leaving in the summer and some people have some reservations about the club’s finances. …”
Can PSG become the first team other than Real Madrid to retain the European Cup since Milan in 1990?
“It has not been a great week for Premier League clubs in the Champions League. Just two of the six teams that made it into the last 16 are through to the quarter-finals, with the other four losing their ties by a combined score of 28-11 on aggregate. Newcastle United’s 8-3 loss to Barcelona and Chelsea’s 8-2 against Paris Saint-Germain will especially sting, given both Premier League sides matched their opponents for a sizeable part of the four games. …”
“We’re at the business end of the Champions League, with the eight quarter-finalists now decided. It’s a heavyweight line-up, with four of the competition’s five most successful clubs still in the tournament, plus last year’s winners Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League leaders Arsenal. Real Madrid (15), Liverpool (six), Bayern Munich (six) and Barcelona (five) have won 32 of the 70 European Cup/Champions League trophies between them since Madrid lifted the first trophy back in 1956, but who has their name on this year’s trophy? …”
“Barcelona advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-2 (8-3 aggregate) win over Newcastle United. Newcastle started the game well, but when the ball broke to Raphinha in the visiting team’s box in the sixth minute, the former Leeds United forward fired past Aaron Ramsdale to open the scoring. Although Newcastle levelled in the 15th minute, when Anthony Elanga latched onto a fine ball from the left before firing past Joan Garcia, Marc Bernal scored following a Raphinha free kick moments later, restoring Barca’s lead. Elanga equalised once again in the 28th minute, meeting a low cross at the back post to fire home, but the game swung in Barcelona’s favour again just before half-time. Kieran Trippier committed a foul on Raphinha in the box, with referee Francois Letexier awarding a penalty after consulting the pitchside monitor. …”
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s technical brilliance was in evidence against Chelsea
“As Real Madrid edged nearer and nearer to 
“The received wisdom was that the Premier League would have three, possibly four, of its six representatives in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It might now be lucky to have one. Expectations have flipped in 48 hours. It is one of the reasons we love this sport and, in particular, this competition. Fatigue has been the lens through which people have viewed the shortcomings of the Premier League teams halfway through the round of 16. …”
“… The FA Cup needed a result like Port Vale 1 Sunderland 0 and a hero in the form of Kiwi international Benjamin Waine, who scored the winning goal on an emotional afternoon. It wasn’t the only shock of the round, either, as Southampton won at Fulham. At one stage, it looked like Wrexham might spring a surprise against Chelsea, who came from behind twice and were assisted by VAR to take the game into extra time. They then scored twice in the extra half hour, the goals coming from constantly-jeered Garnacho and in-form João Pedro. The other games all followed the script – Arsenal winning at Mansfield, Manchester City beating Newcastle United, Liverpool disposing of Wolves and Leeds United beating Norwich City. West Ham United and Brighton drew 2-2 with the Hammers winning the penalty shoot-out. …”
“It was in the sixth minute of Tottenham’s Champions League last-16 tie against Atletico Madrid that Antonin Kinsky’s night began to unravel. A routine phase of build-up had worked its way back toward the Spurs goalkeeper, which should have set up a relatively straightforward action, but just as he attempted to play out from the back, his footing suddenly gave way on the slippery surface and he landed on his backside. As the ball squirted loose, panic set in for the young goalkeeper, who was making his Champions League debut, and after a squirmish in the box, Marcos Llorente slotted home to give Atletico an early lead. …”
“There are many things this match will be remembered for. The goals, the errors, the disbelief that Tottenham Hotspur could be 4-0 down within 22 minutes. But, mainly, it will be for the sight of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky walking down the tunnel, a comforting hand over his shoulder, after the goalkeeper was brutally substituted in the 16th minute after two calamitous slips in an opening 45 minutes like no other. The Czech’s Champions League debut went horribly wrong and now Tottenham not only face having to play a second-leg tie against Atletico Madrid when already 5-2 down but also likely face an inquisition over head coach Igor Tudor’s call to haul off his 22-year-old goalkeeper with the game in its infancy. …”
“On a dramatic night at St James’ Park, Newcastle United looked like they had secured a famous victory over Barcelona only to be denied by a penalty deep into stoppage time. With the last kick of the game, Lamine Yamal converted a spot kick after Malick Thiaw tripped Dani Olmo inside the box. It meant honours were even in a thrilling first leg of this last-16 Champions League tie. Newcastle looked to have won it when Harvey Barnes scored from close range from Jacob Murphy’s cross. By the time the hosts finally scored, they had missed a host of chances as they repeatedly used their pace to get in behind the high line of Barcelona’s defence. …”
Virgil van Dijk and Galatasaray’s match winner, Mario Lemina
“The shock value is notable. The Serie A champions not making it through the Champions League league phase. The current best in class and league leaders by 10 points 
“Atletico Madrid’s 7-4 aggregate Champions League play-off round victory over Club Brugge sees Diego Simeone’s new-look side roll on to face either Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the last 16, and comes as veteran attacker Antoine Griezmann mulls a possible move to MLS. The build-up to Tuesday’s game 
“Tonight’s Champions League match between Real Madrid and Benfica sees Jose Mourinho return to the Bernabeu for the first time since his turbulent spell at the Spanish club from 2010 to 2013. He does so in dramatic circumstances. Last Tuesday’s knockout phase play-off first leg between the teams saw Mourinho sent off for protesting from the sidelines during a 1-0 defeat for his Portuguese side. After the game, he made headlines around the world with his comments about the alleged racist abuse of Madrid forward Vinicius Jr by Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni. …”
“The year that Inter last won the Champions League, their historic treble season of 2009-10, Bodo/Glimt finished sixth in the Norwegian second division. We could be here for quite a while, listing ways to measure the gulf in the respective sizes and international reputations of these two clubs, but that seems as good as any. One of the most historic and storied football clubs to ever exist — 20-time Serie A champions and three-time European champions — were beaten on Tuesday, and beaten easily, by ‘a team from a small town up north’, as their head coach, Kjetil Knutsen, put it after the game. …”
One of the biggest cheers of the night from Benfica fans was the introduction of their young Black striker Arthur Cabral
La Liga has reacted to 26 instances of racist abuse towards Vinicius Junior
“Xabi Alonso’s response to a question about his preferred playing style in his first press conference as Real Madrid head coach last May was instructive. … Alvaro Arbeloa’s response to the same question seven-and-a-half months later, after being promoted to the first-team job from coaching in the club’s academy in the wake of Alonso’s January 12 sacking, was much simpler. …”
“… Anatoliy Trubin has had a bit more time to process what happened in the 98th minute of Benfica’s final Champions League group game against Real Madrid. But it still doesn’t feel entirely real. To recap: because of injuries and a couple of VAR reviews in the first half, the game was still going six or seven minutes after every other fixture on the last, chaotic day of the group stage had finished. That meant Benfica knew what they had to do to make it into the playoffs for the knockout stages. Well, in theory they did. …”
“When UEFA changed the format of the Champions League, it was for nights like this. The Swiss model, now more famous than Swiss Cottage station on the London Tube network but not yet as famous as Swiss cheese, replaced the old eight groups of four model (less catchy) in 2024. The final day was pretty good last year, with 64 goals in the 18 games, but no big teams dropped out and the big will-they-won’t-they? of the night saw Paris Saint-Germain stroll past Stuttgart 4-1 to avoid an early elimination (wonder what happened to them). …”
“Liverpool had just secured a 3-0 win away at Marseille in the UEFA Champions League last Wednesday when the text message landed on Jamie Carragher’s phone. The former Liverpool defender was in the middle of post-match analysis on CBS Sports in the United States but his mother, Paula, stole the show. ‘Oh my god,’ she wrote. ‘What a win! Been at the theatre, just seen the score, made up!’ Encouraged by his co-analyst Micah Richards (known as Big Meeks at CBS towers), 
“Whatever Hansi Flick said in the Barcelona dressing room at half time, it worked wonders. Having gone 1-0 down to Copenhagen in the fourth minute, goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford steered the Catalans into the Champions League last 16 with a 4-1 home victory on Wednesday night. It means Barca avoid having to contest a play-off to reach the knockout stages proper, after a win that moved them up into the top eight of the league phase table. For Copenhagen, a spirited and battling display ultimately ends with defeat and elimination. …”
“A 3-2 Chelsea win in Naples has sealed a top-eight finish in the Champions League for the Premier League side and eliminated their opponents from the competition, as Liam Rosenior’s promising start at the club continues. It was advantage Chelsea early on, after Enzo Fernandez’s 19th-minute penalty put the London side 1-0 up. Napoli were unhappy with the decision to penalise Juan Jesus — jumping up from his position in a defensive wall — for handball. And the home side seemingly used that sense of injustice to shake off their lethargy, with the rest of the first half a consistent stream of Napoli attacks. …”
“Newcastle and Paris Saint-Germain are both now in the Champions League knockout phase play-offs after a tense 1-1 draw at Parc des Princes. Both went into the game in the top eight teams — who go straight to the last 16 — but results elsewhere mean they will need two-legged play-offs to advance further. Vitinha put PSG ahead with a beautifully-placed finish after Ousmane Dembele had missed an early penalty given harshly against Lewis Miley for a handball. And though the hosts dominated the majority of the first half, Joe Willock headed in an equaliser just before the break with Newcastle’s first shot on target. …”
Qarabag celebrate their win against Eintracht Frankfurt
“So much for Liverpool having turned a corner. The hope provided by an impressive Champions League triumph over Marseille in midweek was whipped away by a dismal Premier League defeat at the hands of Bournemouth. One step forward, two steps back. This was another act of self-sabotage for their collection as Arne Slot’s side rallied from 2-0 down to restore parity, only to capitulate late on when Amine Adli bundled home the winner from a long throw-in. It’s the fifth time this season Liverpool have conceded a result-defining goal deep into stoppage time, with a total of seven points frittered away. How costly they could prove to be. …”
Galatasaray should now make the play-offs, despite a tricky-looking final-day trip to Manchester City “We are down to next Wednesday’s final-day bonanza in the Champions League, with 18 simultaneous games to close out the initial league phase. Seven matchdays in, only Arsenal and Bayern Munich have guaranteed spots in the round of 16 in March. Third-placed Real Madrid and Juventus in 15th are separated by just three points, and with some of the teams in-between them playing each other in the final round of matches, expect the table to undergo a bewildering amount of change during Matchday 8. …”
“It is almost three years since a stark verdict was delivered on the chaotic scenes that preceded the 2022 Champions League final in Paris. ‘It is remarkable that no one lost their lives,’ concluded an independent review of that fraught evening that ended with Real Madrid beating Liverpool. UEFA, as event organisers, was found to 
“Emiliano Buendia crashed home a stoppage-time winner to stun leaders Arsenal and end their 18-match unbeaten run. Trailing at half-time to Matty Cash’s opener at Villa Park, Arsenal were far from their best but looked set to take a point thanks to substitute Leandro Trossard’s 52nd-minute equaliser. But Villa were not to be denied, with Buendia coming off the bench to hammer a shot beyond David Raya following an almighty scramble. …”
“When you are called out by your head coach for the ‘ridiculous’ number of goals the team has conceded so far this season, the ideal response is not to let in another four in the next game. Arne Slot did not mince his words when talking about his Liverpool side’s defensive record this season ahead of the Champions League tie against Dutch visitors PSV on Wednesday. …”
“Declan Rice took the captain’s armband after Bukayo Saka was substituted, charged down a loose ball and seconds later Arsenal were ahead through Noni Madueke in the 69th minute. Gabriel Martinelli then made it 3-1 seven minutes later, with Bayern Munich cut apart by a through ball and the substitute doing the rest. 
“Liverpool fell to a shock 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday night to make it three defeats in a row. After a handball by Virgil van Dijk, Ivan Perisic scored a sixth-minute penalty to put PSV Eindhoven ahead. But the hosts levelled in the 16th minute after Cody Gakpo dribbled down the left before cutting inside on his right foot. His shot was saved, but the ball fell to Dominik Szoboszlai, who fired home to level the game. …”
“Tottenham may have put in a more positive display against PSG than against Arsenal on Sunday, but they came away from Paris defeated in an eight-goal thriller despite twice taking the lead. Richarlison headed in during the first half after a great team move from Spurs before an incredible strike from Vitinha just before half-time drew the hosts level. Randal Kolo Muani, playing against his parent club, put Spurs back in front before Vitinha again drew the teams level with another lovely finish. Two poor goals to concede followed, though, as the early promise from Spurs evaporated. Kolo Muani made it 4-3 before Vitinha completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after a handball. PSG then had Lucas Hernandez sent off in stoppage time. …”
“Barcelona came from behind three times against Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, drawing 3-3 in Belgium in what will surely be one of the games of the season. Sometimes matches take a while to get going, but not this one. Nicolo Tresoldi put the hosts one up after six minutes, only to see Ferran Torres equalise two minutes later. But the home side quickly realised that Barcelona’s defensive line was very much there to be got at, and the excellent Carlos Forbs restored Club Brugge’s lead after 17 minutes thanks to a swift transition. …”
“If 
“‘I don’t read the papers,’ Igor Tudor insisted. But the Juventus coach clearly does pay attention to what is said about him and his team. An innocuous question about how he planned to approach Wednesday’s game against Real Madrid got a six-minute answer. Tudor wanted “intellectual honesty” from the press pack that followed Juventus from Turin. Analysis of a six-game winless streak had, in the papers he doesn’t read, been unfair and lacking in context. …”
Scissors Kick 