UCL R16 Roundup: ‘Kings of Europe’ Real Madrid state improbable comeback and other results
In yet another fascinating round of UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 fixtures, we witnessed four enthralling games of football. The highlight certainly was Real Madrid’s triumph, who overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Paris Saint-German 3-2 on aggregate. Joining Los Blancos in the quarter-finals will be German champions Bayern Munich and the current tip two teams from England, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Bayern Munich vs RB Salzburg (8-1 Agg.)
Despite having a comparatively much weaker team than their opposition on paper, Austrian side RB Salzburg gave German giants Bayern Munich a run for their money in the first leg, where they restricted the Bavarians to a 1-1 stalemate.
Many expected the second leg to provide fans with another closely-contested encounter, but it was not to be as Bayern Munich registered a comfortable 7-1 triumph. Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick for Julian Nagelsmann’s team, two of which came from penalties.
Besides the Polish goal-machine, Thomas Muller got a brace for Bayern whilst Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane scored one goal apiece. As for Salzburg, Mauritz Kjaergaard’s goal is the solitary position aspect from the game.
Liverpool vs Inter Milan (2-1 Agg.)
Like big teams often do, Liverpool half-killed their tie against Inter Milan in the first leg itself, where they emerged as 2-0 winners. However, despite playing in front of their fans in a pack Anfield, the Reds only narrowly managed to confirm their quarter-final berth.
The Nerazzurri dominated the proceedings right from the first minute and created chances aplenty. After wasting all of their opportunities in the first half, Simone Inzaghi’s men finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute, courtesy of a fantastic strike from Lautaro Martinez. Inter Milan was looking good for a second goal at that stage, but Alexis Sanchez’s red card a couple of minutes after the goal made the challenge too difficult to overcome for them.
Manchester City vs Sporting Club de Portugal (5-0 Agg.)
Manchester City’s story is similar to that of English rivals Liverpool’s. They too came into the second leg tie with an advantage – not of only two goals, but a massive five-goal advantage. Hence, the second leg tie was pretty much a dead rubber.
A few goals could have sparked life in an otherwise bland affair, but that was not the case as the match ended in a goalless stalemate. The Cityzens took as many as fourteen shots, albeit without finding the back of the net even once.
Real Madrid vs Paris Saint-Germain (3-2 Agg.)
At 34 years of age, Karim Benzema is the oldest player to score a Champions League hat-trick
Around three decades earlier, former Real Madrid player Juanito said “Ninety minutes in the Bernabeu is a very long time,” as Los Blancos overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Inter Milan 3-2. Paris Saint-Germain is the latest entrant on the list of teams who have understood and experienced that quote.
Real Madrid came into the second leg with a one-goal deficit, and two of their crucial players in Casemiro and Ferland Mendy were unavailable for this clash. To top it all off, the French giants drew first blood in the match as took the lead through Kylian Mbappe’s goal in the 39th minute.
Just when it seemed that the match is as good as over, Carlo Ancelotti’s men made a fascinating comeback, proving yet again why Real Madrid have earned the title of ‘Kings of Europe.’ Karim Benzema struck three goals in a space of 17 minutes as the hosts won 3-2 on aggregate.