Real Madrid dump Man City out of Champions League once more

Real Madrid dumped 10-man Manchester City out of the Champions League for the fourth time in five seasons as a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium completed a 5-1 aggregate victory for the Spanish giants.

City had to make history in overturning a 3-0 first leg deficit against the 15-time European champions, but a difficult task became an impossible one when captain Bernardo Silva was shown an early red card for handling the ball on his own line.

Vinicius Junior converted from the spot to kill the tie as a contest as City exited to Madrid for the third consecutive year.

Erling Haaland levelled for City before half-time, but Vinicius won the game with virtually the final kick off the ball.

City’s season is at risk of coming off the rails.

Winless in three games, Pep Guardiola’s men must raise themselves for the League Cup final against Arsenal on Sunday.

They also trail the Gunners by nine points in the Premier League title race and host Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals next month.

Once again City’s quest for Champions League glory came unstuck as Madrid proved they have the knack for finding their best come the knockout stages of this competition, despite unconvincing form in La Liga.

Alvaro Arbeloa could afford to leave Kylian Mbappe on the bench on his return from injury, while Jude Bellingham could also be back fit by the time they face a likely quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

City needed a fast start to have any chance of becoming the first side to ever overturn a three-goal deficit against Madrid in European competition, but nearly found themselves further behind inside a minute.

Federico Valverde was the unlikely Real hero last week with the first hat-trick of his career.

The Uruguayan had an easier chance than for any of his three goals at the Santiago Bernabeu seven days ago, but fired meekly into the arms of Gianluigi Donnarumma after his run from midfield went untracked.

Haaland subbed 

City did briefly threaten to bring the tie to life but came up against a familiar foe in Thibaut Courtois.

The giant Belgian goalkeeper repelled efforts from Rayan Cherki and Rodri before Madrid’s threat on the counter-attack killed off any lingering City hopes.

Vinicius had initially been flagged offside in the build up before his effort was turned wide by Silva’s left arm.

But a VAR review established the Brazilian was onside and left referee Clement Turpin with little choice but to dismiss the City captain and point to the penalty spot.

Donnarumma saved a Vinicius penalty in the first leg, but this time was sent the wrong way from the spot.

Vinicius should have added plenty more to his 15 goals this season as City pushed forward and left themselves exposed at the back.

Twice he fired off target with just Donnarumma to beat before half-time.

Haaland now has 43 for club and country, but had netted just twice from open play in his previous 18 games.

Even when the Norwegian did equalise, it came from a mishit as he scuffed a shot past Courtois from Jeremy Doku’s cross.

Courtois failed to reappear for the second half, but his deputy Andriy Lunin twice denied Haaland a double.

Haaland was then replaced before the hour mark as Guardiola’s mind turned towards Wembley at the weekend.

Both sides had two goals ruled out for offside before Vinicius finally had one count when he swept home Aurelien Tchouameni’s cross deep into stoppage time.

Guardiola has refused to quell speculation this could be his last season after a decade in Manchester.

If it is, his return of just one Champions League crown is one of the few disappointments of a golden era for a club that has traditionally lived in the shadow of neighbours Manchester United.

Clinical PSG bury Chelsea to reach Champions League quarter finals

Paris Saint-Germain snuffed out any chance of a Chelsea comeback with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia among the scorers in a clinical 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday which took the holders through to the Champions League quarter-finals 8-2 on aggregate.

The Georgian’s early opener was soon followed by a brilliant Bradley Barcola strike, quickly ending Chelsea’s hopes of turning around their 5-2 deficit from the first leg of the last-16 tie last week.

Substitute Senny Mayulu then fired in PSG’s third in the second half, as Luis Enrique’s men march on to a last-eight tie next month against either Liverpool or Galatasaray — the Turkish side go to Anfield with a 1-0 first-leg advantage on Wednesday.

PSG’s dream of retaining the Champions League title remains very much alive, a year after winning the trophy for the first time in their history.

The Qatar-backed side’s comprehensive victory in this tie gives them revenge for their loss to the Blues in last July’s Club World Cup final, and indicates that they might be finding their very best form again at just the right time.

“It is amazing. To score three goals away against Chelsea is good and the important thing is that we continue to play very well, so we have to keep going like this,” Kvaratskhelia told broadcaster Canal Plus.

This was their fourth win in a two-legged knockout tie against Premier League opposition since the start of last year, but while that record is impressive, Chelsea looked a long way short of the level required in Europe’s elite club competition.

Liam Rosenior’s team never really appeared to believe they could come back from their collapse six days ago at the Parc des Princes, when they conceded three late goals to go from 2-2 to 5-2 down.

“A tough night. We knew it was a tough ask and then we started the game in the manner that we did,” Rosenior told TNT Sports.

Their attention will now turn back to the fight to qualify for the Champions League again next season, after a miserable week in which two defeats against PSG have come either side of a loss at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League.

“When you go through a difficult run, you have to make sure your habits are right,” Rosenior added.

“We have a really difficult game at Everton (on Saturday) and we have to be at our best to get a result there.”

Robert Sanchez started in goal here, as he had done at the weekend, after Filip Jorgensen replaced the Spaniard and was at fault for PSG’s crucial third goal in the first leg.

No chance 

PSG, meanwhile, gave a start to Kvaratskhelia after he came off the bench to score a late double in Paris which swung the tie decisively his team’s way.

The Parisians also made the trip undoubtedly feeling fresher after their scheduled weekend Ligue 1 game against Nantes was called off to aid their preparations.

Within six minutes here they were ahead as Mamadou Sarr — making his Champions League debut — misjudged a long kick downfield from PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov and Kvaratskhelia outmuscled the young Chelsea defender before beating Sanchez.

The second goal came on the quarter-hour, with Warren Zaire-Emery supplying Achraf Hakimi on the right and the Moroccan finding Barcola who controlled on the edge of the box before sending a superb strike into the top-left corner.

The tie was as good as over at that point, and home fans began flooding for the exits when the third goal arrived just after the hour mark.

Kvaratskhelia did the spadework this time down the left before his ball into the middle fell to Mayulu — the 19-year-old, who replaced Joao Neves at half-time, gave Sanchez no chance with a lethal first-time strike.

That was the 65th goal Chelsea have conceded this season, and a miserable evening for them was then compounded when Trevoh Chalobah was stretchered off late on, leaving the hosts to finish the game with 10 men as they had used all their substitutes.

Rosenior said the defender had a sprained ankle and that he was “praying it’s nothing too serious.”

Eze rocket fires Arsenal into Champions League quarters

Arsenal eased into the Champions League quarter-finals as Eberechi Eze’s stunning strike inspired a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the last-16 second leg on Tuesday.

Often derided for winning in ugly fashion this season, Mikel Arteta’s side produced a pair of eye-catching goals to seal their 3-1 aggregate victory at the Emirates Stadium.

Eze broke the deadlock with a long-range rocket late in the first half and Declan Rice’s composed finish killed off outclassed Leverkusen after the interval.

Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s late penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw in the first leg last week, but they were far more commanding in the rematch as they reached the quarter-finals for a third successive season.

Beaten by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals last season, Arsenal will face Sporting Lisbon in the last eight after the Portuguese team’s remarkable recovery from a three-goal first leg deficit to beat Bodo/Glimt 5-3 on aggregate.

The Gunners crushed Sporting 5-1 in Lisbon in the group stage last season.

Brushing aside Leverkusen was ideal preparation for Arsenal’s bid to win a first trophy in six years against Manchester City in the League Cup final at Wembley on Sunday.

Quadruple-chasing Arsenal, whose last silverware came in the 2020 FA Cup, sit nine points clear of second-placed City at the top of the Premier League as they chase a first English title in 22 years.

They are also set to meet second tier Southampton in the FA Cup quarter-finals later in April.

It is shaping up to be an incredible campaign for Arsenal, who have never won the Champions League, losing their only final appearance against Barcelona in 2006.

After netting against Everton on Sunday to become the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history, 16-year-old Max Dowman was on the bench.

Arsenal had no need for the teen sensation as they put Leverkusen to the sword.

Relentless Arsenal 

A tidal wave of red poured towards the Leverkusen area right from the start and Gabriel Magalhaes should have done better than head wide from Bukayo Saka’s corner.

Leandro Trossard’s stinging strike from the edge of the area forced a fine save from Janis Blaswich.

Attacking with intelligence and pace, Arsenal were tearing through the Leverkusen defence.

Saka headed straight at Blaswich before Trossard’s low strike from close-range forced a superb save from the Leverkusen keeper.

Blaswich came to Leverkusen’s rescue yet again as he blocked Trossard’s close-range shot and saved Ben White’s effort from the rebound.

It needed something special to beat the inspired Blaswich and Eze delivered as Arsenal’s pressure was finally rewarded in the 36th minute.

Eze took a touch on the edge of the area and swivelled to unleash a blistering strike that whistled past Blaswich into the top corner.

The only thing Eze got wrong was his celebration, with the midfielder mistakenly pointing to the Adidas logo on his shirt instead of the Arsenal badge.

More importantly, the 27-year-old’s first Champions League goal extended his recent revival after a disappointing start to his first season with the Gunners following his summer move from Crystal Palace.

Suffocating the life out of Leverkusen with their relentless pressing, Arsenal almost doubled their lead early in the second half as Trossard’s curler flashed over.

They didn’t have to wait long to finish off the Germans as Rice struck in the 63rd minute.

Stealing possession deep in the Leverkusen half, Rice advanced to the edge of the area before caressing a clinical finish past Blaswich for his first Champions League goal this season.

Sporting Lisbon thrash Bodo/Glimt to reach Champions League quarters

Sporting Lisbon made an impressive comeback to hammer Norwegian giantkillers Bodo/Glimt 5-0 on Tuesday and reach the Champions League quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.

After a 3-0 last 16 first leg defeat last week north of the Arctic Circle, Sporting produced a ruthless display in Portugal to book a spot in the last eight for the first time since the 1982/83 season.

Bodo/Glimt have drawn admirers across the world for their superb performances in this season’s Champions League but once Goncalo Inacio opened the scoring, the Portuguese champions never looked back.

Pedro Goncalves and Luis Suarez netted to force extra-time and Maximiliano Araujo scored in the 92nd minute to put Sporting ahead for the first time in the tie, before Rafael Nel smashed home a fifth late on.

“We had the right intensity and energy, we did what we didn’t do there,” forward Francisco Trincao told Sport TV.

“We had a different energy, a different kind of joy, and we played a historic game.

“Everyone believed, the fans also made us feel that energy, and during the game as time went on we realised we were capable and we carried that through to the end.”

Bodo/Glimt shocked last season’s runners-up Inter Milan in the play-off round and defeated Manchester City and Atletico Madrid in the league phase before that.

Those astonishing results were followed up by the first leg rout of Sporting at the Norwegians’ 8,000-capacity Aspmyra Stadium, giving Kjetil Knutsen’s side a tantalising sight of the last eight.

Perhaps it daunted them, as they seemed to be playing with fear from the start in Lisbon.

“We’ve had a fantastic journey, then we enter a game where it seems to me that we’re not playing the game, we’re playing the opportunity — and that opportunity is going to be too big for us,” Knutsen told TV2.

“We were thinking about the consequences from the first kick… we were so far from our identity.”

The hosts dominated, racking up shots at nearly the same rate the Norwegian side were completing passes in the opening phases.

Around 2,000 Bodo/Glimt fans made the long trek to Jose Alvalade stadium, where their dream was mercilessly crushed under the rain.

Ruthless rout 

Knutsen selected the same line-up for the sixth Champions League match running, a competition record. Rui Borges’s Sporting peppered the Bodo/Glimt goal, with Nikita Haikin saving from Colombian striker Suarez early on.

Kasper Hogh, who scored in the first leg, had a fine chance to send the visitors ahead against the run of play at the other end but dragged his shot a long way wide.

Former Barcelona forward Trincao’s effort was deflected off-target, but he helped create the opener with a corner. Inacio rose highest to nod home and start Sporting’s comeback.

Bodo/Glimt almost pulled back level but Odin Bjortuft headed against the crossbar, with the ball flying upwards and then dropping downwards onto the woodwork again, before Sporting were able to recover.

The Portuguese side forged their second goal just after the hour mark with Suarez racing in down the right and pulling the ball across for Goncalves to tap home.

The comeback was well and truly on and Suarez got in on the action himself with a penalty after 78 minutes, following a handball by Fredrik Andre Bjorkan.

Bodo/Glimt held on to force extra-time but after just two minutes of it Araujo fired home, drilling inside Haikin at the near post for Sporting’s fourth.

Sporting wisely kept control through the rest of the additional period and wrapped things up at the death when Nel rifled into the top corner.

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