Champions League Quarter-Final Leg One Overview

The Champions League quarters have officially finished their first leg. With eight teams left, and four stellar match ups, we have shocking results that have come after great football matches.

Here is a brief overview of the first leg what we can expect from the second leg of the highest level of continental European football.

In a very largely anticipated match, the Spanish champions face off against the English champions in the first leg at the Ethiad.

City ended up winning the game with a 1-0 score, after a fantastic goal from superstar Kevin De Bruyne, after a slicing pass from English superstar Phil Foden.

Simeone’s team prioritized a defensive, which should not have been a surprise, however they did have Felix and Griezmann in offensive positions looking to break on the counter. Focusing on defense and structure meant giving up possession which allowed the Cityzens to do what they do best, which is to hold the ball and control the game. City had roughly 71% possession during the game and dominated all major statistical categories.

At times it felt like Atletico were just playing for the tie, meanwhile City were playing to break down a wall.

Given the circumstance of City being up 1-0 on aggregate and Atleti’s lack of offense during the first leg. It is likely that City hold out during the second leg, and just attempt to maintain possession, thus prevent Atletico to score in their own stadium.

The second game of the UCL this week was the first leg between Benfica and Liverpool. Benfica were clearly the underdogs in this two legged affair and have struggled in domestic competition, however Liverpool have been gaining form domestically and are clearly have their eyes set on major trophies this season.

Liverpool ended up winning the game 3-1 with goals from Konate, Mane, and Luis Diaz. While Darwin Nunez got the lone goal for the eagles.

Benfica goalkeeper Vlachodimos was very busy, but held up excellently as he was bombarded with shots from likely the deepest attack in the world (at the moment). The former Porto winger Luis Diaz got a goal and an assist during his stellar performance in this game against his old club’s former rivals.

For the second leg, it is likely that Liverpool dominate once again in their own building and advance in the next round of the Champions League. Klopp’s side have been picking up form as of late and are likely even hungrier next week.

In what was most likely the biggest shock of the Champions League this week was Villareal beating Bayern Munich to the score of 1-0.

Emery’s side go up 1-0 in the first leg, which was played in their home building to the surprise of football fans across the world. The lone goal was scored by Danjuma in the 8th minute of play.

Meanwhile Julian Nagelsmann’s team drastically needs to improve performance, given the potential and the talent on this world class team.

This was Alphonso Davies’ first game back after suffering a four month injury. During this game, Davies was likely Bayern’s best player, being explosive down the left hand side. But the Bavarian offense was just shut down by Emery’s defensive system.

For the next leg, the teams will be playing in the Allianz Arena in Munich, and it is likely that the Bavarians find a way through. Given the talent on Nagelsmann’s side, it is unlikely that they are unable to find a goal to tie, and another to seal the semi-final appearance.

In most likely the biggest game of the week, the current European Champions Chelsea face off against the 13 times winners Real Madrid.

This game is highlighted by Karim Benzema’s individual performance as he scored three goals in this match. This would also be the second hat-trick he has in two UCL games in a row, as he had previously scored a hat-trick to eliminate PSG from the competition in the previous round.

German superstar Kai Havertz scored in the 40th minute to bring the Blues within one, but Benzema picked off the ball in the offensive third and scored his hat trick early in the second half.

Tuchel’s side was weak defensively as Benzema and Vinicius were often open for chances, and they capitalized heavily in this first leg. Oddly enough, Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a shockingly shaky performance, which is unusual given his form over the past two seasons.

Chelsea are defiantly fighting an uphill battle for the next leg, especially as they will be playing in Spain, however they dominated most stat categories. It is not impossible for Chelsea to comeback and it should not be completely ruled out. However, it is likely that Los Blancos will be making a semi-final appearance after the first leg.