Champions League Semifinal Matchups Set

After some spirited, high-octane action on the pitch this week, we’ve reached the final four of the Champions League. The semifinal ties get underway starting April 28-29 and draw to a close a week later. Of course, the winners of those matchups battle for the Champions League title. With that said, let’s take a look at what went down in the quarters and who faces off in the semifinals.

Arsenal Advances

Arsenal has struggled recently in domestic play but has been very good in the Champions League. After besting Sporting CP 1-0 in the first leg on a Kai Havertz goal in stoppage time on the road. That gave them the advantage entering the second leg as that gave them a one-goal advantage in the aggregate.

In the second leg at Anfield, we saw a pretty evenly matched contest with neither side getting much in the way of good scoring chances. Arsenal owned a 15-8 advantage in shot attempts but both sides finished with just one shot on target. Martín Zubimendi had the Gunners’ lone shot on target in the 30th minute that was stopped by Rui Silva. Sporting had a shot that rang off the post in the 43rd minute by Geny Catamo.  Maxi Araujo was turned away by David Raya in the 67th minute. Leandro Trossard matched Catamo’s effort, clanking off the post with a header in the 84th minute. That was the best chance for the Gunners and the last best chance for either side. The match ended as a 0-0 draw and Arsenal advanced based on a 1-0 aggregate.

As for who Arsenal faces in the semifinals, read on.

Atlético Madrid Staves Off Barcelona

Atlético Madrid took the opening leg in the tie by prevailing 2-0 in a game where Barcelona complained about officiating. In that match, Atleti got goals from Julián Álvarez in the 45th minute and Alexander Sørloth in the 70th minute of play. Those two goals came after Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí was given a red card in the 44th minute of play. That put Atlético Madrid in the driver’s seat heading into the second leg.

In the second leg, Barcelona came out storming right from the opening kickoff. Lamine Yamal gave Barca a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute of play. Ferran Torres made it a 2-0 game with a goal in the 24th minute, to even the aggregate at 2-2. Ademola Lookman got Atleti on the board in the 31st minute of play. More importantly, it gave Atleti a 3-2 advantage in the aggregate. After that blazing start by both sides, neither side scored the rest of the way. That made Lookman’s goal the decisive one and moved Atlético Madrid on to the semifinals against Arsenal.

Paris Saint-Germain Rolls On

Paris Saint-Germain is the defending Champions League title holder and they took care of business in the quarterfinals to advance. In the first leg of the quarterfinals, Paris Saint-Germain completely stifled Liverpool to earn the win. Désiré Doué gave them a 1-0 advantage with his tally in the 11th minute. He nearly made it a 2-0 margin just before the half but was stopped by Giorgi Mamardashvili. That left the score 1-0 at the half. Paris Saint-Germain continued their attack in the second half with relentless pressure. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled PSG’s advantage in the 65th minute as he found the back of the net.

With a two-goal advantage in their pocket, PSG was playing with house money. Liverpool was aggressive in the opening half but came up empty, leaving the match scoreless at the half. In the second half, Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring in the 72nd minute to give PSG a 1-0 advantage. That gave them a 3-0 aggregate edge in the contest. Dembélé tallied a second goal in stoppage time to bury the Reds and send Paris Saint-Germain on to the semifinals.

Their opponent? One of the most prolific offensive sides on the continent.

Bayern Munich’s Offensive Assault Carries the Day

Bayern Munich is an explosive offensive attack and their battle with Real Madrid was a marquee matchup. In the first leg of the quarterfinals, Bayern Munich got a goal from Luis Díaz in the 41st minute to take a 1-0 edge at the half. Harry Kane made it a 2-0 game in the 46th minute before Kylian Mbappé tallied in the 74th minute for Real Madrid. That gave Bayern Munich a 2-1 edge in the aggregate heading into the second leg.

Die Roten knew they were going to get Real Madrid’s best shot and they were in a slugfest that wasn’t decided until the end. After giving up a goal just 34 seconds into the match on a Manuel Neuer giveaway, Aleksandar Pavlovic tied the game in the sixth minute. Arda Güler made it 2-1 Real Madrid with his second goal of the match in the 29th minute. Kane answered in the 38th minute before Mbappé gave Real Madrid a 3-2 lead at the half with his marker in the 42nd minute. It also leveled the aggregate at 4-4.

That score held up until the late stages of the match. Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid was given a red card in the 86th minute. Diaz scored his second goal of the match in the 89th minute to tie the match. More importantly, it gave Bayern Munich a 5-4 advantage in the aggregate. Michael Olise scored in stoppage time to give Bayern the win  in the leg and a 6-4 edge in the aggregate. Bayern Munich now faces PSG in the semifinals.