Champions League Archives

Liverpool survive late collapse to book Champions League semi-final berth

ANFIELD: Liverpool booked a Champions League semi-final showdown against Villarreal as the quadruple chasers survived a late collapse in Wednesday’s 3-3 draw against Benfica.

Jurgen Klopp’s side already had one foot in the last four after winning 3-1 in the quarter-final first leg in Lisbon.

Despite two late goals from Benfica at Anfield in the second leg, Liverpool advanced 6-4 on aggregate thanks to Roberto Firmino’s double and Ibrahima Konate’s opener.

Liverpool were on cruise control for long spells in the second leg here but had to hold their nerve before advancing 6-4 on aggregate after an uncharacteristic meltdown in the closing stages.

Ibrahima Konate put Liverpool ahead before Goncalo Ramos equalised late in the first half.

When Roberto Firmino netted twice after the interval, the tie looked all but over.

However, Roman Yaremchuk and Darwin Nunez struck for Benfica to briefly give the visitors hope of an astonishing escape act, before Liverpool finally restored order.

The Reds will face Spanish side Villarreal in the semi-finals as they look to reach their 10th Champions League final and claim the seventh title in the competition.

Despite Villarreal’s impressive wins over Bayern Munich and Juventus in the last two rounds, Liverpool will be firm favourites to make a third Champions League final in the last five seasons.

Liverpool sit one point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after Sunday’s draw against their title rivals.

In the midst of a run that will define Liverpool’s season, Klopp was able to keep Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Virgil Van Dijk fresh as he started with his stars on the bench ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

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Benzema sinks brave Chelsea in extra time as Madrid reach semi-finals

MADRID: Luka Modric turned the tie and Karim Benzema settled it as Real Madrid held off a sensational fightback from Chelsea on Tuesday to win an enthralling Champions League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate.

Chelsea wiped out Madrid’s 3-1 lead from the first leg in stunning fashion at the Santiago Bernabeu as Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner put Europe’s reigning champions on the brink of an incredible victory.

But the 36-year-old Modric intervened with another moment of genius to add to the very best of his glittering career, a sumptuous pass with the outside of his right foot setting up Rodrygo to volley in and sending a nerve-shredding contest into extra time.

After scoring a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, Benzema then stepped forward to claim the winner, the Frenchman capitalising on a Rudiger slip to head in, a 3-2 defeat enough to see Madrid into the semi-finals.

At the final whistle, Modric and Benzema dropped to the floor, their combined 70 years of age belying another two vintage contributions that have dragged Real Madrid in sight of a 14th European Cup.

They will face either Manchester City or rivals Atletico Madrid in the last four.

After being thrashed by Brentford and then outplayed by Madrid in the first leg last week, Chelsea came in rejuvenated after putting six past Southampton in the Premier League last weekend.

Thomas Tuchel said on Monday they would need a “fantastic script” to pull off this comeback and they certainly delivered that, their only failing an inability to prevent Modric and Benzema from doing what they have done so many times before.

Mount’s goal in the 15th minute set the tone, Madrid was immediately consumed by tension and Chelsea was given early hope.

Mateo Kovacic had been key in the build-up but it was Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s quick pass into Werner that caught Madrid cold, the German steering the ball with his knee into the path of Mount, who advanced and fired past Thibaut Courtois.

For 20 minutes, Chelsea were dictating, Madrid pegged back. Reece James was doing a fine job restricting Vinicius Junior, blocking Madrid’s escape route.

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Benzema treble puts Real Madrid in command against Chelsea

LONDON: Karim Benzema’s scored a brilliant hat-trick as he fired Real Madrid to a 3-1 win against Chelsea that put the Champions League holders on the brink of elimination after Wednesday’s quarter-final first leg.

Benzema produced a masterclass at Stamford Bridge as the France striker netted twice in the first half with two perfectly-taken headers.

Kai Havertz reduced the deficit before the interval, but Benzema punished a woeful mistake from Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy in the second half to complete his treble.

It was the sublime Benzema’s second successive Champions League hat-trick after he single-handedly inspired their epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16-second leg.

Ancelotti’s side is in pole position to advance to the semi-finals as they return to Madrid for the second leg on April 12.

After losing to Chelsea in last season’s Champions League semi-finals, Real will have the opportunity to exact revenge at the Bernabeu.

Real won the last of their 13 Champions League titles in 2018 and, while they may not be favourites in this year’s tournament, their ruthless victory in west London was a significant statement of intent from the La Liga leaders.

With 11 goals this term, Benzema has scored more times than any other Frenchman in a single European Cup campaign, moving past Just Fontaine’s 10-goal haul in 1958-59.

“They’re magic nights. Today we came out to win, to show we’re Real Madrid,” Benzema said.

“We played well from the first minute to the last. They’re very important goals.”

Chelsea were a shadow of the supremely organised side that marched to their second Champions League crown last year and won six successive games in all competitions before the recent international break.

In another quarterfinal, Villarreal edged past Bayern Munich by 1-0 as Arnaut Danjuma netted one in the opening minutes of the game.

The defeat ended Bayern’s record run of 22 matches unbeaten away from home in the Champions League.

It was a sequence dating back to September 2017 and a 3-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, at the time coached by current Villarreal boss Unai Emery.

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Atletico blunt Manchester United to make Champions League quarters

STRETFORD: Atletico Madrid drove the final nail in the coffin of a miserable season for Manchester United as Renan Lodi’s header sent the Spanish champions into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford to progress 2-1 on aggregate.

The Brazilian full-back headed in unmarked at the back post four minutes before half-time to end United’s last chance of silverware this season as their drought without a trophy since 2017 goes on.

United now face an uphill task just to get back into the Champions League next season as an under-performing squad filled with star names sits fifth in the Premier League.

Atletico’s own struggles to break into La Liga’s top four this season have shown up their limitations.

But the experience of Diego Simeone’s men in the Champions League knockouts shone through as they comfortably saw the game out to reach the last eight for the sixth time in the last nine seasons.

“We were fully aware that against this team you need to score the first goal yourself,” said United interim boss Ralf Rangnick.

Cristiano Ronaldo had consistently been the scourge of Atletico in the Champions League, twice landing the ultimate blow in final defeats to Real Madrid and scoring a hat-trick for Juventus to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit at this stage three years ago.

However, Simeone’s men finally got one over on the 37-year-old as for the first time in his career he failed to register a shot in a Champions League game in which he played the 90 minutes.

Anthony Elanga came off the bench to salvage a 1-1 draw for United in the Spanish capital three weeks ago and the Swedish teenager had his side’s best chance on 13 minutes.

Diogo Dalot’s low cross picked out Elanga and his goalbound effort rebounded off Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s head to safety.

Atletico had been penned inside their own half for the opening 15 minutes but posed a threat every time they managed to string a few passes together on the counter-attack.

Benzema hat-trick sees Real Madrid knock PSG out of Champions League

MADRID: Real Madrid pulled off one of the great Champions League comebacks on Wednesday as Karim Benzema scored a breathtaking hat-trick to upstage Kylian Mbappe and dump Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) out in the last 16.

Madrid were set to be the latest victims of another Mbappe masterclass at the Santiago Bernabeu after the 23-year-old ran them ragged for the best part of an hour and fired in to put PSG 1-0 up on the night, 2-0 ahead on aggregate.

But Madrid came storming back as Benzema capitalised on a mistake by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and then scored an incredible double in two minutes, the third coming within 11 seconds after PSG had kicked off.

When the full-time whistle confirmed their 3-2 aggregate victory, many of Madrid’s players dropped to their knees and looked up to the sky, as much perhaps in disbelief as joy.

“Every game is a final now for us in the Champions League and La Liga but today we showed that Real Madrid is alive,” said Benzema.

For PSG, it was another epic collapse to add to their growing list of Champions League disappointments, with Mauricio Pochettino’s future as coach immediately cast into doubt.

Even with Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, the Qatari-owned club’s wait for a Champions League crown goes on.

“We didn’t manage our emotions well. We left ourselves exposed,” said Pochettino. “We leave with great pain and disappointment because we didn’t score the goals to reflect our superiority over the two games.”

Pochettino also fumed at referee Danny Makkelie for not whistling for a foul as Benzema challenged Donnarumma before Madrid’s first goal.

“Explaining what happened is easy, there was a foul on Donnarumma during the first goal, and that changed everything,” he said.

All eyes were on Mbappe, who was the only player to be cheered by Madrid’s fans before the game as they were gifted an up-close preview of the player they hope will be theirs this summer.

Mbappe delivered, scoring a superb goal, not to mention a spellbinding second that was disallowed for offside when he bamboozled Thibaut Courtois with a magical dummy.

But what looked set to become an exhibition of the world’s deadliest player instead became another remarkable European night for Real Madrid and another nightmare for PSG.

“We suffered a lot but we endured,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti. “Karim gave us the chance to score the first goal and then the magic came. From then on, there was only one team was on the field.”

Madrid clearly wanted to hit PSG hard from the start and for a while, it worked, Vinicius Junior tearing down the left and Fede Valverde bulldozing through Mbappe.

But the surge was brief, PSG killing Madrid’s momentum, pushing them back and taking complete control.

Mbappe sped clear for the first time in the eighth minute, Neymar curling a ball into the space on the left. The stadium held its breath, Mbappe made room but this time hit Courtois.

PSG were comfortable, dictating the play and sensing the trepidation. Madrid had openings, Benzema curling just wide, but all over the pitch, they looked slower, heavier, more cumbersome.

READ: Lewandowski’s hat-trick powers Bayern to Champions League’s quarters

Lewandowski’s hat-trick powers Bayern to Champions League’s quarters

MUNICH: Robert Lewandowski scored a record-breaking 11-minute hat-trick to send Bayern Munich sailing into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 7-1 win at home to Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday.

The Polish striker had three goals to his name by the 23rd minute — the earliest anyone has ever completed a hat-trick in a Champions League game — as Bayern shook off their early nerves to crush Salzburg.

“This was definitely a statement from us, and it gives us hope that there is more like this to come,” Bayern captain Manuel Neuer told Amazon Prime after his side reached the last eight for a record 20th time.

Austrian champions Salzburg had held Bayern to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but their hopes of an upset in Munich were left in tatters when Lewandowski scored a tap-in and two penalties to send Bayern on their way to a famous victory.

With just ten minutes and 27 seconds between Lewandowski’s first and third goals, it was the fastest of the six hat-tricks the Pole has now scored in the Champions League.

“We knew we had to attack the box early today and get Lewy into the game because he is so hard to defend against,” said Thomas Mueller.

“We all knew how important this game was today. If we had been knocked out, it would have been a very sad next three months for us,” he added.

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