A thrilling Champions League night saw Bayern Munich dismantle Bayer Leverkusen 3-0, effectively securing a place in the quarterfinals. Liverpool, outplayed for most of the game, stunned PSG with a late winner at Parc des Princes. Meanwhile, Barcelona, despite playing over an hour with ten men, pulled off a remarkable victory in Lisbon, setting themselves up for a strong return leg.
From the opening whistle, Bayern imposed their dominance. Just nine minutes in, Harry Kane rose above Hincapié and powered a header into the net from an Olise cross. Leverkusen attempted to fight back, with Musiala rattling the crossbar, but their hopes were dashed in the 54th minute when goalkeeper Kovar fumbled a routine high ball, allowing Musiala to slot home the second goal. The visitors’ night went from bad to worse as Mukiele picked up a second yellow card in the 62nd minute, reducing them to ten men. The knockout punch came in the 73rd minute when VAR alerted the referee to a foul on Kane in the box. The English striker coolly converted the penalty, sealing a dominant 3-0 win. Palhinha nearly added a fourth in stoppage time, hitting the woodwork, but Bayern had already wrapped up the tie.
At Parc des Princes, PSG controlled possession and created chance after chance, but their wastefulness proved costly. Joao Neves missed an open goal, and Kvaratskhelia had a stunning strike ruled out for a marginal offside. The French side continued to push, but an inspired Alisson kept them at bay, making crucial saves, including a last-ditch stop on Barcola.
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Despite dominating the game, PSG suffered a brutal blow in the 87th minute. A long clearance from Alisson found Nunez, who played Elliott into space inside the box. The youngster kept his composure and slotted home the only shot on target Liverpool managed all game, handing Jurgen Klopp’s side a smash-and-grab victory in Paris.
In Lisbon, Barcelona started strong and nearly went ahead through Lewandowski, but disaster struck in the 21st minute. Cubarsí saw red for a last-man challenge on Pavlidis, forcing the visitors to play over an hour with ten men. Benfica looked to take advantage but struggled to break through a resilient Barcelona defense.
Then, in the 61st minute, a misplaced pass in the Benfica backline gifted the ball to Raphinha, who unleashed a clinical strike from distance to give Barcelona the lead. The hosts thought they had a lifeline when Belotti won a penalty, but VAR ruled him offside in the build-up. Now, Benfica faces an uphill battle at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, needing a big turnaround to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
