Sports

Arsenal shift aside PSV after winning on aggregate of 9-3 to reach UCL quarter final

Published

5 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Admin

Arsenal drew 2-2 with PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday to complete an emphatic 9-3 aggregate win and set up a Champions League quarter-final against holders Real Madrid.

The Gunners demolished the Dutch champions 7-1 in the Netherlands last week, making the second leg at the Emirates a formality.

Arsenal, who made seven changes from Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United, were quickly out of the blocks, scoring in the sixth minute through Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Croatian veteran Ivan Perisic pulled PSV level on the night with a fine finish past the sprawling David Raya but midfielder Declan Rice headed Arsenal back in front.

PSV, seeking to salvage pride after last week’s humiliation, equalised with 20 minutes to go with a well-taken goal from Couhaib Driouech.

Arsenal, who have never been crowned European champions, will play 15-time winners Real Madrid in the last eight after Carlo Ancelotti’s side squeaked past Atletico Madrid on penalties following a 2-2 draw on aggregate.

The two sides have met just twice previously, with Arsenal winning 1-0 on aggregate in the round of 16 in the 2005/06 season.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said the club should enjoy the achievement of reaching back-to-back quarter-finals for the first time since 2010, when Arsene Wenger was manager of the club.

“That tells you the difficulty of it,” said the Spaniard. “We have to value that and recognise that it is very difficult to do it.

“We’ve done it consistently and now we want to make the next step, which is going to be really difficult, but we are very capable of that.”

Arteta’s men, whose Premier League challenge has fizzled out in recent weeks, were quickly in the driving seat in the second leg against PSV on Wednesday.

Raheem Sterling received the ball on the right of the Arsenal attack and found his former Manchester City team-mate Zinchenko, who glided along the 18-yard box before unleashing a superb left-footed shot past Walter Benitez.

Former Tottenham player Perisic levelled in the 18th minute and Raya had to be alert to produce a fingertip save from the lively Driouech moments later.

But the home side were back in front in the 37th minute

Sterling, who has been out of favour under Arteta despite his lack of forward options, charged down the right and produced a teasing cross that Rice headed home.

Raya produced another fine save 10 minutes into the second half, diving full length to his left to keep out an effort from Isaac Babadi.

But PSV were level with 20 minutes to go after Moroccan youth international Driouech, making his first Champions League start, dinked the ball over the stranded Arsenal goalkeeper.

The Dutch champions were now on top but neither side could find a winner.

The Gunners are realistically out of the Premier League title race with leaders Liverpool 15 points clear at the top.

But they remain on course to win their first-ever Champions League trophy, and their first European silverware since they lifted the now-defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994.

Sports

Real Madrid squeeze past Atletico on penalties to secure Arsenal showdown

Published

9 hours ago

March 13, 2025

Austin Ojomah

Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals after a tense penalty shootout victory over Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano Stadium.

The match began explosively, with Gallagher giving Atletico the lead just 30 seconds into the game, setting the tone for a fiercely contested derby. Despite Vinicius Junior missing a crucial penalty in the 70th minute, Real Madrid managed to keep their composure and force extra time.

After 120 minutes of intense football, the tie was decided from the spot. Lucas Vazquez missed his penalty for Real, while Marcos Llorente failed to convert for Atletico.

A controversial moment arose when Julian Alvarez slipped while taking his penalty, causing the ball to graze his foot twice, leading to its disqualification after a VAR review.

Antonio Rudiger stepped up to take Real’s final penalty and calmly converted, sending Carlo Ancelotti’s side through to the next round.

Real Madrid now face an exciting quarter-final clash against Arsenal, who defeated PSV Eindhoven with an emphatic 9-3 aggregate scoreline. With their European ambitions intact, Los Blancos will look to build on this dramatic victory as they aim for further Champions League glory.

Sports

Just in: Amaju Pinnick’s FIFA dream vanishes, loses re-election bid

Published

19 hours ago

March 12, 2025

Naijablitznews

Ex-Nigeria Football Federation president Amaju Pinnick has lost his re-election bid for the FIFA Council.

He garnered 28 votes during the 14th CAF Extraordinary General Assembly in Cairo, narrowly missing out on a seat by just one vote.

Mauritania’s Yahia Ahmed and Djibouti’s Souleiman Waberi secured the final spots instead.

Pinnick was first elected to the council in 2021 and was the third Nigerian to hold the position.

Sports

UCL Round Of 16 Results as PSG, Barcelona, InterMilan, Bayern Munich advance to QF

Published

1 day ago

March 12, 2025

Austin Ojomah

Barcelona FC, Paris Saint Germain, Inter-Milan, and Bayern Munich were the first four teams to advance to the quarter final stage of the UEFA Champions League games 2024/2025

Barcelona had become the first team into the last eight, turning on the style in an emphatic second-leg win against Benfica in the early kick-off.

Barcelona 3-1 Benfica (agg: 4-1)

Raphinha and Lamine Yamal starred as Barcelona roared into the quarter-finals. The pair combined for the 11th-minute opener, the Spanish youngster providing a fine cross for the Brazilian international to coolly volley in. Nicolás Otamendi replied almost instantly for Benfica with a header.

Yamal netted the pick of the goals with a sublime curling strike on 27 minutes, and Raphinha then fired in his 11th of the campaign to become the overall top scorer this season and end the contest before half-time.

Paris Saint Germain won 1-0 at Anfield before more Gianluigi Donnarumma shoot-out heroics helped them to overcome Liverpool on penalties and reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.

Liverpool 0-1 Paris (agg: 1-1; 1-4 pens)

Paris keeper Donnarumma saved twice in the shoot-out as Paris overcame a 1-0 first-leg deficit to reach the quarter-finals.

Ousmane Dembélé completed a slick move by slotting in his seventh goal of the campaign in the 12th minute, drawing Paris level in the tie in doing so, but Liverpool dominated after the break and Luis Enrique’s side needed Donnarumma to brilliantly paw Luis Díaz’s header away and maintain overall parity in the tie.

The visitors went closest during extra time before Donnarumma denied Darwin Núñez and Curtis Jones from the spot, allowing 19-year-old substitute Désiré Doué to convert the decisive penalty.

Inter 2-1 Feyenoord (agg: 4-1)

Inter Milan are through to the quarter-finals for just the second time since 2010/11 after wrapping up a comfortable aggregate triumph over Feyenoord.

Marcus Thuram put the Serie A side ahead in style eight minutes in, receiving the ball midway inside the Feyenoord half and weaving his way into the penalty area before unleashing a sensational long-range strike.

Jakub Moder reduced the deficit for Feyenoord from the penalty spot just before half-time but Inter replied with a spot kick of their own shortly after the interval, converted by Hakan Çalhanoğlu for his second goal in the Champions League knockout rounds – the first coming in February 2015.

Bayern München also cruised through against Bundesliga rivals Leverkusen, and will meet Inter in the quarter-finals after the Nerazzurri completed their assignment against Feyenoord.

Leverkusen 0-2 Bayern München (agg: 0-5)

Harry Kane’s tap-in and Alphonso Davies’ first-time finish sealed a convincing victory for Bayern.

Kane, twice denied by Lukas Hrádecký in the opening stages, extended the lead across the tie early in the second half with a straightforward strike after Patrik Schick’s clearance rebounded into the path of the Bayern No9.

The England captain then turned provider when spotting the run of Davies into the area, with the Canadian international full-back sweeping in impressively.

The visitors pressed for further goals in the closing stages, with Jamal Musiala denied by the woodwork on two occasions.