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Champions League Roundup 3/17—Rosenior Sacrifices Chelsea Pride, Historic Sporting CP Comeback

The first four Champions League quarterfinalists are now known.
Jamie Spencer|
Chelsea fell even further behind.
Chelsea fell even further behind. | Robin Jones/Getty Images

Comeback was the name of the game for only one team during Tuesday’s round of 16 second legs in the Champions League.

Manchester City trailed Real Madrid and Chelsea trailed Paris Saint-Germain by three goals apiece from the respective first legs last week. But while there was to be no jeopardy or dramatic turnarounds there, Sporting CP became only the fifth team in Champions League history to successfully overturn a three (or more) goal aggregate deficit to win a knockout tie.

Arsenal also kept alive their hopes of an unprecedented Quadruple by an English club, moving past Bayer Leverkusen after a tricky first leg by winning at the Emirates Stadium

Liam Rosenior Gives Up, Turns Attention to Premier League

Liam Rosenior
Liam Rosenior withdrew three of his best players. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Paris Saint-Germain’s 5–2 win in the French capital from the first leg was always going to make it incredibly tough for Chelsea to remain in the Champions League. But with the Blues quickly conceding two more without reply at Stamford Bridge through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola, manager Liam Rosenior made clear where his priorities lie.

An hour in, with Chelsea 7–2 down on aggregate and there no longer any point in continuing to chase the game, Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer and João Pedro were all substituted.

Keeping those three fresh for the Premier League run-in is the only way that Chelsea will be back competing in the Champions League next season.

It was a calculated decision, sacrificing pride but leaving the team vulnerable because, almost straightaway, PSG teenager Senny Mayulu got his team’s third of the second leg and eighth of the tie.

Arsenal Quadruple Still Alive

Arsenal players celebrate with Eberechi Eze
Eberechi Eze got the ball rolling on the night. | Vince Mignott/DeFodi Images/Getty Images

This could have been the month that derailed Arsenal’s season, coming under pressure in the Premier League title race, facing a tricky Champions League tie and with the Carabao Cup final on the immediate horizon.

Instead, the Gunners have had a monumentally-good few days. The Premier League title once again feels like theirs to lose after Manchester City lost ground over the weekend, as Max Dowman made history. Now, they are into the last eight of the Champions League.

The advantage from the first leg belonged to Arsenal after Kai Havertz’s late penalty in Germany erased Bayer Leverkusen’s potential aggregate lead. It meant that the second leg at the Emirates Stadium was effectively a ‘winner take all’ encounter and Arsenal had home-field advantage.

Eberechi Eze’s spectacular blast in the first half put Mikel Arteta’s side ahead for the first time in the tie, before Declan Rice added to his impressive back catalog of Champions League goals in the second. Arsenal almost had a third goal, too, but for a VAR intervention ruling out a Havertz effort.

Early Red Card Makes Real Madrid’s Job Easy

Bernardo Silva sent off vs. Real Madrid
Man City lost their captain in the first half. | Oli SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images

Real Madrid arrived in England with a 3–0 aggregate lead, courtesy of Federico Valverde’s first-leg hat-trick, and played most of the second leg against Manchester City with a player advantage.

Pep Guardiola’s City started the stronger, knowing they had a mountain to climb. But the writing was on the wall when Bernardo Silva was shown a red card for blocking a goal-bound Vinicius Junior shot with his elbow. The incident was flagged for a review and the referee pointed to the penalty spot, as well as dismissing the home team’s captain for illegally denying a goal.

Madrid’s Brazilian winger converted from the spot to extend the deficit to four goals. And while Erling Haaland pulled one back for City right before the interval, it made little difference and Vinicius Jr eventually added another for Los Blancos in stoppage time at the end.

In truth, it could have been even more one-sided. On his return from injury, Kylian Mbappé was denied what appeared to be a clear penalty. That said, Andriy Lunin, on for the injured Thibaut Courtois at the break, made a number of impressive saves.

Sporting CP Comeback Breaks Bødo/Glimt Hearts

Bødo/Glimt were 12 minutes away from a place in the Champions League quarterfinals and breaking further ground for Norwegian club soccer in the competition.

The team from north of the Arctic Circle had already claimed the scalps of Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter so far this season, and it looked as though Sporting CP would be next after last week’s first leg in Norway.

But the 3–0 aggregate lead was eventually erased in Lisbon, although Sporting still had work to do by halftime when Gonçalo Inácio’s header only making a slight dent in the deficit.

Norwegian nerves began jangling when Pedro Gonçalves further cut Bødo/Glimt’s aggregate lead to one with an hour played. Then, with waves of Sporting attacks, it seemed like there would only be one outcome. The equalizing goal was eventually scored by Luis Suárez from the penalty spot in the 78th minute, levelling the tie at 3–3 on aggregate, and Sporting even almost won it before the end of regulation time as Nuno Santos struck the post.

Any final Bødo/Glimt resistance failed within the first two minutes of extra time, when Maxi Araújo fired in what proved to be the decisive goal from inside the box. In stoppage time of extra time, Rafael Nel made absolutely certain with Sporting’s fifth of the night.

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Jamie Spencer
JAMIE SPENCER

Jamie Spencer is a freelance editor and writer for Sports Illustrated FC. Jamie fell in love with football in the mid-90s and specializes in the Premier League, Manchester United, the women’s game and old school nostalgia.

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