The UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the 2024–2025 season produced late excitement in each of the four matches. Eight European football powerhouses battled it out in order to claim their spot in the semifinals, which take place in two weeks.
The games featured star players, penalty shoot-outs, red cards and plenty of excitement. The formation of new rivalries in the world of football has proven to produce a wonderful watching experience, no matter which team you support.
The quarterfinal matches started on Tuesday, April 9, with Manchester City and Real Madrid facing off in the competition once again. The match was highly contested, with each side scoring three and drawing dead even as they headed into the second leg.
In the second leg, which took place on Wednesday, April 17, the sides were again evenly matched. With the score tied 4-4 on aggregate, the sides would need extra time and penalties to decide a victor. Madrid would eventually prevail on penalties, knocking out the reigning champions.
The next match on Tuesday, April 9, between Bayern Munich and Arsenal, saw each side let in two goals. The lack of assertive defense from either team left the door open for either one to move onto the semifinals.
The second leg took place on Wednesday, April 17, and was a tighter contest, but eventually, Munich advanced, thanks to a goal by captain Joshua Kimmich, securing them a 1-0 victory and a 3-2 aggregate win.
The matches taking place on Wednesday, April 10, provided viewers with more drama and another day of high goal-scoring from both games. The first match pitted FC Barcelona against Paris Saint-Germain, with the match ending in a victory for Barcelona with a score of 3-2.
After the first matchup, many Barcelona fans were critical of Ousmane Dembélé, their former player, for scoring for Paris Saint-Germain and celebrating wildly in the 48th minute of the match.
The second leg of the competition, which took place on Tuesday, April 16, was a different story. An early red card for center-back Ronald Araújo for a tackle in the box left Barcelona with only 10 men for the majority of the match. This proved to be Barcelona’s downfall in the competition, as Paris Saint-Germain cruised to a 4-1 victory to overcome their first-leg deficit.
The final quarterfinal match saw Borussia Dortmund and Atlético Madrid face off in the first leg on Wednesday, April 10. Despite a close match, Atlético Madrid pulled ahead in the duel with a score of 2-1, thanks to the help of their defense and two early goals from Rodrigo De Paul and Samuel Lino.
Despite the deficit in the scoreline, Dortmund would bounce back in the second leg on Tuesday, April 16, and become the first team to seal their spot in the semifinals, despite their challenging season so far in the Bundesliga that has left them battling for a spot in the Champions League next year. The German side came from behind to win 4-2, meaning the final aggregate score was 5-4 in their favor, allowing Dortmund to knock Atlético Madrid out of the competition and book their place in the semifinal, where they will face Paris Saint-Germain.
The German superpower, Bayern Munich, will face Real Madrid in the other semifinal to complete the final four. After the excitement of the past two weeks, fans will only have to wait until April 30 and May 1 for the first leg, and then another week when, on May 7 and May 8, the return fixtures will be held.
