The remaining second leg ties in the Champions League Last 16 are upon us. The teams all aiming for a quarter-final berth and one step closer to their Champions League dream.
Manchester City took a commanding 2-0 lead against Borussia Moenchengladbach into their deciding game. The game was held in Hungary at the Puskas Arena due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions. Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 lead against Atalanta to resolve the second leg in Madrid.
Champions Bayern Munich enjoyed a comfortable night against Lazio and held a 4-1 advantage for their match in Munich. Finally, Chelsea were in the driving seat in their tie with Atlético Madrid, 1-0 to the good ahead of their home game at Stamford Bridge.
Let’s check out the five takeaways from these Champions League last 16 matches:
Champions League Last 16: What Has Happened so Far?
Manchester City in Dominant Form
The Premier League champions-elect sailed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League. It was a routine victory for Pep Guardiola’s men 2-0. Kevin de Bruyne scored arguably the goal of the round with a beautiful left-footed strike which thundered in off the crossbar.
His goal was City’s 100th goal in all competitions this season. Those early goals gave City the platform to coast from there on and save energy for bigger battles ahead. 23 wins from 24 games tells its own story: City are in a dominant mood and have a real desire to win the Champions League.
Real Madrid Sweep Past Atalanta in Champions League Last 16
On face value, this tie could have been more closer. But the men from Madrid effectively dispatched of their Italian opponents. If Madrid are to go further, they will have to rely on Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos.
Both scored in their 3-1 win and showed once again their importance to the team. Maybe there is too much reliance on this team from their two main stalwarts. However, never write off Real Madrid in their fabled tournament. Remarkably, Ramos’ 15th goal in the tournament took him past the Brazilian Ronaldo and his current boss, Zinedine Zidane.
Bayern Breeze Past Lazio
Goals from a Robert Lewandowski penalty and Eric Choupo-Moting gave the Bavarian side a 2-1 win and 6-2 on aggregate. Their league form has been patchy but in Europe, they have shown no mercy. Bayern mean business and show a lot of hunger to retain their title.
13 Not Unlucky for Tuchel
It is now 13 games unbeaten for Thomas Tuchel and his confident Chelsea side. The Londoners sailed through their opponents 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate. There was a great goal and performance from Hakim Ziyech and a well taken left-footed striker by Emerson. It was a comfortable and controlled performance from the men from Stamford Bridge who will be buoyed by this latest victory.
Atlético Madrid Off Colour
For all the great season that Diego Simeone’s men have had, his chargers are in dangers of ending it on a sour note. They were deservingly beaten over two legs here and were not at the races at all. It was a passive performance once again which was made worse by the red card for Stefan Savić for violent conduct on Antonio Rųdiger.
It made a bad night worse and a very good season looks likely to turn into a failing one. With only two wins from their last eight games, Atlético have a fight on to claim a La Liga title that at Christmas seemed a formality.
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