Real Madrid beats Atletico on penalties, Arsenal and Aston Villa advance

The reigning champions were on the brink of elimination—Real Madrid teetered on the edge but held firm, defeating neighbors Atlético Madrid on penalties in their Champions League Round of 16 clash. Meanwhile, Arsenal and Aston Villa advanced with ease.

In the quarterfinals, Arsenal and Real Madrid will face off in a highly anticipated showdown, while Aston Villa takes on Paris Saint-Germain, who secured their spot on Tuesday by defeating Liverpool.

In the other Round of 16 clash decided on Wednesday, last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund secured a 2-1 victory at Lille, earning a quarterfinal matchup against Barcelona.

Just like 2016

In the 2015-16 Champions League final in Milan, Real Madrid defeated Atlético in a penalty shootout. This time, history repeated itself—at an earlier stage, but just as heartbreaking.

Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1 last week, but Atlético quickly erased the deficit with a goal from England's Conor Gallagher just 30 seconds into the match (1-0).

Vinícius missed a penalty in the 65th minute that could have prevented extra time, but the score remained unchanged through 120 minutes. The Euroderby was ultimately decided in a penalty shootout, where Argentine Julián Álvarez initially scored his attempt, only for it to be ruled out after a slip caused him to make contact with the ball twice.

That stroke of bad luck proved costly for Atlético. Although Lucas Vázquez missed a penalty for Real Madrid, Marcos Llorente followed by blasting his shot over the crossbar. In the end, Real Madrid survived in the competition where it has built its legacy, securing its place in pursuit of a record-extending 15th title.

"Penalty shootouts are a lottery, heads or tails. Today it was heads or tails for us. Atletico leave the competition with their heads held high," said Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Dortmund's comeback

Last year’s runner-up, Borussia Dortmund, also faced a tough challenge but managed to eliminate Lille with a 2-1 victory in the second leg in France.

The 1-1 tie  in the first leg in Germany left the tie wide open, and Lille struck first with an early goal from Canadian Jonathan David in the 5th minute. However, Borussia Dortmund responded in the second half, turning the game around with a penalty from Emre Can in the 54th minute and a well-placed strike from Maximilian Beier in the 65th, which soared into the top corner.

There will be two German clubs in the quarterfinals of Europe’s top tournament, since Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. Meanwhile, French football will have just one representative in that round—PSG.

English teams finish the job

The other two teams to reach the quarterfinals on Wednesday were English clubs Arsenal and Aston Villa, who had their progress almost secured after dominant away wins in the first leg—Arsenal thrashed PSV Eindhoven 7-1, while Aston Villa won 3-1 at Brugge.

Arsenal, with manager Mikel Arteta resting several starters, tied 2-2 at home against PSV. However, their commanding first-leg advantage in the Netherlands was enough to see them through.

Oleksandr Zinchenko (5) and Declan Rice (37) scored for the 'Gunners, while Ivan Perisic (18) and Couhaib Driouech (70) netted for PSV, in a fairly straightforward game.

In Birmingham, Aston Villa held a narrower lead, but Brugge were reduced to 10 men in the 16th minute after Kyriane Sabbe was sent off.

In the second half, Spaniard Marco Asensio (50th and 61st minutes), who had started as a substitute, and Ian Maatsen (57th) added to the score, securing another comfortable victory for the far superior English side.

Asensio now has seven goals for Aston Villa since joining on loan from PSG in the January transfer window, and it will be PSG that the Villains face in the quarterfinals.