PSG eliminates Liverpool on penalties; Barça, Bayern and Inter qualify for the quarterfinals

It was expected to be the standout tie of the round of 16, and it lived up to the hype: PSG eliminated Liverpool on penalties to advance to the Champions League quarterfinals, while Barcelona, Bayern, and Inter secured their qualifications with little trouble.

In an Anfield eager to witness a great night of football and the qualification of its team, which arrived with the advantage of a 1-0 victory from the first leg at Parc des Princes, Ousmane Dembélé silenced the iconic English stadium by equalizing the tie early on (12').

In a thrilling encounter with relentless pace and chances for both teams, but no additional goals, the tie was decided by penalties. Uruguayan Darwin Núñez, who had a poor performance, and young Curtis Jones, who scored in the first leg, both missed their kicks—thanks to Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who made two crucial saves.

Decisive Donnarumma

Desiré Doué, one of the young talents "discovered" by Luis Enrique, scored the decisive penalty to secure his team's passage with a 4-1 victory in the final shootout.

This result, against the impressive Premier League leaders and the team that topped the first round of the Champions League, is a major achievement for the Spanish coach and a boost to his project, far from the star players who failed to bring PSG the desired success in Europe.

In the quarterfinals, they will face either Aston Villa or Brugge, with the English side leading 3-1 from the first leg.

Yamal and Raphinha shine

In Barcelona, LaLiga leaders overcame the shock of the sudden death of team doctor Carles Miñarro last Saturday and were not caught off guard by Benfica, who had to recover from a 1-0 deficit in Lisbon a week ago."

However, Barça relied on the excellent form of two of their stars, 17-year-old Lamine Yamal and Brazilian Raphinha, to secure a 3-1 victory.

In an impressive first half, Raphinha scored twice (11' and 42'), while Yamal assisted the Brazilian on the first goal and scored a stunning strike (27') to cancel out the equalizer from Portugal, which came from Argentine Nicolás Otamendi (13').

"Lamine's goal was spectacular and showed what he is, a player with great quality," said the Brazilian, the Champions League's top scorer with 11 goals.

In the quarterfinals, Barca will face the winner of Wednesday's Borussia Dortmund-Lille (1-1 first leg).

Kane gives Alonso a lifeline

One of the most exciting ties in the quarter-finals will feature two of the continent's biggest clubs, Bayern and Inter.

With second-half goals from Harry Kane (56') and Canadian Alphonso Davies (71'), the Bavarians—six-time winners of the competition—made a comeback to defeat Bayer in Leverkusen, sealing the tie with a commanding 5-0 victory over Xabi Alonso's side.

With that goal, Kane became the English player with the most goals scored in a single Champions League edition, reaching 10.

"From minute one, we didn't want to close in at the back and defend our advantage. We went forward, pressed and created chances," said England's captain.

This will mark Bayern's 35th appearance in the quarter-finals of European soccer's most prestigious competition.

Victory in Inzaghi's 200th match

In another uneventful match, Inter defeated Feyenoord 2-1, despite the disadvantage of a 2-0 defeat in Rotterdam.

Frenchman Marcus Thuram (8') and Turkey's Hakan Calhanoglu, from the penalty spot (51'), scored the winning goals in Simone Inzaghi's 200th match in charge of the Nerazzurri.

Feyenoord's goal came from Jakub Moder, who converted a penalty in the 42nd minute.

A year after their elimination in the Champions League round of 16 by Atletico, Inter return to the "Top 8"—marking only their second quarter-final appearance since 2012, having been finalists in 2023.

In the semifinals, Bayern or Inter would be Barça's opponents, should Hansi Flick's team qualify.