From Ethan Nwaneri’s screamer which set the stage for Arsenal’s thumping win over PSV Eindhoven to Brahim Diaz’s solo stunning winner against Real Madrid, here is a recap of the major highlights of 2024-25 Champions League round-16 first leg matches played yesterday.
PSV Eindhoven 1-7 Arsenal
While Arsenal went into the game as favourites, no one expected the Gunners to put the Dutch side to the sword with such a blowout margin in the Netherlands.
Goals from Jurrien Timber, Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard, Leandro Trossard, and Riccardo Calafiori saw the the Gunners thrashed the Dutch giants 7-1 away to close in on qualification for the quarterfinals.
Real Madrid 2-1 Atletico Madrid
At Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid scraped pas t city rivals Atletico Madrid with a 2-1 victory. Rodrygo opened the scoring for the home side just four minutes into the kick off.
However, Atletico Madrid fought back to level terms two minutes after the half-hour. It then took a stunning solo effort from Brahim Diaz in the 52nd minute to restore Los Blancos.
Dribbling past two defenders, the Moroccan forward delivered a brilliant right-footed finish into the bottom-right corner to secure victory for the home side.
Club Brugge 1-3 Aston Villa
In the other fixture, Aston Villa saw off Cub Brugge 3-1 in Belgium to close in on the next stage of the competition.
Goals from Leon Bailly, Brandon Mechele, and substitute Marco Asensio saw the Premier League club secure a deserved victory to go into the second leg with a commanding advantage.
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Lille
In the last fixture of the night, Borussia Dortmund settled for a 1-1 draw against Lille. Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring for the Bundesliga side but they were pecked back to a draw following Haraldsson’s 68th-minute goal.
