Barcelona and Real Madrid both trail after first legs and the Champions League is wide open
All four Champions League quarter-final first legs are done, and both Real Madrid and Barcelona lost at home. If results hold, neither of Spain's two biggest clubs will reach the semi-finals for the first time since 2019-20, while Arsenal and PSG look in control of their ties.
Two home defeats in two nights for Spanish football
On Tuesday, Bayern Munich went to the Santiago Bernabeu and won 2-1 with goals from Luis Diaz in the 41st minute and Harry Kane 20 seconds into the second half. Kylian Mbappe pulled one back for Madrid, but Bayern were the better side for long stretches. Kane, who had been a game-day decision after an ankle injury kept him out of Bundesliga action at the weekend, showed no sign of discomfort as he struck his 49th goal of the season.
On Wednesday it got worse for Spain. Atletico Madrid went to Camp Nou and beat Barcelona 2-0 after Pau Cubarsi was sent off for bringing down Giuliano Simeone. Julian Alvarez whipped home the resulting free kick, and Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead with 20 minutes left. Barcelona, seven points clear at the top of La Liga, looked a completely different team with 10 men and now face a mountain in the second leg at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Arsenal grind it out, PSG cruise
The other two ties look more settled. Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting in Lisbon thanks to Kai Havertz's 91st-minute finish. Gabriel Martinelli's ball over the top found the German forward in behind, and he slotted past Rui Silva. It was not pretty, but Arsenal have a clean sheet and an away goal to protect at the Emirates next Tuesday.
PSG had a much easier evening. Desire Doue's deflected shot opened the scoring after 11 minutes, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia added a second in the second half as Liverpool offered almost nothing going forward. Arne Slot's team failed to register a single shot on target across 90 minutes, and the holders look well placed to reach the last four.
What it means for the semi-finals
If these results hold, the semi-final draw could feature Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and PSG. That would be the first Champions League semi-final lineup without Real Madrid or Barcelona since 2019-20, when the pandemic-disrupted tournament in Lisbon produced a final between Bayern and PSG.
Atletico are technically a Spanish club and still in the competition, but they are the ones causing the damage rather than inheriting the mantle. Simeone's side play a brand of football that has always been the antithesis of the possession-heavy approach Barcelona and Real Madrid built their European reputations on.
The second legs take place on April 14 and 15. Real Madrid still have the Bernabeu factor in reverse, and Barcelona have the talent to produce a comeback. But right now, the momentum belongs to everyone else.
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