We’re finally down to the final four teams in the Champions League this season, and what a journey it’s been. The semifinals are set to take place in the coming weeks, but first, let’s take a look at how each of the four teams made it there.
The UCL Round of 16 had some crazy moments, and some even crazier scorelines across the two legs of fixtures. The first matchup was between Galatasaray and Liverpool. Galatasaray won the first leg 1-0 at home, but Liverpool went through after a convincing 4-0 win at Anfield. Another English team, Arsenal, took on Bayer Leverkusen. The German side held out to a 1-1 draw in the first leg, but a 2-0 win at home was enough to send Arsenal through. Then scorelines started to get ridiculous. Despite a less exciting 1-1 draw in the first leg of the match between Newcastle and Barcelona, the second game was much more entertaining. Barcelona went on to demolish Newcastle 7-2 after braces from Lewandowski and Raphinha. The fourth English side in the Round of 16, Chelsea, went up against last year’s UCL winners, PSG. The defending champions cruised through with a 3-0 win away and a 5-2 win in Paris, sending the London club packing.
The much-anticipated match between Manchester City and Real Madrid also did not disappoint. This fixture, which occurred for the fifth consecutive season in the UCL knockouts, has been known to produce some major moments, including Madrid’s last-minute comeback in 2022. This time around, the 15-time UCL winners did not make a mistake, winning 3-0 at home and 2-1 at the Etihad. The final English side, Tottenham, faced Atlético Madrid. Following one of the worst performances of all time from Spurs keeper Kinsky, the English side lost 5-2 in the first leg and could not recover, with a 3-2 win in the second leg not sufficing. Bayern Munich faced Atalanta, and after a 6-1 win in the first leg, they followed up with another 4-1 demolition of the Italian side and advanced through. The final match was between Sporting Lisbon and major tournament underdogs Bodø/Glimt. Despite winning the first leg 3-0, Bodo/Glimt cracked under the pressure, conceding five to the Portuguese side in the second leg, which sent Sporting through.
All this led up to the quarterfinals, where PSG faced Liverpool, Real Madrid took on Bayern, Atlético Madrid played Barcelona, and Arsenal faced Sporting. The first match between PSG and Liverpool was rather one-sided. The 2025 champions won 2-0 in both legs with goals from Kvaratskhelia, Doué, and Ballon d´Or winner Dembélé. They progressed against Liverpool, reaching their third consecutive Champions League semifinal. Arsenal won 1-0 against Sporting in the first leg after a late winner from Kai Havertz. That proved to be enough as the two sides drew 0-0 in the second leg. The third match was a battle between the two Spanish sides, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona. Atléti won the first leg 2-0 after a red card from Pau Cubarsí and a stunning free kick from Julián Alvarez. Barcelona only managed a 2-1 win in the second leg, meaning that Atléti would go through 3-2 on aggregate. They will face Arsenal in the semifinal. Due to both teams’ defensive styles of play, it will be a very unique and interesting matchup.
The final quarterfinal game was between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. A 2-1 win for Bayern in the first leg would mean that Madrid had some work on their hands for the away leg. Arda Güler scored in the first minute to make it 1-0 for Madrid, before Pavlović equalized soon after. Arda Güler scored again to make it 2-1, but Harry Kane equalized for the Bavarian side. Mbappé scored to make it 3-2 for Madrid, and going into halftime, the aggregate score was level. More action occurred late in the game, with a red card for Camavinga, meaning Madrid had to play the last few minutes of normal time with 10 men, and would have had a disadvantage in extra time. The game did not need extra time, though, as late goals from Michael Olise and Luis Díaz helped Bayern win 4-3. Bayern progressed through to the semifinals 6-4 on aggregate and will face PSG next week to battle it out for a spot in the UCL final.
The final four is now set, and everyone is waiting for the semifinals, which are just a few days away, as PSG faces Bayern on April 28 and Atlético Madrid plays Arsenal on April 29. Not long after that, the UCL final looms.
