Manchester City’s hopes of winning the Champions League were dashed on Tuesday as they were eliminated by Real Madrid, while Arsenal marched into the quarter-finals. Holders Paris Saint-Germain also progressed, crushing Chelsea 3-0 in London to claim a comprehensive 8-2 aggregate victory in their last-16 tie.
PSG appear to be coming back into the form which saw them win the Champions League for the first time in their history last season. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia followed his first-leg double by opening the scoring on six minutes at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr misjudging a long ball on his Champions League debut and then being outmuscled by the Georgian who applied the finish.
Champions League Quarter-Finals
Real Madrid led 3-0 from the first leg in Spain, where Federico Valverde scored a hat-trick, and their qualification was never in doubt after City’s Bernardo Silva was sent off on 20 minutes for stopping a goalbound Vinicius Junior shot on the line with his arm. Vinicius converted the penalty, and Pep Guardiola’s side had too much to do, even if Erling Haaland levelled the scores on the night before half-time with his 30th goal this season.
According to the UEFA Champions League format, the quarter-finals will feature the eight teams that advanced from the round of 16. The draw for the quarter-finals will take place on March 21, 2026.
Quarter-Finals Contenders
The following teams have advanced to the quarter-finals:
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Real Madrid
- Arsenal
- Sporting
Real are almost certain to face Bayern Munich in a heavyweight quarter-final, with the Germans 6-1 up against Atalanta before Wednesday’s return match. The Champions League quarter-finals are scheduled to take place on April 8-9 and 15-16, 2026.
