Atletico Madrid and Benfica couldn’t pull off a major upset like Villarreal and are out of UEFA Champions League. Instead, Manchester City and Liverpool are through to the semi-finals thanks to their respective wins in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Man City will now face Villarreal in the semis while Liverpool plays Real Madrid.
Atletico needed to score at least a goal on their home field against Man City after a 1-0 loss in the first game, but they just couldn’t find the firepower to do it. On the other hand, the Premier League club was content to sit back and protect their goal. The game ended with a 0-0 draw, enough for City to move forward.
The game against Liverpool and Benfica was much more exciting. Liverpool won the first game 3-1 and was the first one to score in the second leg. Defender Ibrahima Konate scored in the 21st minute to give his team the lead. However, thanks to Goncalo Ramos, the Portuguese side managed to get the equalizer 10 minutes later.
Despite still leading 4-2 on aggregate, Liverpool didn’t want to take any risks. Striker Roberto Firmino scored twice early in the second half to give Jurgen Klopp’s team an even bigger cushion. To their credit, Benfica would go on to tie the game, but that was not nearly enough to make any difference.
The first leg of the semi-finals will play out on April 27th, while the rematches will take place on May.
