Messi & Ronaldo Out Of The Champions League

The first four teams to qualify for this year’s edition of the Champions League have been decided. Fc Porto, Paris Saint Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Liverpool are the teams that qualified for the quarter finals. However, some big teams were knocked out early this year. Leipzig and Sevilla were knocked out by Liverpool and Dortmund. However, the two big ones were the falling of Juventus and Barcelona. 

Juventus vs. FC Porto

Porto went into this game with a 2-1 lead. Porto extended their lead in the 19th minute after a penalty that was put away by Sérgio Oliveira. It was made complicated for Porto when in the 54th minute, their stricker Mehdi Teremi got sent off after a second yellow card for time wasting. Federico Chiesa managed to bring the game back level with goals in the 49th and 63rd minute of the second half. The 90 minutes ended with a 3-3 aggregate score which meant the game would go into extra time. In the second half of extra time, a free kick for Porto put them ahead. The free kick was scored by Sérgio Oliveira.  Adrien Rabiot brought the game back level with a header in the 117th minute, but Porto would still pass due to the away goal rule. 

PSG vs. Barcelona

PSG had a huge lead after the second leg with a 4-1 lead against the Blaugrana. As expected Barcelona had the majority of possessions and plenty of chances but failed to convert them into goals. Clement Lenglet gave away a penalty after a lack of concentration, turning his back on striker Mauro Icardi. This gave PSG a 5-1 lead, making it even harder for Barcelona. Messi was able to get one back for Barcelona with an amazing strike from around 40 yards out. Messi also had the chance to score his second of the game after Layvin Kurzawa gave away a penalty for Barcelona. However, PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas managed to save the penalty from “La Pulga”. 

This is the first time since the 05/06 season that Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo are knocked out before the quarter finals of the Champions League. The last 4 games of the round of 16 will be played on March 16th and 17th where we will figure out the next 4 teams to qualify for the quarter finals.