With two matches remaining, FC Bayern Munich versus Besiktas and Barcelona versus Chelsea, the Champions League Round of 16 is drawing to a close. Soccer fans across the globe are left with eight teams to either root for, or against in one of the largest tournaments in soccer. The second leg of the Round of 16 began on March 6, and was made up of a total of eight games. The second leg meant it was the second time the teams had met, and many of the team’s fates rested in the second match.
On March 6, PSG hosted Real Madrid and Liverpool hosted Porto. Liverpool’s superior play allowed them to be the team to move on over Porto. The second leg finished in a 0-0 draw. However, in their previous match at Porto, Liverpool came out on top with a 5-0 win. The five-goal lead mounted in the first leg put Liverpool in the perfect position to move on. On the other side of the first leg of the Round of 16, Real Madrid handled PSG 3-1 in their home match. The outcome was hardly different the second time around with an ending score of 2-1 in Real Madrid’s favor. With two decisive wins, Real Madrid moves on to the quarterfinals, and has become one of the favorites to win the tournament. According to fivethirtyeight.com, the club has an estimated 15% chance to go all the way and win the Champions League. Of all the remaining teams in the Champions League, Real Madrid has won the most championships (11). It is no surprise the superpower club is one of the favorites to win.
March 7 held another pair of games as Tottenham hosted Juventus and Manchester City hosted FC Basel. Of the pairings, Juventus and Man City will be the two moving forward to the quarterfinals. In the first leg, Juventus held Tottenham to a 2-2 tie. However, the draw fell in Tottenham’s favor as Juventus needed a victory in the second leg to move on. Luckily, the team came out on top when they visited England and won 2-1 against Tottenham. Man City, on the other hand, had an unfortunate second leg. In the first leg, the team defeated FC Basel with ease—a 4-0 result. However, when it came time to host the Swiss team, Man City didn’t rise to the task and fell 2-1 to FC Basel. To their advantage, Manchester City’s, previous performance allowed them to move on despite a home loss. However, the shaky performance does lower the club’s chances to take home a championship.
Fast-forward a week, and on March 13, Roma hosted Shakhtar Donetsk, while Manchester United hosted Sevilla. March 13 held the most questionable slate of games after the first leg. Shakhtar Donetsk took care of Roma in the first leg of the Round of 16 with a 2-1 win as the home team, while Sevilla and Man U held each other to 0-0 ties. Coming into the second leg, soccer analysts’ hands were tied with whom to place their bets with. However, Roma and Sevilla proved victorious and will move on to the quarterfinals. Roma was able to keep Shakhtar Donetsk at bay with a 1-0 home win. Because of aggregate scoring, Roma in turn secured a 3-2 victory for the complete round over Shakhtar Donetsk. Sevilla’s victory over Man U took many soccer fans by surprise. However, after the 0-0 tie in the first leg, it was anyone’s game. Sevilla took advantage, and beat Man U as the visiting team by a score of 2-1. Neither Roma or Sevilla are expected to be contenders when it comes to the finals, but the fight the two clubs put up to be in the quarterfinals is impressive nonetheless.
On the last day of the second leg of the Round of 16, Besiktas hosted FC Bayern Munich and Barcelona hosted Chelsea. FC Bayern Munich beat Besiktas by a 3-1 score after handling the Turkish team in Munich the previous leg with a 5-0 victory. The win came as no surprise to soccer analysts, and Bayern’s decisive victory puts the club at a 21% chance to take home the championship this season. On the other hand, Barcelona and Chelsea came out of the first leg with a 1-1 tie, and while most analysts were confident in Barcelona’s ability to handle the premier league team, there was some uneasiness when it came to the final match. However, Barcelona came out on top with a 3-0 victory, and is now a favorite to win the entire tournament with a 25% chance.
Beginning on April 3 and 4, eight teams will battle it out for one of soccer’s most coveted trophies in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
* Photo courtesy of Tim Killeen via flickr.com *
