One Key Stat for Every Team Following the UCL Quarter-Final First Legs, as Bayern Secures a Significant Victory

11 – Sporting CP narrowly missed out on securing a crucial draw against Arsenal at home, a result that would have significantly bolstered their chances for the second leg in North London next week. However, Kai Havertz had different plans, netting a last-minute winner that handed the visitors a 1-0 triumph. This places Sporting in a predicament, as they now need to achieve something they have not accomplished since 2010—a win in England. Despite outshooting Arsenal with 11 attempts overall, they failed to convert any into goals.

8 – Arsenal will breathe a sigh of relief after coming away with a victory in Lisbon. This result secures their spot in next season’s Champions League, courtesy of England’s fifth slot available through the European Performance Spot ranking. Nevertheless, the Gunners are aiming for more, as they remain one of the three clubs yet to secure a UCL title. Anything short of lifting the trophy in May will be seen as a significant letdown. They have now notched their eighth clean sheet in this season’s UCL, their highest total in a European campaign since the 2018/19 season, when they reached the Europa League final.

10 – Real Madrid faces a challenging road ahead, as goals just before and after half-time led to Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. Both teams registered 20 shots in a captivating clash in the Spanish capital, but it’s Real who find themselves at risk of a consecutive quarter-final exit. They have now gone winless in five matches at this stage of the UCL. Furthermore, Los Galacticos have suffered a defeat against a Bundesliga team in the knockout phases for the first time in a decade, although they managed to progress in that instance.

18 – Bayern Munich have been prolific in front of goal this season, but their defensive performance on Tuesday was equally crucial. Manuel Neuer’s nine saves were instrumental in their success. Now, they must avoid defeat at home to secure a semi-final berth for the second time in three years. It’s worth noting that Bayern have not won the home leg of a UCL quarter-final in their last seven attempts. Nonetheless, they have scored 18 goals in their five away matches this season, the most for them since 2019/20, when they found the net 19 times en route to their most recent title.

17 – Playing a man down for the entirety of the second half, Barcelona were swiftly punished, conceding a goal in each half and succumbing to a 2-0 defeat against Atletico Madrid. This predicament places the Blaugrana in grave danger of suffering their third UCL quarter-final elimination at the hands of their LaLiga rivals. Despite being at a numerical disadvantage, Barca had opportunities in the second half but couldn’t find the net, breaking a streak of 17 UCL home matches in which Hansi Flick’s side had scored.

13 – Atletico Madrid is now just 90 minutes away from a place in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in nearly a decade. Ironically, Los Colchoneros had gone 17 matches without keeping a clean sheet in the competition until their resilient performance against Barcelona. This marked the 13th occasion that Atletico has secured victory in the away leg of a two-legged tie in the European Cup/Champions League. Alarmingly for Barcelona, in all 12 previous instances where this occurred, Atletico has advanced.

4 – Goals from Desire Doue and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia have given Paris Saint-Germain a significant advantage, leading 2-0 against Liverpool at the Parc des Princes, edging them closer to a third successive semi-final appearance. This was a feat they failed to achieve when the teams faced each other last season. Following their wins over Chelsea in the round prior, Les Parisiens have now claimed three successive victories in their UCL campaign. They also hold a favourable head-to-head record against Liverpool with this latest win.

7 – Liverpool find themselves in quite the predicament. Mirroring their round of 16 experience, the Reds have lost the first leg away from home again. Given the higher calibre of their opponents this time, the task of overturning this deficit appears increasingly daunting. The Merseysiders have triumphed in their last two home matches in the UCL by multiple goals, which may provide them with a glimmer of hope. However, it’s concerning that Liverpool has failed to score in consecutive away matches in the competition for the first time in seven seasons.