Quarter Final Round-Up

After the first leg, who looks set for the semi final?

The first leg of four mouth-watering ties has come to a conclusion. How did they go?

In Liverpool’s recent clash with Porto, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino netted to see the reds secure a 2-0 lead over their Portuguese opponents. Managing to hold onto the clean sheet and deny Porto their much desired away goal provides another big advantage to Liverpool.

Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean forward Son finished tidily past Ederson to put the Spurs 1-0 up against the competition favourites Manchester City – who will be rueing the penalty miss from a Sergio Agüero strike which would’ve given City the vital away goal and potentially lead to the flood gates opening. Spurs go into the second leg with a 1-0 advantage.

Ajax managed to hold Juventus to a draw, suppressing the renowned marksman Cristiano Ronaldo to just the one goal. David Neres managed to level the scoring soon after the second half kicked off, seeing the fixture finish 1-1.

An own goal from Manchester United’s left back, Luke Shaw, was the only decisive moment in their first leg battle with Barcelona. Barcelona hold the 1-0 and away goal advantage for when the Red Devils travel to the Nou Camp on April 16^th.

Although Tottenham are in the driving seat regarding the score-line when they travel to the Etihad later this month, the loss of Harry Kane through injury could cause reason for concern. Manchester City are known for their relentless goal scoring at their home stadium. Surely a tie to keep a keen eye on.

Liverpool look comfortable to progress to the semi-finals of the elite competition, with a 2-0 advantage and the reassurance that they know they can go to the Estádio do Dragão and score, with them doing so in the round of 16 last year, when they managed to get a 5-0 away win.

Perhaps the most unpredictable fixture is Juventus vs Ajax. Ajax have exceeded the expectations of many this year, putting out the champions Real Madrid with two stellar performances and nullifying Juventus’ attacking forces to one goal in the first leg. However, Juventus are a force to be reckoned with, especially at their home ground, the Allianz Stadium. Earlier in the completion the five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo put three past the Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to see them turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory over both legs.

Barcelona look to be all but in the semi final, with Manchester United going to the Nou Camp 1-0 down. Barcelona are one of the toughest teams in world football to beat at their own ground, and if they score once, Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s men will need to score three times without further reply to progress.