The UEFA Champions League knockout phase kicked off in dramatic fashion, with reigning champions Real Madrid securing a stunning 3-2 comeback victory against Manchester City. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund cruised to commanding away wins, while Juventus edged past PSV Eindhoven in a tightly contested affair.
Real Madrid’s Late Heroics Stun Manchester City
In a match filled with twists and turns, Real Madrid overcame Manchester City 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium, setting up a tantalizing second leg. The hosts twice led through Erling Haaland, but Madrid’s resilience proved decisive.
City took the lead in the 25th minute when Haaland powered a header past Thibaut Courtois. Madrid responded swiftly as Kylian Mbappé’s looping effort found the net to make it 1-1 before halftime.
The second half saw City regain control, with Haaland converting a penalty in the 78th minute after Dani Carvajal was penalized for a handball. Just as it seemed City would take an advantage to Madrid, substitute Brahim Díaz reacted quickest to an Ederson save and fired in the equalizer. Then, in the 89th minute, Vinícius Júnior’s dazzling run and assist set up Jude Bellingham, who calmly slotted home the winner.
Player of the Match: Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
Paris Saint-Germain Dominate Brest
Paris Saint-Germain asserted their superiority over Brest with a 3-0 away victory, effectively sealing their progression to the next round. Ousmane Dembélé stole the show with a brace, continuing his scintillating form.
PSG opened the scoring early, with Vitinha converting a penalty after a Brest defender handled the ball in the area. Dembélé then doubled the lead just before halftime with a powerful strike. The French winger sealed the win in the second half, bundling in his second goal and his tenth in the last four matches.
Player of the Match: Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
Dortmund in Control After Lisbon Rout
Borussia Dortmund secured a comfortable 3-0 away win against Sporting CP, giving them a commanding advantage heading into the second leg. Serhou Guirassy, Pascal Gross, and Karim Adeyemi all found the net for the visitors.
Sporting came closest to scoring in the first half when Maximiliano Araújo struck the crossbar from long range. Dortmund, however, broke the deadlock in the 60th minute as Guirassy rose highest to head in a Julian Brandt cross. Gross doubled the lead eight minutes later with a close-range finish, and Adeyemi added the third following a quick counterattack.
Player of the Match: Serhou Guirassy (Borussia Dortmund)
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Juventus Snatch Late Winner Against PSV
Juventus secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in Turin, setting up an intriguing second-leg clash in the Netherlands.
Weston McKennie opened the scoring for the Bianconeri with a thunderous strike in the first half. PSV fought back after the break, with Ivan Perišić equalizing with a precise finish. However, Juventus found a late winner when Samuel Mbangula converted from close range.
Player of the Match: Federico Gatti (Juventus)
Upcoming Fixtures – Wednesday’s Matches
The Champions League knockout phase continues with another set of thrilling fixtures:
- Club Brugge vs Atalanta (18:45 CET)
- Monaco vs Benfica
- Celtic vs Bayern Munich
- Feyenoord vs Milan
All matches, except Brugge vs Atalanta, will kick off at 21:00 CET.
The second legs of the play-off round will be held on February 18 and 19, where teams will battle for a place in the Champions League Round of 16.
Stay tuned for more action as the road to Wembley continues!
