The primary half of Champions League play-off fixtures concluded on Tuesday.
This is what we fabricated from the motion.
📸 Gualter Fatia – 2025 Getty Photographs
The Champions League’s play-off spherical has already delivered some thrilling spectacles however Benfica’s five-goal thriller with Monaco will take some beating.
One objective separated the groups heading into their return encounter on the Estádio da Luz as each aimed to arrange a last-16 assembly with both Liverpool or Barcelona.
A below-par hosts noticed their slender benefit cancelled out a number of instances by Les Monégasques in a contest which was actually end-to-end till the closing levels.
No sooner had Bruno Lage’s males fallen behind on the night time for a second time that Orkun Kökçü delivered a swift rebuttal to safe their passage.
Whichever of the league part’s high two that As Águias draw on Friday, they might want to produce one other monumental effort to attempt to attain the quarter finals.
📸 MARCO BERTORELLO – AFP or licensors
The Champions League stays synonymous with Milan.
Others have gained it extra not too long ago, together with their native rivals Inter, however solely Actual Madrid can lay declare to larger success within the competitors than the Serie A giants.
However European nights aren’t what they as soon as have been for the Rossoneri as they crashed out at a sparsely populated San Siro to Feyenoord in a 2-1 mixture reversal.
Sérgio Conceição’s aspect began promisingly with Santi Giménez’s opener towards his former employers with barely 40 seconds on the clock of their second leg conflict.
As soon as Theo Hernández acquired his marching orders, nevertheless, the guests sensed blood and pulled stage on the night time to assert their first last-16 spot in 25 years.
📸 ALBERTO PIZZOLI – AFP or licensors
Transfer over, Atalanta – there is a new European fairytale on the town.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s males have been one of many continent’s actual feelgood tales lately, culminating with final season’s Europa League remaining success.
But La Dea should now take a again seat after lacking out on a spot within the final 16 to Membership Brugge, who completed useless final in qualification from the league part.
Not solely did the Blauw-Zwart produce a first-half blitz in Bergamo which gave them a commanding 5-1 mixture lead on the interval, however they made additional historical past.
Teenager Chemsdine Talbi’s brace noticed him grow to be each the youngest Belgian participant to web twice in addition to the fourth-youngest total within the competitors’s historical past.
📸 Matthias Hangst – 2025 Getty Photographs
Bayern Munich followers feared the worst when Harry Kane was a notable absentee from their coaching session forward of their finely poised return leg with Celtic.
The England captain’s omission was downplayed by his supervisor Vincent Kompany, who publicly recognized it as “nothing severe” apart from extra restoration time.
However the Bayern boss clearly spoke too quickly as Kane was withdrawn on the interval within the Allianz Area along with his aspect nonetheless removed from out of the woods of their play-off tie.
When Nicolas Kühn returned to hang-out his former employers with a swept end to attract the Bhoys stage, it appeared ominous for the Bundesliga’s runaway leaders.
Thankfully for Kompany, Alphonso Davies cropped up deep in added time to make sure his aspect progressed regardless of a valiant effort from their guests.
📸 Alex Grimm – 2025 Getty Photographs