Champions Travel

2023/24 Champions League Review - Last 8

Few sporting competitions produce the drama that the UEFA Champions League does and once again in 2024, the final 8 teams in the tournament did not disappoint. With goals flying in across all 4 ties, it is Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund who have booked their places in the semi-finals. With plenty of twists and turns inevitably still to come, the race to reach the 2024 Champions League final at Wembley is very much on.

Here is a rundown of the 2024 Champions League quarter finals:

Borussia Dortmund vs Atletico Madrid

Borussia Dortmund win 5-4 on aggregate

The prospect of Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid meeting in the last 8 of the Champions League didn’t appear to be the most thrilling one but as it was, these two European giants played out an absolute cracker.
It all looked to be heading in the direction of Atletico following the first leg, as the Spaniards went 2-0 to the good, before Dortmund came back to make it 2-1 ahead of the second leg at Signal Iduna Park.
In Dortmund, everything seemed to change, with Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen netting before half time to put the Germans 3-2 to the good in the tie. Everything flipped once more in the second half, as Atletico took the initiative once again, through an own goal from Mats Hummels and an Angel Correa strike.
However, Dortmund have shown their powers of recovery many time in the Champions League this season and goals from Niclas Fullkrug and Marcel Sabitzer secured their passage to the Champions League semifinals, for the first time since 2013.

Barcelona vs PSG

PSG win 6-4 on aggregate

Remarkable goal fests are par for the course in the Champions League but very few onlookers could have expected the Barcelona vs PSG rivalry to reignite in the way that it did over two legs here.
Having picked up a 3-2 win in Paris in the first leg, Barcelona appeared to be in total control and once Raphinha netted inside 12 minutes at the Nou Camp, Barca had a 4-2 aggregate lead and looked to be back in the Champions League big time.
However, PSG had other ideas and once Ronald Araujo was sent off for Barcelona, the whole narrative of the contest turned dramatically. Former Barca man Ousmane Dembele replied for the Parisians before Vitinha struck to put PSG ahead on the night.
It was then all about Kylian Mbappe, who dragged PSG over the line with two goals and it will be the French side who take on Borussia Dortmund next for a place in the Champions League final.

Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

Bayern Munich win 3-2 on aggregate

One of the most talked about ties of the round certainly didn’t disappoint, as Bayern Munich locked horns with Arsenal over two pulsating legs.
The first leg at the Emirates Stadium was drama filled, with both sides having moments where they felt aggrieved but at 2-2, both sides would have felt that they had opportunities to progress to the semi-finals in Munich.
Much has been made of Bayern Munich this season, with their Bundesliga title defence falling way short of their expected standard but Thomas Tuchel managed to rouse his troops into one huge performance here.
Joshua Kimmich’s second half goal was just rewards for Bayern, who arguably put in one of their best performances of the season and they progress to the last 4, as they chase their first Champions League title since 2020.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid

4-4 on aggregate – Real Madrid win 4-3 on penalties

As soon as the draw was made in Switzerland in March, there was one tie that caught the eye more than the others, with Manchester City and Real Madrid lined up to battle it out for the third time in as many seasons in the Champions League knockout stages.
The first leg at the Bernabeu was an absolute classic, with the two sides sharing a 3-3 draw, setting up the second leg at the Etihad perfectly.
City were expected to progress, having thumped Madrid 4-0 in the same fixture last season but Madrid demonstrated their defensive mettle and rode their luck throughout the contest.
Rodrygo, so often the scurge of Manchester City, gratefully accepted a lovely rebound from his initial shot to put Real Madrid and from there, Carlo Ancelotti’s expensively assembled squad buckled down to engage in the dark arts and plenty of defending.
City squared off the tie through Kevin de Bruyne and pushed hard throughout, missing countless chances and it felt as if the Champions League gods had aligned once more to help Real Madrid on their merry way.
Penalties saw Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva miss for City, enabling Real to progress to the last 4, where they will take on Bayern Munich and their pursuit of a 15^th Champions League title rumbles on.

Share