Champions League shocks

Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid are through to the UEFA Champions League semifinals after Tuesday’s second legs knocked out Liverpool and Barcelona. (uefa.com) Paris won 2-0 at Anfield on April 14 and 4-0 on aggregate after a second straight 2-0 result in the tie. Ousmane Dembélé scored both goals in Liverpool, adding to the two-goal first-leg cushion Paris had built in France. (uefa.com) Atlético lost 2-1 to Barcelona in Madrid but still advanced 3-2 on aggregate because Diego Simeone’s team had won the first leg 2-0 in Barcelona on April 8. Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres scored for Barcelona before Ademola Lookman’s finish restored Atlético’s aggregate lead. (uefa.com) The semifinals are now half set: Paris will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich, and Atlético will face either Arsenal or Sporting Club de Portugal. UEFA lists those semifinal first legs for April 28 and 29, with second legs on May 5 and 6. (uefa.com) The remaining quarterfinal on this side of the bracket is still live because Bayern take a 2-1 first-leg lead into Wednesday’s second leg against Real Madrid in Munich. Luis Díaz and Harry Kane scored for Bayern in Madrid on April 7, while Kylian Mbappé kept Real within one goal. (uefa.com) Paris’s route stands out because Liverpool finished top of the 36-team league phase before the knockout rounds began. Eliminating that side without conceding across 180 minutes gives Luis Enrique’s team one of the cleanest quarterfinal exits of the round. (uefa.com ) (uefa.com) Atlético’s place is notable for a different reason: ESPN’s match report said the club had not reached a Champions League semifinal since 2017. Barcelona, by contrast, had been in last season’s semifinals before going out this year in the quarterfinals. (espn.in) The bracket now turns to Wednesday, April 15, with Bayern against Real Madrid and Arsenal against Sporting deciding the last two semifinal places. The final is scheduled for May 30 at Puskás Aréna in Budapest. (uefa.com)