Arsenal marches on
Arsenal booked a quarterfinal spot with a 2–0 win over Bayer Leverkusen at the Emirates, and reaction clips are already trending—Barcelona panels on YouTube are talking up their chances and saying “Podemos eliminar al Arsenal.” The UCL quarterfinal first legs are set for April 7–8 with returns on April 14–15. (bolavip.com)(youtube.com)(en.as.com)
Eberechi Eze thundered a 20-yard rocket into the top corner — his first-ever Champions League goal — in the 35th minute to swing momentum firmly in Arsenal’s favour. (arsenal.com)) Declan Rice doubled the lead with a low, long-range finish in the 62nd minute that effectively closed out the tie. (arsenal.com)) The second-leg win took the tie to a 3–1 aggregate score after the opening leg finished 1–1 in Leverkusen, where Kai Havertz converted an 89th‑minute penalty to level the first meeting. (espn.com)) Arsenal’s reward is a quarter-final against Sporting CP; Sporting punched their own ticket by overturning a 3–0 first-leg deficit to beat Bodø/Glimt 5–0 after extra time and advance 5–3 on aggregate. (arsenal.com)) This marks Arsenal’s third consecutive season reaching the Champions League last eight, and the run comes amid a domestic campaign in which they sit nine points clear at the top of the Premier League while also preparing for a Carabao Cup final with Manchester City and an FA Cup quarter at Southampton. (arsenal.com)) Both Eze’s strike and Rice’s strike were nominated for the Champions League Goal of the Day, with official voting opened to fans after the match. (sports.yahoo.com))
