Champions League semis set
Arsenal reached the Champions League semi‑finals after a 0–0 second leg that left them 1–0 on aggregate, while Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 4–3 on the night to advance 6–4 on aggregate. (theguardian.com) In the losing effort, Kylian Mbappé still hit a new Champions League milestone noted by Sports Illustrated. (aljazeera.com)
Arsenal and Bayern Munich completed the Champions League semi-final lineup on Wednesday, April 15, setting up meetings with Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. (uefa.com) Arsenal advanced after a scoreless second leg against Sporting Clube de Portugal in London, enough to protect the 1-0 lead they built in Lisbon in the first leg. Bayern went through in a far wilder tie, beating Real Madrid 4-3 in Munich to win 6-4 on aggregate. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2) The semi-finals are now set for April 28 and 29 in the first legs, with return matches on May 5 and 6. Paris Saint-Germain host Bayern on April 28, while Atlético host Arsenal on April 29; the second legs switch to London on May 5 and Munich on May 6. (uefa.com) That leaves four clubs from four countries chasing the final in Budapest on May 30 at Puskás Aréna. Paris eliminated Liverpool 4-0 on aggregate, and Atlético de Madrid knocked out Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate in the other quarter-finals. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2) Bayern’s second leg was the night’s main spectacle. Arda Güler scored after 34 seconds for Madrid, Aleksandar Pavlović answered for Bayern, Güler struck again from a free kick, Harry Kane made it 2-2, and Kylian Mbappé restored Madrid’s lead before late goals from Luis Díaz in the 89th minute and Michael Olise in stoppage time finished the tie. (uefa.com) Mbappé still left with a record. His goal made him the first player to score 10 away goals in a single Champions League season, and Sports Illustrated said it also took him to 15 goals in this season’s competition and 70 in his Champions League career. (si.com) The bracket also shows how different the two paths were. Arsenal came through a tight quarter-final decided by one goal across 180 minutes, while Bayern had to survive a seven-goal second leg against the club that had won all five of its previous home Champions League matches this season before the return in Munich. (uefa.com 1) (uefa.com 2) Now the competition turns to two-legged semi-finals with no English-Spanish or German-Spanish final shortcut left in the bracket. Arsenal are two matches from a place in Budapest, and Bayern are two matches from taking on Paris Saint-Germain for a spot in the May 30 final. (uefa.com)
