Juventus 3-2 (4-4) Porto
That 1st half PK....meh. I see the contact but to me it just looks like two guys going after the ball with neither really getting an unfair advantage, so I would've let it go. Juve just couldn't get their offense going, Porto was off-side trapping them to perfection and kept them frustrated on the wings especially and when Ronaldo gets impatient, he gets fidgety. Juve back in the game: 48th minute, Ronaldo settles a ball in the box perfectly for Chiesa to hammer home, nice teamwork and a real mood lifter. Just a few minutes later Chiesa beat the keeper but couldn't corral the ball--OMG, that defender got so lucky to sweep it away without giving up a penalty! Okay, some sweet action here. Chiesa finishes on a beautiful header from a long ball pass (hmmm...are we sure he wasn't offside?) and we got ourselves a stew! Once it went it OT, I figured we were headed to PK's, but Porto scored and I missed that Porto was in the driver's seat, so when Juve scored right away, I thought we were back on the PK track. But, no, Porto advances on away goals. Juve really dominated this match but Porto made their two best chances stand up and they're moving on. Tough L for Juventus.
Dortmund 2-2 (5-4) Sevilla
Man, Sevilla really came out swinging, attacking hard early on. But they weren't able to connect on a quick goal, feels like they're gonna wear themselves out. Called it! For the first 20 minutes or so, Dortmund couldn't get the ball across midfield, but the first good run at the goal they had, they managed to finished (who's stopping Haaland right now?). The goal/no goal/missed PK/2nd chance PK maneuver early in the 2nd half was confusing and I'm not convinced it was the right call, but it felt like Dortmund earned a goal, so I guess it's legit. Sevilla played their asses off down the stretch, the frantic run to the end made Dotrmund look shaky, but they held on. Kind of a crazy game, lot of cards, chippy fouls, high octane action, replays, ref looked lost at times....fun times.
Liverpool 2-0 (4-0) Leipzig
Another fairly even match where Liverpool finished its chances and Leipzig just couldn't generate any offense. Leipzig is solid but just doesn't have the attack to move forward. Kinda hard to tell, really, how good Liverpool is: was Leipzig a sturdy pushback or an easy pushover? My eyes told me the two teams were not that far apart but the scoreboard shows me a different picture.
Paris St. Germaine 1-1 (5-2) Barcelona
Man, Barca had chances: missed PK, hit the post a coupla times, swung the ball in front of the goal numerous times, kinda lived in PSG's box for long stretches...and just couldn't connect. PSG got a quick PK (meh, I thought it was a weak call) and the lead seemed insurmountable....and it was. Shame to miss out on Messi going forward but it would've sucked being deprived of Mbappe, too, I suppose.
Real Madrid 3-1 (4-1) Atalanta
Madrid controlled the game early, up 1-0 at halftime, and the game was pretty much over when they finished a PK (iffy call) early in the 2nd half. Atalanta got a goal, but gave it right back. Real was the better team for 180 minutes.
Manchester City 2-0 (4-0) Gladbach
Gladbach just never had any attack at any point in these two matches. Even their high pressured defense was of little use, seemed like Man City was more than happy to kill time passing the ball around in their backfield. De Bruyne nailed a beauty early in the game and then they added another goal before halftime on a breakaway (beautiful set-up pass, just gorgeous) and it was all over quick.
Bayern Munich 2-1 (6-2) Lazio
Yeah, Bayern is just better than Lazio. Lazio could maintain possession but they couldn't push forward and Bayern's counter were just overwhelming.
Chelsea 2-0 (3-0) Atletico Madrid
I was surprised how un-sexy Atletico's attack was, just never seemed scary around the goal. Chelsea controlled the offense, that first goal finished the game, the late goal was just cold blooded.
Quarters:
Man City v Dortmund
I'm looking forward to it. Dortmund's offense can pile up goals quickly but it goes cold, too. If Man City can control the tempo, they can stymie Dortmund. This could go either way: indeed, this could be a tight, well-fought battle throughout or either team could house the other. This match offers perhaps the widest variance of outcomes.
Porto v Chelsea
I think Chelsea is the better team, not that Porto is undeserving but the way they scored in that first leg gives little indication of what they're actually like. If Porto can score early perhaps they can control the game, I think they'll have to. I gotta go with Chelsea, there's more firepower coming off the bench, too, they should score goals, whereas I think Porto has to bunker.
Bayern Munich v Paris St. Germaine
This will be fun! Bayern isn't unbeatable, they're just really solid at every phase of the game. PSG, though, is exactly the kind of spicy side that put a scare into them. I see both teams scoring goals, this is definitely the matchup to watch.
Real Madrid v Liverpool
Hard to tell how good either of these teams are: Atalanta gave Real Madrid little to worry about and Leipzig just never spooked Liverpool. I got a feeling one of these sides is ready to collapse, just not sure who's going to do it first. Uh...I'll take Liverpool.
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