Champions League

PARIS - Paris Saint-Germain looked shaky as they completed a 5-2 aggregate victory against Barcelona to reach the Champions League quarterfinals, but keeper Keylor Navas kept them afloat when their demons resurfaced.

On the stroke of halftime on Wednesday, Barça had a penalty that could have put them 2-1 up and two goals away from forcing extra time after a 4-1 defeat in the first leg at the Camp Nou. A repeat of the 2017 "remontada”, when Barça beat PSG 6-1 to overturn a 4-0 first leg defeat in the last 16, seemed more than just a pipe dream.

MANCHESTER, England - Agreement on a new-look Champions League structure is close to being completed and should be sealed in the next two weeks, Andrea Agnelli, president of Juventus and chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), said on Monday.

Agnelli told reporters after an ECA General Assembly that clubs could sign "individual commitments" to UEFA's competitions to finally end speculation about a breakaway Super League. He also floated the idea of barring big money transfer deals between clubs competing in the Champions League to cut costs.

Manchester City reached the preposterous milestone of 19 straight wins across all competitions following Wednesday’s 2-0 Champions League Round of 16 “away” victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach. Goals either half from Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus turned it into a training exercise at Puskás Aréna in Budapest as Gladbach only landed one shot on target. 

The present and future of the Champions League combined to lead Bayern Munich over Lazio on Tuesday with Robert Lewandowski scoring his 72nd goal of the competition and 17-year-old Jamal Musiala scoring his first as Bayern prevailed 4-1 in Rome.

You can’t give the world champions anything if you want to last over the course of 180 minutes, but Lazio damned itself as early as the ninth minute after Mateo Musacchio’s suicidal back-pass allowed Lewandowski to collect possession, round Pepe Reina and finish into an empty net.

If this is the end of the Lionel Messi era at Barcelona, it’s a fitting one. It’s not what the six-time Ballon d’Or winner deserves, but at least it’s definitive. There’ll be no backwards glances, no what-ifs, just the resounding truth that a beautiful cycle has clearly reached its end: After losing 8-2 to Bayern Munich last season, Barça is on pace to match that level of embarrassment after getting rinsed 4-1 by PSG at the Camp Nou on Tuesday. 

Liverpool secured a vital 2-0 away victory in Budapest against RB Leipzig on Tuesday in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 clash. The Reds’ goals came courtesy of two absolutely horrendous Leipzig errors that could spell the end of the Bundesliga side’s time in the Champions League.

The two bizarre mistakes fit the theme of an unusual night. Due to fears of the UK Covid-19 strain Leipzig was forced to play its “home” leg in a country in which the club has never played. 

I can’t think of a more terrifying proposition in football than lining up as a right back against Kylian Mbappé. Sergiño Dest found out just how quickly things can turn as the young American was subbed out after Barcelona conceded three straight goals in a 4-1 defeat to PSG on Tuesday.