Inter Milan substitute Davide Frattesi struck an extra-time winner to send his side into the Champions League final following a barnstorming 4-3 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday after Francesco Acerbi had rescued them from the brink of elimination with a stunning equalizer deep in added time.
Bayern Munich defender Josip Stanisic caught some flak during his side’s 2-2 draw vs. Inter Milan on Wednesday when he shoved over one of the opposing ball boys. A Stanisic apology was issued for the incident.
Late in the contest with Inter leading 4-3 on aggregate, the ball went out for a throw in with Stanisic the nearest to it. In a sneaky attempt to waste some of Bayern’s precious seconds, the Inter ball boy rolled the game ball away from Stanisic.
The 25-year-old retaliated to the stunt by pushing the youngster off his seat and onto his back.
Aston Villa’s 3-2 victory (4-5 aggregate defeat) to Paris Saint-Germain was an enthralling and chaotic Tuesday night. The game’s unpredictability was foreshadowed before a ball was even kicked as the wrong theme music played before kickoff.
As is tradition with Champions League games, the players and officials line up at the center of the field while the tournament’s anthem is played in the stadium. There was one slight problem… the Europa League theme was played instead.
Aston Villa Europa League theme blooper
One of the most wholesome moments from the Champions League quarterfinals came after the Aston Villa vs. PSG game. Following the final whistle a Matty Cash interview with his sister went viral.
Hannah Cash, who is a reporter for CBS, was the one to interview her older brother and Villa right back. The questioning ended with a heartwarming moment as the two exchanged a hug with Hannah saying she’s proud of Matty.
Matty Cash interview with his sister
Prince William made a surprise appearance as a guest pundit on TNT Sports this week, earning rave reviews from fans after displaying impressive soccer knowledge during a pre-match segment alongside former England defender Rio Ferdinand.
The Prince of Wales, a lifelong Aston Villa supporter, joined the broadcast ahead of one of the biggest matches in the club’s modern history — a UEFA Champions League quarterfinal clash against French giants Paris Saint-Germain.
Imperious Barcelona thumped visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after Robert Lewandowski netted twice against his old club to earn the Catalans a sizeable lead ahead of next week's return visit to Germany.
Barcelona vs Dortmund highlights
Two unbelievable Declan Rice free kicks vs Real Madrid stunned the Spanish giants and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois as Arsenal soared to a 3-0 victory in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinal.
After a relatively quiet first half, Rice sent the crowd inside Emirates Stadium into a frenzy with a marvelous bending free kick in the 58th minute. The ball bent so far around the wall it was reminiscent of Roberto Carlos’ free kick vs. France in 1997.
Declan Rice free kicks vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé and Antonio Rüdiger have been fined for misconduct after their Champions League win over Atlético Madrid and handed one-game bans, suspended for a year, leaving them free to play against Arsenal in the quarter-finals.
Rüdiger was fined $44,000 while Mbappé was fined $32,800. However, their one-match suspensions are "not immediately enforced" and are subject to a probationary period of one year, UEFA said on Friday.
Mbappé and Rüdiger ban
Four Real Madrid players could be in trouble after UEFA announced that an ethics and disciplinary investigation is being launched for the club’s celebrations against Atlético Madrid during their Champions League Round of 16 victory.
Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rüdiger, Dani Ceballos and Vinícius Jr. were the quartet of Madrid players that UEFA named. The investigation will be for “indecent conduct.”
UEFA Real Madrid investigation
UEFA said the correct decision was made to disallow Julian Alvarez's penalty in Atletico Madrid's Champions League loss to city rivals Real Madrid on Wednesday but European soccer's governing body would enter discussions to review the rule.
A livid Atletico enquired with UEFA after Alvarez had his shootout penalty ruled out by the referee in their last-16 tie that saw Real reach the quarter-finals of Europe's elite club competition.