Fiifi Manfred Sports
Fiifi Manfred Sports
February 20, 2025 at 10:41 AM
*What does the round of 16 look like?* The first group of clubs to qualify for the round of 16 from the play-offs was confirmed on Tuesday, with none of the four ties needing extra time to find a winner. Celtic came agonisingly close to taking Bayern beyond regular time, leading 1-0 from the 63rd minute until the fourth minute of added time. With less than 60 seconds remaining of the minimum four minutes added on, Canada left-back Davies reacted quickest to a Kasper Schmeichel save to tap in the rebound from close range and secure Bayern’s progress. Feyenoord were the first team to confirm their progress from the play-offs, but it was not straightforward. With a 1-0 lead going into the second leg, Milan levelled the tie within 40 seconds when Santiago Gimenez, the striker who joined the Italians from Feyenoord earlier this month, headed in from close range. Following a red card for Milan full-back Theo Hernandez, Feyenoord forward Julian Carranza equalised on the night in the 71st minute — putting the Dutch side 2-1 ahead on aggregate, which was the final score. But they will be without 18-year-old defender Givairo Read for the next round — he was shown a red card after the final whistle for kicking the ball at Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic. Benfica’s second leg against Monaco was the standout match of the day. The Portuguese side clinched the tie with a 3-3 draw at home, which sent them through after a 1-0 away win in the first leg. A whirlwind eight-minute period between the 76th and the 84th minutes started with Vangelis Pavlidis converting a penalty which looked to put Benfica in the driving seat. But George Ilenikhena then put Monaco ahead on the night and level on aggregate, before Orkun Korkcu’s effort three minutes later proved to be Benfica’s winner. There was less drama as Club Brugge made light work of Atalanta, beating the Italian side 3-1 in the second leg away from home after a 2-1 home victory in the first leg. These sides join the teams that qualified by finishing in the top eight places of the inaugural league phase. From first place to eighth, these are: Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa.
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