The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 has been finalized with 12 spots decided: Inter Milan suffered a surprising double defeat and was eliminated, Bayer Leverkusen advanced, and Atletico Madrid secured a 4-1 victory.

On February 25th Beijing time, the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 playoffs ended with four matches, including Atletico Madrid’s dominant 4-1 win over Club Brugge, Inter Milan’s unexpected 1-2 loss and elimination by Bodø/Glimt, Newcastle’s narrow 3-2 victory over the weak Qarabağ, and Bayer Leverkusen’s 0-0 draw with Olympiacos. This means four more spots in the Champions League Round of 16 have been claimed by Atletico Madrid, Bodø/Glimt, Bayer Leverkusen, and Newcastle, making 12 teams qualified so far!

Atletico Madrid faced Club Brugge. In the first leg, Atletico played away and engaged in an attacking battle with Club Brugge, ending in a 3-3 draw. Therefore, the second leg was decisive. The match was open and high-scoring, with Atletico putting on a brilliant display of goals. Up front, Serloth turned into a goal-scoring machine, netting a hat-trick, while goalkeeper Oblak stood firm against Brugge’s shots, keeping a clean sheet to help Atletico win 4-1 and advance 7-4 on aggregate to the Round of 16!

Newcastle took on Qarabağ. The two teams had a huge gap in strength, incomparable to each other. In the first leg, Newcastle played away and dominated, bombarding their opponents to achieve a 6-1 victory, effectively ending the tie early. In the second leg at home, Newcastle started aggressively and scored two goals within the first six minutes, sealing the match. Shortly after halftime, Qarabağ quickly scored to reduce the deficit. However, Newcastle responded within two minutes with another goal to make it 3-1. Afterwards, Newcastle relaxed a bit, allowing Qarabağ to score again, and the match ended 3-2. Overall, Newcastle triumphed 9-3 on aggregate to advance to the Round of 16!

Inter Milan faced Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt, whose domestic league had already ended, but their home form was very strong, causing consecutive upsets against European giants. In the first leg, Bodø/Glimt shocked Inter by scoring twice in three minutes in the second half to win 3-1. In the second leg at Inter’s home, both teams failed to score in the first half, ending 0-0. Despite Inter’s relentless attacks, they couldn’t break through Bodø/Glimt’s defense. In the second half, Inter’s failure to convert chances led to punishment as Bodø/Glimt counterattacked sharply, scoring twice to take a 2-0 lead. Inter continued to press but only managed a single goal, losing 1-2 on the night and 2-5 on aggregate, suffering a shocking double defeat and elimination from the Round of 16!

Bayer Leverkusen played Olympiacos. In the first leg, Leverkusen secured a 2-0 win, gaining the advantage. In the second leg at home, they only needed a draw to advance. Leverkusen showed little attacking ambition and focused on defense to maintain the draw. They successfully held Olympiacos to a 0-0 scoreline, advancing 2-0 on aggregate to the Round of 16!

With these results, 12 spots in the Champions League Round of 16 have been confirmed, as shown in the image above. Eight teams qualified directly, plus four teams who advanced through the playoffs. Four spots remain, so let’s wait and see!

Written by / Sports Novel