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Two spots are booked in the Champions League semifinals with Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain securing their places in the next round after seeing out their leads in the second legs. It was anything but smooth sailing with PSG needing a goal in the 73rd minute from Ousmane Dembele to break Liverpool's belief and quieten Anfield in a 2-0 victory (4-0 on aggregate) while Barcelona won their match at Atletico Madrid 2-1 but fell 3-2 on aggregate as Eric Garcia was sent off for denial of a goalscoring opportunity.

It's the second consecutive match that Barcelona have finished with 10 men due to having a defender sent off, but it's the deepest run for Atletico Madrid in this competition since the 2016-17 edition, where they also made it to the semifinals. Having never won the Champions League in their history, this could be the year for Diego Simeone's men, but with reigning champions PSG still going, it will be a tough job.

In the next round, PSG will face the team who advances between Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, while Atletico Madrid will face the team who advances out of Arsenal and Sporting CP. Wednesday will see the final two spots booked as Arsenal will host Sporting CP with a 1-0 lead after the first leg, and Bayern Munich will host Real Madrid with a 2-1 lead.

Champions League scores
o Atlético Madrid 1, Barcelona 2 (Atlético Madrid advances 3-2 on aggregate)
o Liverpool 0, PSG 2 ( PSG advances 0-4 on aggregate)

An opportunity lost
While Barcleona are in good shape to win LaLiga for a second consecutive season, after already falling in the Copa Del Rey to Atletico Madrid, while also seeing their Champions League run come to an end at the hands of the LaLiga side, what's next? Things may have been different if Raphinha was available, but Atlético Madrid kept their cool after Barcelona scored twice in the opening half of play before the defense yet again imploded.

Yet again, after Barcelona being knocked out by Inter last campaign, this is the kind of performance that raises questions of if they can win this competition under Hansi Flick and with their current roster construction. The defense was cut apart yet again on counter attacks, leading to a goal from Ademola Lookman and a red card. That can win LaLiga, but when every team in the world mentions Barcelona's offside trap as a weakness, something has to give.

Liverpool waves goodbye to Mohamed Salah on European stage
While Liverpool's season isn't over, it does feel like it is after their Champions League loss to PSG. Salah started the match on the bench but was introduced after Hugo Ekitike was stretchered off with an injury. The Egyptian created four chances but failed to put a shot on target in the match. It's unknown if Arne Slot will restore Salah to the XI, but with only three games remaining at Anfield before the season comes to an end, this Champions League run closing equals a door closing in what has been a disappointing season for the Reds.

There's still a chance for them to secure a top-four place in the Premier League with six matches remaining, so there is something to play for, but if they drop more points, they could end up outside of European competition completely, something that was hard to envision before the start of the season.

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Posted by Temmy
Wed, April 15, 2026 1:59pm