Eighteen goals. Talking points aplenty. And, crucially, all four matchups still very much alive. The Champions League quarterfinals are certainly living up to their billing heading into the second legs. If the drama wasn’t enough on Tuesday when Real Madrid drew 3-3 at home to defending champion Manchester City and Bayern Munich was held 2-2 at Arsenal, there was even more on Wednesday as Barcelona won 3-2 at Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid conceded late in its 2-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund. It sets up some intriguing plotlines. Is this the end of Kylian Mbappe’s hopes of finally winning a Champions League title in his last season at PSG, or can he rediscover his best form to spark a turnaround at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys? After all, he scored a hat trick in his last visit to Barcelona, in 2021. Can Madrid, the record 14-time European champion, lean on its mythical status in this competition to end City’s title defense? Remember, City thrashed Madrid 4-0 in the second leg of the semifinals last season after a first-leg draw in Spain. |
Air travel surges thanks to Spring Festival and visa policiesChina sets up expert advisory committee for lunar samplesCotton harvest season starts in XinjiangChina expenses concerns over EU commission probesChina remains biggest export country for German electrical, digital industry in 2021Huawei's new mobile OS coming on June 2Huawei's new mobile OS coming on June 2Index reflects nation's strength in AI governanceChina's newCainiao, JD, SF among logistics firms on global march