In sort of interesting fashion, there were no draws in the first round of Champions League knock-out fixtures – well we did say “sort of” didn’t we?
The result is that eight teams will be licking their wounds while hoping they can still progress to the next round – some teams have better chances than others, however.
Borussia Dortmund 7/10
Benfica 1-0 Borussia Dortmund
In all honesty, Dortmund are probably fine. Benfica will go to the Westfalenstadion knowing goals will be the order of the day.
Leicester City 6/10
Sevilla 2-1 Leicester City
Out of nowhere, Leicester somehow clung on to Sevilla’s vastly better quality coat tails with a rare and valuable away goal – they couldn’t, could they?
Monaco 5/10
Manchester City 5-3 Monaco
Monaco’s defence took a bit of a pasting, but then, so did City’s. Three away goals is not to be sniffed at, and Monaco’s attack is as good as anybody’s right now.
Napoli 4/10
Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli
An away goal that COULD make things interesting for Napoli, although we’re not exactly counting on it.
FC Porto 3/10
FC Porto 0-2 Juventus
Pretty much game over for Porto unless they produce a truly stunning result in Italy – the venue and the away goals are against them right now.
Bayer Leverkusen 2/10
Bayer Leverkusen 2-4 Atletico Madrid
Scoring twice against Atletico was a wise move from Bayer Leverkusen – conceding four away goals was not. They’ll need to score at least three goals at the Vicente Calderon and… well, that’s not going to happen.
Barcelona 1/10
Paris St-Germain 4-0 Barcelona
No team has ever recovered from a four-goal first-leg defeat in the Champions League, although Barca get 1/10, because if anyone can do it…
Arsenal 0/10
Bayern Munich 5-1 Arsenal
Oh, Arsenal. If it’s any consolation, the heroic, but ultimately useless 3-0 home win will be something to enjoy.
