The Round of 16 fixtures of the biggest European club competition in the world culminated in the qualification and disqualification of some European clubs across the midweek UCL fixtures. In this UEFA Champions League recap, we examine the performance of African Stars across the second-round knockout fixtures.
HEARTBREAK AND TEARS FOR MO SALAH
The Parisians arrived at Anfield for the first leg of their UCL Round of 16 tie, aiming to overturn their first leg deficit against the Reds.
They displayed their intent early on, and they went ahead through Ousmane Dembele in the 12th minute, drawing the match level on aggregate. Despite occasional flashes of brilliance, Mo Salah was unable to influence the match’s outcome in Liverpool’s favour throughout the match. The aggregate scores remained unchanged as neither side managed to find the winner in normal time and extra time, sending the tie to penalties.
The Parisians went up first and buried all Their penalties. Salah was Liverpool’s first penalty taker, and he dispatched it clinically. However, subsequent misses by Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones subjected The Reds to a loss at the hands of The Parisians. A heartbreaking end to what has otherwise been a stellar UCL campaign for the Reds.
COUHAIB SPARKLES AS PSV ARE ELIMINATED
Knowing fully well that an insurmountable challenge lay before them in their Round of 16 fixtures, PSV Eindhoven arrived at the Emirates Stadium, intent on avoiding defeat to Arsenal FC.
Arsenal opened the scoring with a stunning goal from Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 6th minute. The visitors weren’t behind for long, as they grabbed a 16th-minute equalizer through Ivan Perisic. The hosts took the lead into the break, as Declan Rice grabbed the lead for the visitors in the 37th minute.
A surprise inclusion in the starting XI, Moroccan youth international Driouech Couhaib netted an equaliser for PSV in the 70th minute. Receiving a pass in between Arsenal’s defense from Isaac Babadi, the youngster raced onto the ball and lobbed the ball beautifully over the head of Arsenal’s onrushing goalkeeper. An artistic finish beyond his years!
It was Couhaib’s maiden UCL goal, netting on his first UCL start. The youngster was substituted for Esmir Bajraktarević in the 80th minute as PSV were eliminated at the hands of Arsenal.
GUIRASSY DELIGHT AS DORTMUND PROGRESS
Borussia Dortmund visited Lille LOSC at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, knowing fully well they needed a win to progress to the next round of the UCL knockout fixtures.
In search of a maiden UCL quarter final spot, Lille grabbed an early lead through Jonathan David in the 5th minute. Dortmund recovered from the goal and should have equalised in the opening half, save for some goal line clearances from Lille. David’s goal was the difference between both sides at the break.
Unwilling to go down with a good fight, Dortmund came out of the break firing on all fronts, and they found a lifeline as Serhou Guirassy was brought down in Lille’s 18-yard box. Dortmund Captain Emre Can stepped up for Dortmund and buried the ball clinically to equalise for the visitors in the 54th minute. Game on! A quarter-final spot was in sight for the Germans, and they pressed on with determination.
The visitors wasted no time in taking the lead, going ahead through Maximilian Beier eleven minutes after Can’s equalizer. Receiving a pass from Guirassy, the German forward displayed beautiful footwork to evade the defender’s challenge and lash the ball into the top corner. The comeback was complete, and qualification is secured for the visitors. A moment of delight for Guirassy as he booked a quarter final spot at the hands of his former employers.
