Champions League Quarter-Finals rundown

The Champions League Quarter-Finals produced four very different games. Bayern suffered a shock loss to Villareal. Chelsea and Real Madrid put on an instant classic. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid quite expectedly got very fiery towards the end. And Liverpool had a surprise test from Benfica in the second leg, but managed to hold them off.

The second knockout stage of the Champions League provided us with some fantastic football, some less than pretty football, and one huge surprise.

With the Quarter-Finals done and dusted, we’ve taken a look at how each matchup played out over the two legs.

 

Bayern Munich vs Villareal

Let's start with the big upset, as Villareal managed to beat the big hitters of Germany, Bayern Munich. They took a 1-0 lead that they earned from the first leg that was played in Spain into the second leg in Munich, and despite many thinking they would fall, they held strong and came away with a draw on the night which gave them a 2-1 aggregate win.

Villareal are advancing to the Semi-Finals despite Bayern dominating them on the stats sheet. Rather than looking at both games separately, let's look at the stats combined from both legs.

Possession fell Bayern's way, 63.5% to Villareal’s 36.5%. And with them controlling the ball as much as they did, they were able to play their sort of game. They made 1,037 of their 1,250 attempted passes, giving them an 83% pass accuracy. Villareal only made 519 of their 709 passes for 73% pass accuracy.

But it's not all about possession and passing, it's about what comes of it and where the ball ends up, and this is where we see how Villareal took the victory.

Bayern were firing shots at the Spanish side. They had 45 shots in total, 22 in the first game, 23 in the second. However, only eight shots hit the target. They had a superior shot accuracy, 18% to Villareal’s 13%, but it's not about the number of shots or the ones on target, it's about the ones that go in.

Villareal had 16 shots in total. Only two of them were on target. Both of them went in.

So just how did Villareal beat Bayern if the stats showed them down almost everywhere? It can only be put down to the beauty of the Champions League.

 

 

Chelsea vs Real Madrid

Chelsea and Real Madrid put on a show in the second leg that best displayed exactly what the Champions League is all about. With Chelsea down 3-1 on aggregate, they went all out, finding the three goals they needed to get ahead.

Real, needing just one goal to take it to extra time, managed to find it late. And then in extra time, the most in-form player in the world right now, Karim Benzema, found the eventual winning goal for Los Blancos and sent the defending champions packing.

As for the stats, just like in the Villareal Bayern matchup, it was the losing side that looked most dominant.

Chelsea held more possession, 57% to Real’s 43%, and with it made and attempted more passes - 1,270 made from 1,453 attempted for an 87% pass accuracy rate. Real’s passing was good too, but not quite as good - 909 made from 1,094 attempted for an 83% pass accuracy rate.

So once again, it was the shooting that won it for Real. They took 18 total shots, with nine hitting the target for a fantastic shots on target rate of 50%. Chelsea, like Bayern, peppered their opponents with shots, but mostly were not hitting the target. 48 shots in total they took, with 12 of them hitting the target for a respectable 25% shots on target rate.

Ultimately, it was about who converted their chances best, and it was Real. They scored five goals over the two legs to Chelsea’s four, meaning they had a 56% conversion rate, while Chelsea’s was 33%.

 

Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid

A solid matchup between two strong sides turned rather ugly in the second leg. Manchester City did what they needed in the first at home, taking a 1-0 to Atletico’s Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. The second leg, though, got chippy early and ended with a big scuffle between the two sides in the tunnel at full time.

Nevertheless, it was an interesting tie, and in the end, the team that won was the team that dominated the stats sheet.

Atletico in the first leg were virtually non-existent, but they came out swinging in the second. City, though, were the typical side that we’ve come to expect over both games; physically strong on defence, tactical and masterful on the attack.

City had 64.5% to Atletico’s 35.5%, and that included 70-30 possession in City’s favour in the first game. Passing-wise, the Citizens were clinical as usual. 1,199 made from 1,363 attempted for an 88% pass accuracy rate, which trounced Atletico’s 75%, which is 566 made from 760 attempted.

As for shooting, Atletico left their shooting boots at home for the first leg. They didn’t take a single shot! All their shots came in the second leg, where they had three shots on target from 14 total for a rate of 21%.

Man City weren’t the most accurate, but were at least shooting in both games. They had three shots on target from 25 total shots, to give them a quite poor 12% shot accuracy. But it is slightly better 33% conversion rate, and they got the win, and that’s all that matters in the end.

Liverpool vs Benfica

Liverpool vs Benfica went the way that most people expected Bayern vs Villareal to go; the people’s favourite, in this case Liverpool, walked away with a convincing win over their opponent. Although, that’s not entirely the truth. 

They won 3-1 in the first leg, but the second leg went a bit crazy. It finished 3-3, but Benfica actually had the ball in the back of the net five times, Liverpool four. It could have been a largely different game if it weren’t for the offsides.

Still, Liverpool were the team on top at the end of it all as well as on the stats sheet.

The Red’s controlled possession, 65.5% to Benfica’s 34.5%. With it, they played the ball with the efficiency that they have had throughout this season and actually had more than double the number of passes made than Benfica. 1,388 passes made from 1,611 attempted, an 86% pass accuracy rate. Benfica had 635 made from 858 attempts, 74% accuracy.

Shooting-wise, Liverpool were pretty clinical. 35 total shots, 13 on target for 37% shots on target rate. And with six goals scored, they had a solid 46% conversion rate. Benfica had 15 total shots, seven on target for a 47% shots on target rate, and with four goals scored, they had a strong 57% conversion rate despite the loss.