Chelsea, Bayern secure spots in Champions League quarterfinals

Robert Lewandowski scored a penalty as defending champion Bayern Munich cruised into the quarterfinals of the Champions League with a 2-1 home win over Lazio while Chelsea reached the last eight for the first time in seven years after beating Spanish side Atletico Madrid 2-0 at home on Wednesday.

There are three English clubs, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, in the quarterfinals, while no Italian Serie A side, for the first time in five years, will feature.

Bayern and Dortmund clinched two places for Germany’s Bundesliga, while Real Madrid is the only Spanish club to advance, the same with Paris Saint-Germain for French Ligue 1 and Porto for Portugal’s Primeira Liga.

Hansi Flick’s Bayern achieved several records with the win over Lazio. The German giant has qualified for the quarterfinals 19 times, more than any other team in the Champions League history.

Polish striker Lewandowski slotted home a first-half penalty to put Bayern 5-1 ahead on aggregate. Substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting made it 6-1 in the second half with a chipped finish from close range to put the clash far beyond Lazio’s reach. Marco Parolo pulled one back with a header for the Italian side in the closing period.

Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea hosted the current La Liga leader Atletico Madrid boasting a 1-0 lead from the first leg. The London team capitalized on two counter-attacks in each half to dispatch the visitors with Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri grabbing the goals.

The draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals takes place on Friday 19 March at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

ARR