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Real Madrid beat Atletico on penalties for Champions League quarter-finals

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Title holders Real Madrid survived a missed penalty from Vinicius Junior in regulation when they beat crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid 4-2 on penalties for a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Antonio Rüdiger sealed the last 16 victory as goalkeeper Jan Oblak got his hands on the ball but couldn’t stop it from crossing the line.

Oblak had saved from Lucas Vazquez in the shoot-out but Atletico’s Julian Alvarez had his successful kick disallowed upon review because he touched the ball with both feet, and Marcos Llorente hit the crossbar with his attempt.

Record winners Real had won the first leg 2-1 at home but Conor Gallagher levelled it up for Atletico in the opening minute at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Vinicius Junior had the big chance to restore Real’s aggregate advantage but fired the penalty high over the crossbar in the 70th minute after Clement Lenglet had brought down Kylian Mbappe.

Real maintained their perfect record against Atletico in knock-out ties and finals in the event, and now meet Arsenal, who completed an emphatic 9-3 aggregate victory against PSV Eindhoven with a 2-2 home draw.

Last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund won 2-1 at French side Lille to advance 3-2 for a date with Barcelona.

Marco Asensio’s brace helped Aston Villa beat 10-man Club Brugge 3-0 on the night and 6-1 overall and into a quarter-final meeting with his parent club and Liverpool conquerors Paris Saint-Germain.

The other quarter-final tie is Bayern Munich v Inter Milan, with the matches set to be played April 8/9 and April 15/16. (dpa/NAN)

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Manchester United, Tottenham advance into Europa League quarters

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Man United captain Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick and Wilson Odobert was on target twice for Tottenham Hotspur as the two Premier League strugglers reached the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday.

Fernandes converted two penalties and got the other from open play as United came from behind to beat 10-man Real Sociedad 4-1 on the night and 5-2 on aggregate.

The Spanish visitors had led early from the first penalty at Old Trafford converted by Mikel Oyarzabal, but their comeback hopes ended in a red card for substitute Jon Aramburu, and Diogo Dalot got the final United goal.

Spurs overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit against AZ Alkmaar with a 3-1 over their Dutch opponents from Odobert’s brace and James Maddison.

They next face 2022 champions Eintracht Frankfurt who completed a 6-2 aggregate success over Ajax with a 4-1 home win which included a brace from German 2014 World Cup hero Mario Götze.

United’s quarter-final opponents are Olympique Lyon, whose Georges Mikautadze and Ernest Nuamah also got two goals each in a 4-0 demolition of Romania’s FCSB for a 7-1 aggregate success.

Spurs and United are far off the European berths in the Premier League, and their only realistic chance of European football lies in winning the Europa League which earns a Champions League berth.

Elsewhere, Spain international Nico Williams scored twice as Athletic Bilbao remained on course towards the May 21 final in their home stadium with a 3-1 success over 10-man Roma, which overturned a 2-1 defeat in Rome. The Italians had Mats Hummels sent off early.

Bilbao now take on Rangers who prevailed 3-2 on penalties over Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce who had locked the aggregate score at 3-3 with a 2-0 in Glasgow.

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The other quarter-final tie set for April 10 and 17 is between Lazio and Norway’s Bodø/Glimt, who ousted Conference League champions Olympiacos.(dpa/NAN)

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Pinnick Loses Re-election Into FIFA Council

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Former President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick, has missed out on a return to the FIFA Council Seat.

Pinnick lost re-election at the extraordinary general assembly held in Cairo on Wednesday, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in attendance.

Africa has seven seats at the FIFA Council, with CAF President Patrice Motsepe who was reelected on Wednesday, guaranteed a seat while a seat is reserved for a woman.

The Nigerian football administrator narrowly lost out in the election, scoring 28 votes, one short of 29 scored by Ahmed Yahya of Mauritania and Djibouti’s Souleymane Waberi.

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Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Barcelona zoom into Champions League quarter-finals

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Bayern Munich and Inter Milan have joined Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Harry Kane scored and set up Alphonso Davies as six-time winners Bayern won 2-0 at Bayer Leverkusen to take the all-German tie 5-0 from both games.

Inter Milan’s Turkish midfielder #20 Hakan Calhanoglu celebrates after scoring a penalty kick for his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg football match between Inter Milan and Feyenoord Rotterdam at the San Siro Stadium in Milan, on March 11, 2025. (Photo by Isabella BONOTTO / AFP)

The Bavarians remain on course towards the final in their home stadium.

Bayern next meet Inter who completed a 4-1 aggregate success over Dutch side Feyenoord with a 2-1 home victory from Marcus Thuram and Hakan Calhanoglu’s penalty.

Barcelona’s Brazilian forward #11 Raphinha (2R) celebrates with Barcelona’s Spanish forward #19 Lamine Yamal (R) after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg football match between FC Barcelona and SL Benfica at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona on March 11, 2025. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

Barcelona earlier beat Benfica 3-1 on the night and 4-1 on agregate as 17-year-old Lamine Yamal became the youngest player to score and assist in one Champions League match, while Raphinha got a brace.

The other tie between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain was heading into extra time from Ousmane Dembele’s 12th minute strike for PSG at Anfield which levelled the tie at 1-1.(dpa/NAN)

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