The men’s Champions League round of 16 produced some strange results and loads of goals. There were aggregate wins of 8-2 for Paris Saint-Germain over Chelsea, 10-2 for Bayern Munich against Atalanta, and 8-3 for Barcelona over Newcastle, while Atletico Madrid saw off Tottenham 7-5. The first legs of the quarters in the women’s UCL took place this week, and we saw more of the same, with some shocking results – well, at least one – and lots and lots of goals.
Three of the ties remain at least relatively evenly balanced, with just one seemingly over at half-time in the tie. Three English clubs remain at this stage, although with two facing each other, that is guaranteed to be reduced to no more than two by the semis.
Arsenal in Driving Seat Against Chelsea
One worth watching back
Experience Tuesday night’s win all over again with our full match replay
https://t.co/D3taokSvYf pic.twitter.com/wru6OA7hYp
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) March 26, 2026
Chelsea have been the dominant force in English football for a long time. The Blues have won the Women’s Super League in each of the last six seasons. They have, however, been unable to get over the line in the Champions League. All those associated with the Blues must have found it rather galling, then, when Arsenal won the competition for a second time last season.
Chelsea made the final in 2021 and, since then, have spent a lot of money in their quest to bridge the gap between them and the likes of Lyon and Barcelona and maintain their dominance at home. It does not seem to be working, with the Blues unable to hold off their domestic rivals who are now all taking the women’s game more seriously and investing heavily as well.
Chelsea are currently third in the WSL and are in big danger of being eliminated by the Gunners from the Champions League. They lost the first leg 3-1 at the Emirates and now face a huge challenge in the return. Arsenal are two points behind Chelsea in the Super League but have two games in hand and on the evidence of the first leg, it is the north Londoners who look better set to try and chase down the two Manchester clubs at the top of the domestic standings.
Despite another wonder goal from Lauren James, the away side were well beaten. Arsenal have incredible strength in depth in the final third, and three of their big hitters got on the scoresheet to put them in a very strong position. Swedish striker Stina Blackstenius opened the scoring after 22 minutes. Chloe Kelly made it 2-0 just 10 minutes later before James struck from 25 yards to give the Blues hope in the 66th minute. However, Alessia Russo, the leading scorer in this season’s UCL, put the game to bed 10 minutes after that.
The tie certainly isn’t done yet, though, and there were lots of positives for Chelsea to take from the match. The Gunners were good, but 3-1 was not a fair reflection in a clash in which their opponents dominated possession, had more shots and hit the woodwork twice. There is life left in this one for sure.
United Also Face Big Test
Manchester United are second in the WSL, but they were always up against it, facing German giants Bayern Munich. The Germans finished fourth in the league phase, a point and two places ahead of Man United. The English side lost 3-2 on home soil and will now need to win in Germany to stand a chance of making the last four.
The hosts had the worst possible start, conceding after just two minutes, but hit back through a Maya Le Tissier penalty. They again went behind when former Chelsea star Pernille Harder netted her second of the night after 71 minutes. Once again, though, United struck back, levelling at 2-2 five minutes later. However, a late goal from Japan’s Momoko Tanikawa gave Bayern a big win.
Barca Destroy Rivals Real
Barcelona have made the final of the women’s UCL in each of the past five seasons, winning three times. One of their players has won the Ballon d’Or Féminin for each of the past five years, and they are by far the best team in the world. And they proved it once again on Wednesday night when they tore great rivals Real Madrid apart in the Spanish capital.
Barca won 6-2 with five different goal scorers, and despite a brace from Linda Caicedo, including an absolute worldie, Real are clearly facing a near-impossible task in the second leg. Barca won five and drew one of their group fixtures, topping the table, while Real were down in seventh. The Catalans are also 10 points clear of the old enemy in Liga F too, so the return fixture should be plain sailing for the hosts.
All to Play for Between Wolfsburg and Lyon
Wolfsburg have made the final of the Champions League six times since 2013 (winning twice). Meanwhile, Lyon are the record-winners of this competition (eight victories) and have made 11 finals since 2010. This was a high-quality last-eight tie. Hosts Wolfsburg won 1-0, Dutch international Lineth Beerensteyn netting the only goal of the game. The return should be a fascinating clash, with the winner set to face Arsenal or Chelsea in the semis.