The Champions League Round of 16 has returned with exactly the kind of chaos fans expect when Europe’s biggest clubs meet in knockout football. The evening’s four games saw late equalisers, early strikes, defensive breakdowns and one masterclass of proper attacking.
Both Barcelona and Liverpool entered their opponents’ away stadiums and produced results that will leave them with a lot to think about ahead of the second leg. Barcelona needed a stoppage-time penalty to escape Newcastle with a 1-1 draw, while Liverpool lost 1-0 at Galatasaray in Istanbul after conceding early from a set-piece.
Read the full story
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid produced one of the most ruthless performances of the round, tearing Tottenham apart in a wild opening spell that set the tone for a comfortable win. Bayern Munich, meanwhile, did what Bayern usually do when they feel weak in Europe, dismantling Atalanta with a stunning 6-1 away win.
Different stadiums, different stories. But the takeaway from the evening was simple: knockout football doesn’t wait for the big names to settle down.
NEWCASTLE STUN BARCA LATE
Barcelona survived a brutal atmosphere at St James’ Park to draw 1-1, but the Catalans needed a late lifeline to avoid defeat in the first leg.
Newcastle looked sharper for most of the game. Eddie Howe’s side played with intensity and created the better openings, eventually taking the lead in the 86th minute when Harvey Barnes volleyed home a Jacob Murphy cross after Barcelona’s defense momentarily lost their form. Newcastle gave Barcelona a scare in their RO16 clash. (Photo by Reuters)
Just when it looked like the Premier League side would take a valuable lead into Spain, Barcelona found a way back. Dani Olmo was brought down by Malick Thiaw deep into stoppage time and Lamine Yamal calmly converted the penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw ahead of the second leg at the Camp Nou.
GALATASARAY EDGE LIVERPOOL
Liverpool’s trip to Istanbul proved tricky as Galatasaray secured a narrow 1-0 win to go into the second leg at Anfield.
The decisive moment came early. Mario Lemina headed home in the seventh minute after Victor Osimhen flicked on Gabriel Sara’s corner, exposing Liverpool’s set-piece weakness that has plagued them this season. Galatasaray has a 1-0 lead against Liverpool heading into the 2nd leg. (Photo: Reuters)
Arno Slotu’s side had chances to level the game, with Florian Wirtz going close and Ibrahima Konate missing a good chance, but VAR denied Liverpool a late equalizer after ruling that the ball had hit Konate’s arm during a goal scrum. The Turkish champions held on to take a slim advantage back to England.
ATLETICO HUMBLE TOTTENHAM
Tottenham’s miserable season took another turn as Atlético Madrid ran riot on a chaotic Champions League evening in the Spanish capital.
The game was practically decided in the opening 25 minutes. Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky twice slipped in attempted clearances to give goals to Marcos Llorente and Julian Alvarez, while Antoine Griezmann and Robin Le Normand also found the net during a brutal early spell. Julian Alvarez, Atlético star in the Spurs game. (Photo by Reuters)
Pedro Porro pulled one back for Spurs and Dominic Solanke capitalized on a Jan Oblak mistake later, but Atletico still ran out comfortable winners and Alvarez grabbed another on the counter. The defeat marked Tottenham’s sixth straight defeat in all competitions and left Igor Tudor’s side with serious questions.
BAYERN DESTROYED ATALANTA
If there was one team that looked fully prepared for knockout football, it was Bayern Munich.
Vincent Kompany’s side dismantled Atalanta 6-1 away in a performance that was essentially decided before half-time. Josip Stanisic opened the scoring before Michael Olise and Serge Gnabry struck to give Bayern a three-goal lead inside 25 minutes.
The German side continued to press after the break, with Nicolas Jackson, Olise again and Jamal Musiala adding to the score. Mario Pasalic grabbed a late consolation for Atalanta but the damage was long since done as Bayern took a huge advantage into the second leg at the Allianz Arena.
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
11 March 2026 08:10 IST
