- Arsenal and Aston Villa advanced to Champions League quarter-finals this week
- Favourites Liverpool were dumped out of competition by French champions PSG
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! With the Premier League likely securing five Champions League spots, are we rewarding mediocrity?
The highest-scoring Champions League last-16 phase in years has come to an end with just two Premier League sides progressing to the final eight.
Liverpool failed to hold on to their 1-0 lead against PSG from the first leg, crashing out of the competition on penalties after Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones failed to convert from the spot.
An aggregate score of 9-3 gave Arsenal their place in the quarter-finals, while Aston Villa‘s convincing wins over Club Brugge mean they will face the French champions in early April.
Despite the mammoth scoreline, two Arsenal players made their way into Sofascore’s worst XI of the round. Jakub Kiwior and former competition winner Jorginho featured for their sub-par second leg performances against PSV Eindhoven.
Both received ratings of 6.00, as squad rotation saw Mikel Arteta give them both 90 minutes after being unused substitutes in the 7-1 thrashing of the first leg.
Manchester United loanee Tyrell Malacia also had the misfortune of featuring in the eleven for his PSV performances, as well as former United keeper Matej Kovar who let in three goals in Bayer Leverkusen’s 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich.
Arsenal cruised through to the quarter-final of the Champions League where they will face Real Madrid
Aston Villa set up a last-eight clash against French champions Paris Saint-Germain next month
Alisson Becker received the highest score of any player during the round but were powerless to stop the Reds from crashing out of the competition
A Harry Kane brace was part of the three goals that Kovar conceded, earning the England captain the second-highest average score of the last 16 with an 8.80 average rating. Starting his scoring with a world-class header into the bottom corner, Kane’s stuttered run-up helped him fire home a late penalty to seal victory in front of the home crowd.
The Tottenham legend complemented his first leg goals with a 52nd minute tap-in in the second leg, with a deflected Joshua Kimmich cross falling at the striker’s feet.
Fellow England star Jude Bellingham forced his way into Sofascore’s best performers despite Real Madrid only progressing on penalties.
Converting his spot-kick on tired legs, the 21-year-old’s league performance on the weekend helped him force his way back into the team after serving a suspension in the first leg.
A 93 per cent pass accuracy and 13 duels won in the second leg repaid Carlo Ancelotti’s faith, with the Madrid boss labelling the £100 million-man as one of his ‘calmest guys’.
Exiting the competition prematurely after being tipped as early favourites didn’t stop Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson from being named as Sofascore’s highest-ranked player of the round. Making 16 saves over both legs, the Brazil international earned himself an impressive 8.90 score, capping off a stellar record in the competition that has seen him keep three clean sheets in six games.
A happier English side is Arsenal, and with a 9-3 scoreline, one would assume that a Gunners player would feature amongst the competition’s best. This assumption would be correct, with Martin Odegaard scoring two and assisting one in the first leg to earn himself an 8.00 rating and a light runout in the return fixture after starting on the bench.
Aston Villa also extended their Champions League run with a 6-1 aggregate win over Belgian title holders Club Brugge. Former Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen was the standout in the return leg, scoring a deflected cut-back from Morgan Rogers on the edge of the six-yard box to double his side’s lead in the 57th minute.
Harry Kane netted three goals across the two legs against Bayer Leverkusen as Bayern Munich kept their hopes of winning the European Cup on home soil alive
Two Real Madrid players made Sofascore’s Best XI of the round of 16 after their penalty win over Atletico Madrid
Despite advancing to the next stage, both Jacob Kiwior and Jorginho found their way into the Worst XI of the round
This sees Villa into the quarter-finals of Europe’s biggest competition for the third time in their history, having won the European Cup in 1982. The last time they reached this stage was the following season, when they lost in the last eight to Juventus.
Up against Maatsen was Club Brugge right-back Kyriani Sabbe, who recorded the worst score of the round of 16 phase with a 4.70 rating. The 20-year-old was sent off in the 17th minute of the second leg after a last-man foul on Marcus Rashford, who had been through on goal.
Arsenal’s 2-2 draw at home to PSV in the second leg prevented them from threatening Bayern Munich’s 12-1 competition record. Two of their starters made their way into the worst XI of the round instead.
Poland international Jakub Kiwior was one of them, and was given a 6.00 rating by Sofascore. With only 18 Premier League starts since joining in 2023, the centre-back’s lack of minutes showed, winning two of his five duels and losing the ball six times.
Central midfielder Jorginho was the other, receiving the same rating. Captaining the North London club on the night, the 2020-21 UEFA Men’s Player of the Year gave possession away for PSV’s equaliser- one of the 11 times he lost the ball during the game.
The away side didn’t go without their share of poor performers either, with Tyrell Malacia, who is currently on loan from Manchester United, and Ismael Saibari ranking amongst the competition’s worst after the emphatic 7-1 win of the first leg.
The quarter-finals of the Champions League will take place on the 8th and 9th of April, with the two remaining English sides facing European powerhouses as Arsenal host Real Madrid while Aston Villa will play PSG at the Parc des Princes.