Barcelona and Bayern Munich are victors in their round of 16 match ups: Champions League Match Reports

 Champions League Round of 16 Match-ups

Barcelona vs Napoli

No team has won a champions league knock out fixture since 2013 at Barcelona’s Camp Nou; if Napoli can produce a win, they will be knocking out Barcelona as they score is 1-1 on aggregate. Just after 90 seconds of play, Dries Mertens nearly opens the scoring for Napoli when the ball deflects of Pique and falls to his feet, in which he volleys, but hits the outside of the post. 9 minutes later, a corner put into the box, by Ivan Rakitić, finds its way to Barcelona’s Clement Lenglets who heads home Barcelona’s first goal of the match. Then in the 23^rd minute Messi gets involved in the action; he receives the ball from just outside the 18 yard box and proceeds to dribble through three Napoli defenders and neatly fires the ball into the bottom left corner, scoring Barca’s second, making it a 2 goal lead on the night and on aggregate. The half hour mark was when Messi thought he scored his second of the night; but it was disallowed as he handled the ball just before scoring. Just before half time to make things worse for Napoli, they concede a penalty, produced by Messi, which Luis Suárez smashes into the top right corner making it 3-0.

Napoli find their first goal of the match in added time of the first half as Dries Mertens wins a penalty which Napoli captain, Lorenzo Insigne, wrong foots the keeper and tucks the ball into the bottom left corner. The score was 3-1 in the 80^th minute, until Napoli centre forward, Arkadiusz Milik, receives a heading opportunity when a wide cross came his way, which he guided past the keeper, but as he is celebrating the offside flag is raised, which keeps the score 3-1 which sees them through to the quarter finals. Barcelona win the match 3-1 on the night, but 4-2 on aggregate putting them through to the quarter finals where they will play FC Bayern Munich.

FC Bayern Munich vs Chelsea

Chelsea would have to overcome a 3-0 deficit, on aggregate, to have any chance of proceeding through to the quarter finals; but when the opposing team has one of the most prolific strikers in the world, the golden boot contender, Robert Lewandowski, it is hard to not see yourself conceding on a night like this. It took 9 minutes for Lewandowski to open the scoring after Chelsea’s veteran keeper, Willy Caballero, takes him out in the penalty area, conceding a yellow card and a penalty, which Lewandowski fires beyond him. Ivan Perišić gets Bayern’s second after Chelsea man, Mateo Kovačić, was caught in possession by Müller, who played it towards Lewandowski, who then played it to Perišić who squeezed it past Caballero at his near post. In the 22^nd minute Chelsea Youngster, Callum Hudson-odoi, curls the ball past Neuer from outside the area, making it 2-1 on the night, until VAR disallowed the goal as Chelsea’s Centre forward, Tammy Abraham, was caught offside in the build-up play of the goal. Chelsea do score in the 43^rd minute when Neuer spills a driven shot straight into Abraham’s path who taps it home, scoring merely a conciliation goal as 4 more were needed to surpass Bayern.

The second half saw Tolisso score Bayern’s 3^rd of the night after he was left unmarked in the penalty area where he volleyed the ball beyond Chelsea’s keeper. Then, Robert Lewandowski got his second, and Bayern’s 4^th after scoring a header from across, after yet again, being left unmarked in the penalty area. Bayern win the match 4-1; but 7-1 on aggregate to put them through to the quarter finals to face Barcelona.