Guirassy hits treble as Barca limp past Dortmund into semis

Borussia Dortmund couldn’t recover from a first-leg demolition by Barcelona to reach the Champions League semi-finals, despite winning a thrilling return tie thanks to a Serhou Guirassy hat-trick. The Catalan giants appeared to have all-but confirmed their place in the last four for the first time since 2019 following their crushing 4-0 win at home. But Dortmund put up a brave effort to come so close to a stunning turnaround in a dramatic second leg.

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PSG progress despite valiant Villa fightback

Aston Villa threatened to pull off a stunning comeback against Paris St-Germain before going out of the Champions League on a dramatic night at Villa Park. Villa were attempting to overturn a 3-1 deficit to reach the semi-final but their hopes looked in tatters when they were two goals down inside the first half-hour. However a second half fightback saw them push the French champions to the final whistle.

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Lewandowski double helps Barca dominate Dortmund

Imperious Barcelona thumped visitors Borussia Dortmund 4-0 in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday after Robert Lewandowski netted twice against his old club to earn the Catalans a sizeable lead. The treble-chasing Barca predictably dominated the opening stages and grabbed the lead following Raphinha’s strike in the 25th minute. Lamine Yamal added a late fourth to leave the Catalans in a commanding position.

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Mendes strikes late as PSG leave Villa with a mountain to climb

Nuno Mendes struck deep into stoppage time to give Paris St-Germain a significant advantage against Aston Villa in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Parc des Princes. The visitors had stunned the newly crowned French champions when Morgan Rogers arrived at the far post to turn in Youri Tielemans’ cross from the left after 35 minutes. However a strong second half saw the tie turn on its head to give PSG a commanding lead.

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Rice rockets Arsenal into commanding lead over Real Madrid

Declan Rice stunned Real Madrid with two brilliant free kicks – the first scored in his career – as Arsenal took a commanding 3-0 first leg lead in their Champions League quarter-final. Mikel Merino made sure it was a memorable night for Arsenal when he curled a shot into the bottom corner from inside the area during a sensational second half spell for Mikel Arteta’s men.

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