BIG WINS FOR BAYERN AND ATLETICO AS BARCELONA RESCUE LATE DRAW

By: Gyang Dakwo

Four matches were played in the UEFA Champions League round of sixteen on Tuesday night and the games produced goals, drama, and a late equaliser that changed the mood of one stadium.

Bayern Munich delivered the biggest result of the night as they defeated Atalanta 6-1 in Italy. Bayern took control early and scored three goals within the first half hour through Josip Stanisic, Michael Olise, and Serge Gnabry.

The visitors kept attacking after the break and goals from Nicolas Jackson and Jamal Musiala stretched the lead before Olise added his second of the night. Atalanta managed a late consolation through Mario Pasalic, but Bayern were already far ahead and now carry a huge advantage into the second leg.

Atletico Madrid also produced a powerful display as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 in Madrid.

Atletico stunned the visitors with three goals in the opening fifteen minutes. Marcos Llorente scored first, then Antoine Griezmann and Julian Alvarez quickly added two more after defensive errors by Tottenham. Robin Le Normand headed in another goal to make it four before Pedro Porro pulled one back for Spurs. Alvarez scored again in the second half after a fast counter attack and although Dominic Solanke scored late for Tottenham, Atletico therefore have now secured a commanding lead for the return leg in London.

In Istanbul, Galatasaray claimed a narrow but valuable 1-0 win over Liverpool. The only goal came in the 7th minute when Mario Lemina headed home from close range after Victor Osimhen nodded a corner back across the goal.

Both sides created chances and the match stayed lively throughout. Liverpool thought they had equalised during a goalmouth scramble, but the effort was ruled out after a VAR review for handball. Galatasaray goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir also made several important saves as the Turkish side held on to their slim advantage before the trip to Anfield.

The most dramatic finish, however, came in England, where Newcastle United drew 1-1 with FC Barcelona.

Newcastle played with energy and created several chances before finally taking the lead in the 86th minute through Harvey Barnes, who finished from a cross by Jacob Murphy.

The home crowd then believed the victory was secure, but Barcelona won a penalty deep into stoppage time after a foul on Dani Olmo. Young forward Lamine Yamal stepped up and calmly scored from the spot with the last kick of the match to rescue a draw for the Spanish side.

The results leave Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in very strong positions ahead of the second leg matches next week, while the ties between Newcastle and Barcelona and between Liverpool and Galatasaray remain open.

The next matches are on today, Wednesday 11 March as Bayer Leverkusen will face Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain will meet Chelsea, Bodø/Glimt will play against Sporting CP, while Real Madrid will take on Manchester City.