Top Winners, Losers After Wednesday’s Champions League Quarterfinal Leg 2 Results

Timothy Rapp @@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVApril 14, 2021

WOLFGANG RATTAY/AFP via Getty Images

The Champions League semifinals are set.

Real Madrid will face Chelsea after Los Blancos played to a scoreless draw against Liverpool on Wednesday, winning the matchup 3-1 on aggregate. Manchester City is heading for a showdown with PSG after the Citizens beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday (4-2 on aggregate).

Below, we'll break down the day's winners and losers.

Winner: Phil Foden

City already held the edge on aggregate in the second half when Foden provided the death blow for Dortmund:

Champions League on CBS Sports @UCLonCBSSports
PHIL FODEN. COMES UP CLUTCH AGAIN. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/qnyc613qmY

What a strike. What a player. What a future:

jamie jackson @JamieJackson___
Foden is a joke - can already rank him alongside KDB in this City side...

Paul Hayward @_PaulHayward
Goals for Jude Bellingham (17) and Phil Foden (20) in the Dortmund-Man City Champions League 2nd leg. Precocity can fizzle out, but those two are here to stay.

Maximiliano Bretos @MaxBretosSports
Phil Foden has been monumental these two Dortmund games. His arrival is official. #ManCity

What makes City so difficult to beat is that it seamlessly blends superstar veterans with some of the top young talents in the world. Foden, at just 20 years old, keeps proving that his ascension to superstardom is an undeniable inevitability.

Loser: Emre Can

Dortmund looked poised to absorb City's relentless possession and ambition, at least through the first half, going into halftime with a 1-0 lead and the advantage on away goals.

And then Emre Can did this:

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Champions League on CBS Sports @UCLonCBSSports
Penalty or not? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Bnclh0rwcc

talkSPORT @talkSPORT
Was VAR right to give this as a penalty? 🤔 #DORMCI pic.twitter.com/8xwlJhhfhS

Ives Galarcep @SoccerByIves
GOAL Man City! Mahrez absolutely BLASTS the penalty to give City control back. Emre Can's handball leads to the penalty. Can tried to sell the "it hit my head" excuse but his hand was so clearly in an unnatural position he wasn't getting that one. 1-1 (3-2 City), 56th min

Jason Davis @davisjsn
What a stupid way to fall behind. Ouch. #BVBMCI

Men in Blazers @MenInBlazers
Can's arm in bonkers position no?

That led to this:

Champions League on CBS Sports @UCLonCBSSports
RIYAD MAHREZ. FROM THE SPOT. 💥 pic.twitter.com/phNSBF7EXA

Foden perhaps rendered Can's blunder a moot point with his follow-up goal—and perhaps Can has some argument for simply being unlucky that the ball nicked off his head onto his arm—but his arm shouldn't have been extended like that in the first place.

A tough way for Dortmund to concede after the controversy from the first leg.

Winner: Jude Bellingham

It was a tough day for Dortmund, though 17-year-old Jude Bellingham provided the one bright spot:

Champions League on CBS Sports @UCLonCBSSports
Saturday: Scores first Bundesliga goal. Tuesday: Scores first #UCL goal. 17-year-old Jude Bellingham is 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐒𝐓-𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 English goalscorer in Bundesliga and Champions League history. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/7YhaBsFPu4

OptaJoe @OptaJoe
17y 289d - Jude Bellingham is the second-youngest player to score in a UEFA Champions League knockout game, after Bojan for Barcelona against Schalke in April 2008 (17y 217d). Stage. pic.twitter.com/r2JuIUhcLQ

Cristian Nyari @Cnyari
Special, special player Bellingham. https://t.co/tDrF7r277t

What were you doing at 17? You weren't scoring goals in the Champions League quarterfinals, surely. Well, maybe on FIFA, but that's about it.

Loser: Mo Salah and Liverpool's Front Line

Liverpool had its chances on Wednesday, namely in the first half. There were goals to be had in this game. But Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane simply couldn't convert.

Melissa Reddy @MelissaReddy_
Aggressive, excellent opening 15 from Liverpool. They could have been 2-0 up but for Courtois. Real slowed things down and Benzema hit the post. But Salah and Wijnaldum had chances to end the half strongly after great build-up. Hosts did not allow Real a shot inside in the box.

Phil McNulty @philmcnulty
Liverpool 0 Real Madrid 0. (Real Madrid win 3-1 on aggregate) Liverpool missed those great first half chances then ran out of steam and ideas as Real set up a semi-final meeting with Chelsea.

James Pearce @JamesPearceLFC
FT: #LFC 0 Real Madrid 0 (1-3 on agg): No return to Istanbul for Liverpool this season. This tie was effectively lost inside 40mins of the first leg. Much improved tonight but wasteful in the final third. Now 7 PL games left to try to ensure they're back in the CL next season.

It's been a tough season for the Reds, who are currently in a fight to even qualify for Champions League football next season. But failing to score a single goal in a must-win game vs. a depleted Real Madrid side will surely be considered one of the major disappointments of Liverpool's season.

Loser: Jurgen Klopp

Speaking of disappointments, there will surely be some questioning of Jurgen Klopp's tactics and starting 11 after the match.

Namely, why did Thiago come off the bench? Why not bring Diogo Jota on sooner?

Dermot Corrigan @dermotmcorrigan
Pretty weird - from here - that Thiago not in Liverpool XI again.

Sachin Nakrani @SachinNakrani
No grey area with that Liverpool midfield: it’ll either provide team with the solid, energetic platform that leads them to glory or proves a big mistake and raises question over why Thiago is not starting the type of games he was surely signed for. Hope for former. Fear latter.

Ben Webb @BenWebbLFC
Jota is in red hot form and oozing confidence in-front of goal. Can understand him being used as an impact sub, but I’d love to see him get 45 minutes, rather than a cameo.

Liverpool fans could be lamenting those decisions for some time, especially if the team can't manage to finish in the Champions League places in the Premier League.