Winners and Losers from the 2025 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals

It’s quite difficult to explain how mouthwatering the Champions League semifinals are going to be.

Paris Saint-Germain snuck past Aston Villa into the final four and will face Arsenal, who conquered Real Madrid. Barcelona held off Borussia Dortmund to set up a tactical battle against Inter, who proved too strong for Bayern Munich.

Before we get there, it’s time to consider the drama we’ve just witnessed. Here are your winners and losers from a brilliant set of quarterfinals.

Loser: The Real Madrid Narrative

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Kylian Mbappe

Real Madrid are the only team in the world that could lose the first leg 3-0 to Arsenal and then be expected to overturn that deficit at home. The Bernabeu crowd was pumped, and the energy was high. An early goal would put immense pressure on the Gunners. It never happened.

There was a tiny spell after Bukayo Saka’s awful penalty miss that looked like Madrid could get back into the tie. Although they thought they had a penalty of their own, justice was done when VAR intervened and Declan Rice escaped without a foul on Kylian Mbappe. From there, what did we see? Lots of crossing. A lack of any real ideas from a team crammed with stars who really should do better. Saka’s goal ended the tie, even though Vinicius Junior was able to sneak in on William Saliba and get one back. Gabriel Martinelli’s late strike just rammed home what was already evident: Madrid aren’t good enough.

Carlo Ancelotti will catch a lot of the flak and he’ll likely be gone next year. Most of these players will remain. They need to find a different gear. The Champions League is gone and, La Liga is slipping away. The Madrid narrative of always "finding a way" is no more.

Winner: Declan Rice

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"Do you remember when Declan Rice scored those two free kicks against Real Madrid?"

Ten to 20 years from now, people will still be saying this. The Englishman had never netted a professional free kick before. He somehow delivered two of the most perfect free kicks in recent memory to set Arsenal on their way against the defending champions.

It wasn’t just the free kicks, though.

Rice put in 180 minutes of exceptional football, winning back-to-back Man of the Match performances. He is a workhorse with surprising athleticism. He shadowed Madrid’s danger men and made sure he was in a position to get a toe in when his team needed him. Rice’s quality on the ball kept things under control, and he helped execute Mikel Arteta’s excellent game plan across the two matches. A top performance, whether you consider the free kicks or not.

Winner: Mikel Arteta

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Arsenal were fully expected to win the Premier League if Manchester City dropped off. Pep Guardiola’s men did drop off and the Gunners are nowhere near. Quietly, Mikel Arteta has faced a little pressure to make something of this season.

He got it spot on against Madrid.

Arsenal didn’t do too much differently than usual, suggesting the 5-1 aggregate dominance is a culmination of all that hard work across the last few years. Excellently coached sides can play similarly even if they’ve got injuries. Arsenal have a midfielder up front and a vital centre-back missing. It doesn’t matter.

A huge result for Arteta, who now needs to go on and win the competition.

Winners: Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes

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A few years ago, when Liverpool won the Champions League, Jurgen Klopp’s side could look to full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson with confidence that they would produce match-winning performances. Goals, assists, and corners taken quickly. To possess the two best full-backs in the world was a game-changer.

PSG are in that position right now. Both Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes were unbelievable in the 5-4 aggregate win over Aston Villa. Hakimi scored an important goal at the beginning of the second leg and allowed PSG to press Villa back with his aggressive positioning around the halfway line. Mendes scored two and provided an assist across 180 minutes, often sprinting right into the centre of the box to overload Unai Emery’s plan of keeping things solid at the back.

The energy of both continues to thrust PSG forwards. Luis Enrique has so many great ball players at his disposal that it’s often easy to overlook how much room they are afforded by the full-backs constantly running. Arsenal must get hold of them if they’re to make it to the final.

Winner: Underdogs' Fighting Spirit

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Serhou Guirassy

Tuesday was far more exciting than it had any right to be.

Aston Villa were 4-1 and 5-2 down before halftime. An explosive 10 minutes after the break put Emery’s side within one goal of sending it to extra time. Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make multiple world-class saves to keep PSG ahead, and Ezri Konsa’s miss really should have changed the story.

Villa Park stirred with raw emotion from a fanbase who haven’t had a night like this in a long time. It didn’t quite happen, but this was Villa taking arguably the competition favourites all the way. Elite football at a club that was relegated from the Premier League in 2016.

Dortmund put up a similar performance, despite suffering a 4-0 loss in their opening leg against Barcelona. Their 3-1 win made it a two-goal tie, with Serhou Guirassy’s finishing ability going a long way to earning him a massive summer move. Niko Kovac’s team caused chaos from the off and could have scored another three goals without breaking a sweat. That kind of spirit can lay the groundwork for future success after a difficult season.

Loser: Anyone Who Predicts a Favourite

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Lautaro Martinez

PSG? Arsenal? Barcelona? Inter?! How on earth do we pick a favourite for the competition after this round of games?

Inter were probably the least favoured out of the remaining quartet before this week’s games. Simone Inzaghi’s men once again showed the world they are dark horses to take the prize. They are so incredibly difficult to play against, and even though their defensive excellence has dropped off a little, they play in the knowledge that they can outscore anyone.

We’re truly blessed with two semifinals that look incredible on paper. Inter will likely remain the team that few are talking about when they face Barca. Fools will bet against them. The even more foolish will try to pick a winner for the entire thing.