Champions League Results 2016: Round-of-16 Highlights, Updated Fixture Schedule
A virtuoso display from Paris Saint-Germain’s ageless forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the highlight of this week’s Champions League tussles, as the French champions booked their place in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The 34-year-old set up one goal and scored another as the Parisians won 2-1 against Chelsea on Wednesday night at Stamford Bridge, giving them a 4-2 aggregate triumph. Also through to the last eight are Real Madrid, Wolfsburg and Benfica, who were all winners in their respective two-legged clashes.
Here is a reminder of the results from the round of 16 so far and a look ahead to the matches to come in the remaining four ties. Additionally, there’s also a recap of two of the week’s standout performances, with one player and one team particularly impressive.
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| Tuesday, March 9 | Wolfsburg | 1-0 (4-2) | Gent |
| Tuesday, March 9 | Real Madrid | 2-0 (4-0) | Roma |
| Wednesday, March 10 | Chelsea | 1-2 (2-4) | PSG |
| Wednesday, March 10 | Zenit | 1-2 (1-3) | Benfica |
| Tuesday, March 15 | Manchester City | 3-1 | Dynamo Kiev |
| Tuesday, March 15 | Atletico Madrid | 0-0 | PSV Eindhoven |
| Wednesday, March 16 | Barcelona | 2-0 | Arsenal |
| Wednesday, March 16 | Bayern Munich | 2-2 | Juventus |
Immaculate Ibrahimovic
Despite his advancing years, PSG’s talismanic striker Ibrahimovic warned the press ahead of his team’s clash with Chelsea that he was "only warming up." And few would argue with that assessment in the wake of his man-of-the-match performance against Chelsea.
Firstly, the striker showed astute movement to find space on the right flank, threading a pinpoint cross into the path of Adrien Rabiot, who gave PSG an early lead. Then, in the second half, with the game poised at 1-1, the striker put the tie beyond doubt.
Here is a look at a fine second goal scored by the French champions and the jubilant celebrations from their No. 10, per BT Sport Football:
Overall, Ibrahimovic’s performance was superb, too. Without the industry of Edinson Cavani alongside him in attack, the Swede did have a difficult job to do leading the line on his own. But he was a constant menace to the Blues’ back four with some intelligent touches, brute strength and a propensity for finding space.
And typically, when Ibrahimovic does get time to influence a game, he does so with a goal. As these statistics showcase from Squawka Football, he’s been in brilliant form as of late:
While there were chasms in class between Chelsea and PSG all over the park throughout this tie, the stardust Ibrahimovic brings to this XI is what makes them genuine contenders for the title.
Having been accused of not performing against English clubs in the past, this display would have been especially sweet for the striker. Despite winning a plethora of league titles in his career, the Champions League has escaped his clutches to this point; he seems desperate to put an end to that undesirable record.
Brilliant Benfica
With a 1-0 win intact from the first leg of their clash with Zenit St Petersburg, Benfica headed into this tie as narrow favourites to progress.
They did fall behind in the second half after Hulk put the hosts ahead at the Petrovsky Stadium. But with extra time seemingly looming, Rui Vitoria’s team battled back gamely, with Nicolas Gaitan and Anderson Talisca netting in the last five minutes to give them a 2-1 win on the night and a 3-1 aggregate victory.
Against an outfit who have been imperious on home soil in the Champions League this season, it was an impressive effort from Benfica, especially, as Jan Hagen of Sport Witness notes, without a selection of key players, too:
Vitoria has assembled a very cohesive outfit this season and a team that seems to be galvanised by some recent heartbreaking moments in the Europa League. One of the players who has been through those testing times is Gaitan, although he has starred in the Champions League this season.
The Argentina international’s goal five minutes from time was the decisive moment in the tie, as he reacted sharply to Raul Jimenez’s thunderous shot. Here’s the goal, courtesy of BT Sport:
With the experience of players like Gaitan, Luisao and Jonas intertwined with the fearlessness of exciting youngsters like Goncalo Guedes and Renato Sanches, there’s certainly an encouraging balance in this Benfica squad.
Granted, at this late stage of the competition, they’ll be one of the weakest outfits in the quarters. The moniker of underdogs is one this club will likely relish, though, and that certainly makes them a dangerous proposition in the last eight, even for the juggernauts of the European game.
