European clubs had gone through another three days of competition at the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Some of the heavyweights were not very happy with their performances.
For example, Arsenal were upset by Porto 1-0 in the first-leg game of the Champions League round of 16 on Tuesday. What's even more humiliating than the loss was that the Gunners couldn't manage a shot on target.
AC Milan suffered an unexpected loss to Rennes 3-2 in the Europa League on Thursday, but at least they managed to move forward with a lesson learned: Always take your opponents seriously, no matter how big your lead is.
Two struggling powerhouses, Barcelona and Napoli, had a 1-1 draw in the Champions League. It was not the best result for either side, but not the worst either.
Inter Milan secured a close 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. They presumably could have scored more goals for a bigger lead before the second leg, but a win is a win.
Galeno (L) of Porto shoots to score a goal in the first-leg game of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Arsenal at Estadio do Dragao in Porto, Portugal, February 21, 2024. /CFP
Guela Doue (L) of Rennes competes for the ball in the second-leg game of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 playoff against AC Milan at Roazhon Park in Rennes, France, February 22, 2024. /CFP
Robert Lewandowski (C) of Barcelona dashes for the ball in the first-leg game of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy, February 21, 2024. /CFP
Marko Arnautovic of Inter Milan celebrates after scoring a goal in the first-leg game of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against Atletico Madrid at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy, February 20, 2024. /CFP
Host: Li Xiang
Guests: Josh McNally, Bhargab Sarmah
Cover designer: Feng Yuan