Champions League: Barcelona score seven; Liverpool revive, Bayern cruise, Atletico survive

By GRAHAM DUNBARThursday March 19, 2026

On a fevered Champions League night Wednesday, Barcelona ran riot with seven goals and Liverpool powered in four, transforming knife-edge ties into emphatic victories and sealing places in the quarterfinals.

Atletico Madrid withstood a ferocious Tottenham rally to complete a Spanish sweep over English opposition this week — Spain 3, England 0 — in the round of 16.

Bayern Munich enjoyed the smoothest passage, brushing aside Atalanta 4-1 on Wednesday and 10-2 on aggregate to line up a blockbuster quarterfinal against Real Madrid.

The latest goal surge across Europe began in Barcelona, where the hosts dismantled Newcastle after halftime to cap a breathless 7-2 win, having traded punches before the interval.

Level at 1-1 after the first leg in Newcastle, Barcelona seized control when Lamine Yamal buried a first-half stoppage-time penalty to make it 3-2 and swing momentum decisively.

Robert Lewandowski struck twice, Fermín López finished a slick team move, and Raphinha added his second as Newcastle’s back line unraveled.

At Anfield, Liverpool cruised past Galatasaray 4-0 to overturn a one-goal defeat in Istanbul — even after Mohamed Salah missed a penalty in first-half stoppage time with the score at 1-0.

Salah then ran the show after the break, supplying assists for Hugo Ekitike and Ryan Gravenberch before netting a trademark goal, hinting at a reboot for an up-and-down season by the English champions.

“From start to finish, we played the game I was hoping for, the players were hoping for and the fans were hoping for,” said Liverpool coach Arne Slot, who has been under growing pressure.

Tottenham responded bravely to last week’s humbling 5-2 defeat in Madrid, only for Atletico to peg them back twice in the second leg. Xavi Simons’ late penalty ensured Spurs at least won 3-2 on the night.

Tottenham and Newcastle followed Manchester City — beaten by Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate on Tuesday — out of the competition, making it a rough week for Premier League clubs against La Liga’s elite.

England sent a record six teams into the Champions League this season and all made the last 16, but only Arsenal and Liverpool advanced. Chelsea went out Tuesday to defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

In Munich, the fit-again Harry Kane struck twice for Bayern — the second a rising finish after deft footwork — to end Atalanta’s run and close Italy’s involvement in this year’s tournament.

Barcelona’s goal rush

Barcelona can’t stop scoring at Camp Nou. The streak now stands at eight straight home wins across the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey, with at least three goals in each.

The seven against Newcastle were the high-water mark for Hansi Flick’s team, sparked by Raphinha’s sixth-minute strike — after two Newcastle defenders slipped — and followed by 18-year-old Marc Bernal finding himself unmarked to score in the 18th.

Newcastle hit back twice through Anthony Elanga, who had not scored in 35 prior Premier League or Champions League appearances this season but netted a brace in a 13-minute burst.

Barcelona flew out after halftime when López burst clear to finish a move that flowed from Gerard Martín to Raphinha, and with that, Newcastle’s resistance faded.

“I saw new, improved confidence in that second-half performance,” Flick said.

Quarterfinals pairings

Real Madrid will face Bayern Munich — a meeting of 15-time and six-time European champions who, remarkably, have never contested the final in 71 years of the European Cup and Champions League.

“Every club would live for these games,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said. “As a neutral, I’d watch it.”

Liverpool will meet defending champion PSG, opening at Parc des Princes. It’s a reprise of last season’s thrilling round-of-16 ties, and as Slot noted Wednesday: “We were the only team that brought them to extra time and penalties.”

The return leg at Anfield is slated for Tuesday, April 14. Liverpool has not played on April 15 since the Hillsborough Stadium disaster on that date in 1989.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will collide again twice, only weeks after a two-leg domestic cup semifinal in which Atletico won 4-0 at home and lost 3-0 at Camp Nou to reach the Copa del Rey final.

They are also due to meet in La Liga at the Metropolitano just days before the Champions League quarterfinal first leg there on April 7 or 8.

Tuesday’s action also set up Arsenal, the last unbeaten team left in the competition, against Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese champion, which roared back to oust Bodø/Glimt with a 5-0 win Tuesday, is at this stage for the first time since 1983.

Europa League

Portugal’s week of stirring home turnarounds continued as Braga thumped Ferencvaros 4-0 on Wednesday to erase a 2-0 first-leg defeat in Hungary and advance from their round-of-16 tie.

Braga will play either Panathinaikos or Real Betis in the quarterfinals. The remaining round-of-16 ties conclude Thursday.