Villarreal tried their best to keep their European dream alive. But, Liverpool was too strong for the Spanish team. Villarreal fought in the first half. Two goals from the Yellow submarine meant the game was balanced at half-time. But, post the half-time it was Jurgen Klopp's men who found their pace and scored at will. Fabinho first scored for the Reds and Luis Diaz made it level for Liverpool. But, it was Sadio Mane who made it impossible for the home team to make a comeback. It was Luis Diaz who made all the difference for the Reds. Mane now has the most goals in the UCL knockout stage by any African player. A night to forget for Rulli who made two huge mistakes to make it hard for the home team. Read the full Villarreal vs Liverpool match report from our LIVE Blog.

Read Also: Antonio Rudiger and Real Madrid negotiations are underway.

Stats from the match

Mane becomes the top scorer in the UCL knock-out when it comes to African players. He goes beyond Didier Drogba.

With 139 goals in all competitions, Liverpool makes their own record for most goals in a season across competitions.

This is Liverpool's 10th European Cup final. Moreover, this is their third final last five years.

Jurgen Klopp is now the first manager to play UCL Final, League final and FA Cup final in the same season.

Villarreal vs Liverpool | LIVE Blog

Welcome everyone to another fantastic day of UEFA Champions League football. This is Koushik Biswas, your host for tonight, who will bring you all the LIVE updates, buildup, stats and news of the Borussia Dortmund vs FC Barcelona UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final second leg match. 

FC Barcelona are leading by 4-0 after the first leg and they will be confident to qualify for the Champions League semi-final first time since 2019. 

But, with an unpredictable team like Borussia Dortmund at their own turf, in front of their yellow wall, anything can happen. 

So, stay tuned as I bring you all the LIVE updates of this exciting leg of Champions League football from the web desk. Enjoy the coverage. 

You can also follow us on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels for all the updates of your favourite sport.

This week sees the return of the quarter-finals in the UEFA Champions League 2024-25, the top tournament for club football in Europe, where Real Madrid hold on to hope of continuing their pursuit of a place into the semi-finals of a competition they have won an astonishing 15 times.

However, a huge challenge is ahead for the Los Blancos, as they are presently behind 3-0 against Arsenal after the first-leg match played last Tuesday.

Florentino Perez speak to Real Madrid players in the locker room and promised them a bonus if they can do a comeback against Arsenal.

Perez to the players in the dressing room: "If you win and we qualify for the semi-finals, you will receive a reward from the club. (📰SPORT) pic.twitter.com/JFsHt2W35v

— sirkings media ⚽ (@sirkings97715) April 14, 2025

Guided by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, the team has a sense of confidence about themselves; after all, this is not their first instance when it comes to reversing a tough deficit. In previous editions, they've discovered the resilience to overcome against all odds on uncountable occasions. 

But this time, the players are motivated by another powerful reason to stage an incredible comeback. 

Several Spanish media outlets and journalists covering Real Madrid have reported that president Florentino Pérez has promised his players a significant monetary reward to secure their spot in the semi-finals.

Real Madrid players via Instagram:

Bellingham: “See you on Wednesday!”
Vinicius Jr: “Already thinking about Wednesday”
Rodrygo: "See you on Wednesday, you will be the key.”

They're ready for Arsenal 👀 pic.twitter.com/bwW3CBxDA7

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 14, 2025

Real Madrid players are motivated ahead of the second leg

After Sunday's LaLiga game against Alaves at the Mendizorroza Stadium in Vitoria, which ended in a tight 1-0 win for Madrid, the president went down to the dressing room to congratulate the players on their achievement. 

According to reports, he then told the players that they stand to receive a huge bonus if they succeed in countering the challenge against Arsenal.

"If you win and we make it to the semi-finals, you will receive a reward from the club..." said the president of Real Madrid.

This is not the first time Florentino Perez has awarded the team an economic prize for overcoming key moments in both the domestic and continental competitions. 

Sources report that the team's most recent bonus was in March when they knocked out Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16, as every player received a €250k bonus each.

The 'kings of European football' for now remain engaged in preparations for the crucial game on Wednesday, which will kick off at 9:00 PM local time (17 April, 12:30 PM IST) at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.

Mohamed Salah's prolific career with Liverpool is set to continue, as the Egyptian superstar has formally signed a two-year contract extension with the Premier League leaders. The deal ends the extended period of speculation over his future at the club.

32-year-old Salah is one of three crucial players— Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk being the other two, whose contracts were to run out at the conclusion of this season. 

Now, the Egyptian King is the first to agree to an extension, having already etched himself in the history books as one of the all-time greats at the club, with a staggering 243 goals in 394 appearances, leaving him third on Liverpool's all-time scoring charts.

He's staying. pic.twitter.com/AnhqQjUg7g

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2025

Read Also | 10 Players with Most Goals for Liverpool FC: Can you name them all?

Salah pens down Liverpool contract extension until 2027

Although Liverpool did not publicly disclose the details of the length of Salah's contract in their official release, manager Arne Slot confirmed at a recent press conference that it extends for two years.

The story continues... 👑 pic.twitter.com/ITVF6gpqAJ

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2025

Salah expressed his enthusiasm regarding the renewal and stated:

Of course I'm very excited. We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football.

Salah looked back on his experience in Liverpool, having said:

It's great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it's going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career.

A magnificent career at Liverpool

During his career in the Premier League, Salah has topped or shared the scoring league tables three times and has twice been awarded the league's player of the year. His incredible contributions have assisted Liverpool in securing seven top honors, including the 2020 Premier League title and the highly coveted Champions League title in 2019.

"I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together" ✨

Head to LFCTV GO to watch Mo's brilliant interview in full 💻

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 11, 2025

With Salah at the forefront with a league-leading 27 goals this campaign, Liverpool has an impressive 11-point advantage in their quest to equal Manchester United's record of 20 English top-flight titles. In a heartfelt letter to the fans, Salah said:

I am very, very happy to be here. I signed here because I believe we can win many big trophies together.". Continue to support us and we will do our best, and hopefully in the future, we are going to win more trophies.

Manager Slot confirmed that he had known for a while of Salah's plans to stay at Liverpool and praised sporting director Richard Hughes for tying down the forward. He said:

Mo Salah is such a fantastic player that as a free agent he can go possibly to every club in the world, wherever he wants to. But he remained at our club.

pic.twitter.com/vtR6NQuyUJ

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) April 11, 2025

While Salah's future is now guaranteed, the focus is now on Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, who are also considering their futures at the club.

Read Also | Liverpool 'would encourage' Darwin Nunez's exit if Saudi interest renews

Van Dijk, the Dutch center-back who has been at Liverpool since 2018, revealed that he is close to signing a new deal, saying, "There is progress, yeah.". Listen, these are internal talks, and we'll see." 

Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold is more likely to leave, with him having been rumored to have a big-money switch to Real Madrid.

The first-leg matchdays of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final ties have definitely lived up to expectations, offering us some of the most iconic matches and memorable moments to cherish.

Arsenal have stunned Real Madrid at home through Declan Rice's spectacular free-kicks, whereas Barcelona have dismantled Dortmund to practically edge closer to the semi-finals.

Inter Milan and PSG have also earned the desired lead over Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, respectively, before heading on to the return leg next week.

Best first-leg performance? ✨#UCL pic.twitter.com/kebofmm9aD

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 10, 2025

UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final First Leg Round Up

Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid

Arsenal have stunned Real Madrid, the reigning champions in the first leg, by crushing them 3-0 at the Emirates to secure a huge lead in the tie.

Declan Rice's free-kicks have taken all the spotlights and convincingly so, as the Gunners remain unbeaten against Los Blancos on a Champions League night.

Right in the top corner from Rice 😳#UCL pic.twitter.com/ir38EOf6X2

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 9, 2025

After a goal-less first half, Rice rocketed both of his free-kicks into the net in the 58th and 70th minute, and Mikel Merino found a third one in the 75th minute. The North London Club scored three in just 17 minutes!

Arsenal will travel to Real Madrid for the return leg encounter at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 17th.

Read Also | Arsenal vs Real Madrid UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quater-final 1st leg Highlights: Declan Rice's stunning brace and Merino's goal hand Arsenal a 3-0 lead in the first-leg

Bayern Munch 1-2 Inter Milan

An electric game ended in Inter Milan's favour as the Italian club scored a late winner to earn a 2-1 away victory over Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena.

Cesare Augusto and Marcus Thuram combined to set up a beautiful trivela goal from Lautaro Martinez, the Nerrazzuri skipper, in the 38th minute. Inter led at the break, but after a couple of wasted opportunities from both sides, Thomas Muller pulled off the equalizer for Bayern in the 85th minute, only ten minutes after coming off the bench.

Grinta, corsa...𝑭𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒊 🖤💙#ForzaInter #UCL #BayernMonacoInter pic.twitter.com/F21ElElyzX

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter) April 9, 2025

However, Inter did not get startled and snatched a late winner in the 88th minute through Davide Frattesi's flashy strike in the 88th minute following another brilliant Augusto set up.

Inter Milan will welcome Bayern Munich at the San Siro Stadium in Milan on 17 April.

Read Also | Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quater-final 1st leg Highlights | Frattesi's late goal sinks Bayern at home; Inter lead in the tie | FT BAY 1-2 INT

FC Barcelona 4-0 Borussia Dortmund

FC Barcelona rampaged over Borussia Dortmund at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, crushing them 4-0 to practically book their berth in the semis.

Raphinha scored a cheeky goal in the 25th minute of the game as the Catalan side led 1-0 at the break. However, the floodgates opened in the second half, with Lewandowski scoring a goal in the 48th minute and completing his brace in the 66th minute. Lamine Yamal netted the fourth one for Barca in the 77th minute, securing a massive lead in the tie.

That wasn't football.
That was poetry. pic.twitter.com/KFbKUJjKia

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 9, 2025

The Black-Yellow army will host Barcelona for the return leg on 16th April at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.

Read Also | FC Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund UCL 2024-25 Quarter-final 1st leg Highlights

Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Aston Villa

Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to put three past Aston Villa, securing a 3-1 lead in the first leg at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

PSG showed a proper dominance over Villa throughout the match, despite Morgan Rogers drawing the first blood in the 35th minute. Desire Doue, the 19-year-old PSG wonderkid, netted the equalizer only four minutes later with a sublime long-ranger strike.

A first leg full of emotions! 😍

📸 Shot by Elo

pic.twitter.com/ka5eQa0OdO

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) April 10, 2025

The game remained all square at the break, but Khvicha Kvaratskhelia handed PSG the lead in the only four minutes into the second half. Nuno Mendes secured a two-goal lead in the tie with a marvellous finish in the dying moments of the game.

Read Also | Paris Saint-Germain vs Aston Villa UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quater-final 1st leg Highlights | PSG dominate over Villa to secure a two-goal cushion in the tie | FT PSG 3-1 AVL

Welcome to our live coverage of the Arsenal vs Real Madrid UEFA Champions League 2024-25 quarter-final 1st leg match at Emirates Stadium.

This is Koushik Biswas, who will bring you the buildup, head-to-head stats, team news and real-time updates of the all-important match from our web desk. 

Real Madrid qualified for the last eight after a controversial penalty shootout win over Atletico Madrid, after losing four games to their road to the round of 16. 

In the meantime, Arsenal thrashed PSV by 9-3 on aggregate to reach the quarter-finals. 

We have an exciting 90-minute game at hand. So, sit back and relax as we bring you all the updates from Sportz Point's web desk.