Chelsea Crush Lyon as Liverpool and Dortmund Advance

Chelsea gave English football the standout result on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League Last 16, beating Olympique Lyonnais 4-0 away and taking a commanding lead into the return. It was a performance that turned a tight contest into a one-sided scoreline, with four goals spread across the game and Lyon unable to find an answer. The second leg is at Chelsea on 19 March; the quarter-finals are the prize for the side that wins the tie.

Marcelo Formicola started the scoring in the seventh minute, sending a low shot from close range through the middle. Rubén Medina made it two on 45 minutes, volleying high through the middle from close range. Chelsea’s next goals came from players introduced after the start: Urtzi San Martín, on in the 51st minute, scored with a high shot from close range through the middle on 65 minutes, and Jairzinho, introduced in the 64th, struck a low volley through the middle from outside the box in the 79th.

The score gave Chelsea a night to savour, though the tie is not yet settled. Elias Jimenez was named player of the match. Chelsea’s José Franco, now with Lyon, faced the club where he made 730 appearances and scored 87 goals in all competitions. There was no gentle welcome from his former side: Chelsea carried the contest away from him with a ruthless finishing spell.

LIVERPOOL COMPLETE THE JOB

Liverpool finished their tie against Juventus with a 2-0 win on Tuesday, making it 4-0 on aggregate and sending them through to the quarter-finals. They had won by the same score in the first leg on 5 March, so Juventus needed a response in the return. Instead, Liverpool added two more goals and shut the door on any prospect of a recovery.

Eneko Sanz volleyed in from close range in the 25th minute. Uebert then headed home from close range, near a post, on 55 minutes. Sanz was named player of the match, his goal setting the tone for a controlled Liverpool victory. The result completes a clean passage through the tie, with the English club winning both matches without conceding.

DORTMUND’S DOUBLE FOR LUVOVADIO

Borussia Dortmund also progressed, following their 1-0 win at FC Sochaux-Montbéliard on 5 March with a 3-0 victory on Tuesday. The German side went through 4-0 on aggregate, with Jules Luvovadio the chief figure in the return.

Marvin Kiala opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a shot from close range, through the middle at mid height. Luvovadio made it 2-0 on 40 minutes with a low shot from outside the box. He added the third on 62 minutes, driving the ball low and hard before it rose high near a post. His two goals brought him player of the match recognition and left Sochaux needing four goals merely to draw level on aggregate. They could not find one; Dortmund’s progress was emphatic.

MILAN MUST KEEP THE TIE ALIVE

AC Milan and Athletico Madrid traded the lead in an absorbing first leg, but it was the visitors who left with a 3-2 win and the advantage before the return on 19 March. Milan’s Emiliano Amore struck first, shooting low from close range in the ninth minute. Javier Machado levelled for Athletico with a low shot on 22 minutes, and Ndiogou Konaté put the visitors ahead five minutes into the second half with a low, hard drive.

Amore scored again on 58 minutes, a low shot from close range through the middle, to restore Milan’s hopes. But the contest swung Athletico’s way once more in the 89th minute, when Abdoul N'Diaye struck a low, hard drive. Amore was named player of the match for his two goals, yet Milan now have a deficit to overturn in the return. Unlike Chelsea, Liverpool and Dortmund, they have no tie cushion to carry forward.

Tuesday brought English clubs two convincing advances and an emphatic away win that has put Chelsea in an excellent position. The night’s other close contest remains unresolved: Milan must recover from their defeat, while Athletico have earned the lead they wanted. Four matches, four different shapes to the story—but Chelsea’s was the result that rang loudest.