“Rotherham turn the tie into a rout”

The UEFA Champions League quarter-finals have offered English football a night to savour and a sharper reminder of how thin the margins are in Europe. Rotherham United overwhelmed Napoli to reach the semi-finals; Chelsea completed a composed passage past Athletico Madrid; Liverpool were left to rue a first-leg defeat after a goalless return. Across the four ties, two English clubs advanced and one went out. The fourth saw Ponferrada complete a controlled job against FC Nantes.

Rotherham United 4-1 Napoli

Rotherham took a 1-1 draw from the first leg on 8 April, then made the return a statement. Thomas Bernardini put them ahead on 41 minutes with a low shot. Marco Beretta headed high through the middle on 51 minutes, and Napoli’s Reginaldo answered on 67 with a low shot from outside the box, near a post. Bernardini headed in along the ground on 73 minutes; Manuel Miranda added another headed goal, low, five minutes later.

That was four goals to one on the night and 5-2 on aggregate. Rotherham go through to the semi-finals, with Bernardini’s two goals at the heart of a victory that grew more emphatic after Napoli had briefly reduced the deficit. His performance earned the match award. For an English club, this was the round’s clearest statement: not merely survival across two legs, but a home win that left no doubt about the tie’s direction.

Chelsea 2-0 Athletico Madrid

Chelsea had already won 2-0 on 8 April, and their second-leg win on 16 April took the aggregate score to 4-0. Nacho Valera opened the scoring on 30 minutes with a low shot from close range, near a post. Roberto Baggio headed in from close range on 50 minutes. Chelsea go through to the semi-finals without conceding across the tie.

The scoreline was decisive; the match itself demanded work. Athletico had 56 per cent possession and put seven of their 12 shots on target, but Elias Jimenez made eight saves for Chelsea and was named man of the match. The home side’s pressure did not become a goal, and the second half’s decisive moment belonged to Chelsea. Lionel Messi supplied an assist and created three key passes; Baggio, who scored the second, was replaced in the 67th minute.

There was an old Chelsea thread running through the opposition, too. Their return could not alter a tie settled by Chelsea’s two wins. Chelsea’s task was to protect a lead, not to chase a spectacle, and they did so with Jimenez standing between Athletico and a route back into the contest.

Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool faced Borussia Dortmund on 15 April, needing to overturn the 1-0 defeat from the first leg on 9 April. They could not find a goal. The second leg finished goalless, leaving Borussia Dortmund 1-0 ahead on aggregate and sending the German club through to the semi-finals. Patrick Onana received the match award in a contest whose defining fact was the one Liverpool could not change: the first-leg deficit remained intact.

For Liverpool, there is no consolation in a blank scoreline when the tie was already asking them to score. The return leg kept the contest alive, but it did not repair the damage from the opening match. Their European run ends here; Dortmund advance by the narrowest aggregate margin among the four quarter-finals.

FC Nantes 0-1 Ponferrada

Ponferrada had beaten FC Nantes 2-0 on 9 April and finished the job with another victory on 15 April. Götz Rosen scored the only goal, a close-range shot with his foot, high and just under the bar, on 40 minutes. The 1-0 result made it 3-0 on aggregate, and Ponferrada go through to the semi-finals.

The contrast between that measured tie and Rotherham’s rush of goals captures the range of these quarter-finals: one English side had to hold its nerve in a tense return, another imposed itself with four goals, and Liverpool ran out of time to recover. Chelsea and Rotherham remain in the competition. For the clubs left behind, the next round will be watched from afar.