UEFA Youth League round of 16: Milan, Dortmund, Hajduk, Sporting, Madrid through; Liverpool-Porto, Atlético-Genk to come | UEFA Youth League
The UEFA Youth League round of 16 is underway, with Sporting CP and Real Madrid winning on Wednesday to join winners AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Hajduk Split on Tuesday.
All games are one-offs and if the score is even after 90 minutes it goes straight to penalties. The draw for the remainder of the knockout stages has already been made, with the semi-finals and final being played at the Colovray Stadium in Nyon, Switzerland, as in previous seasons.
Wednesday March 1st
Sporting CP 5-1 Ajax
Fatawu Issahaku’s hat-trick helped Sporting advance to the quarter-finals for the second straight season. Issahaku, playing his first game in the competition after appearing twice in the UEFA Champions League, put Sporting ahead in the 36th minute with a brilliant long-range shot. In the second half he added two more in seven minutes, Issahaku’s third goal almost a mirror image of his first and Rodrigo Ribeiro’s fifth of the season was pinched by those goals. Mateus’ heel made it five ahead of Tristan Gooijer’s consolation.
Real Madrid 3-1 Salzburg
Madrid equaled a record in the seventh quarter-final as they came from behind to beat their former champions. Last season’s runners-up Salzburg led at the break with a penalty from Karim Konaté, his sixth goal of the season. However, Pol Fortuny equalized in the first minute of the second half and 2019/20 champions Madrid, who have reached the round of 16 in all nine UEFA Youth League editions, took the lead just after the hour thanks to Jacobo Ramón. They sealed the win with a free-kick from substitute Iker Bravo in added time.
Barcelona – AZ Alkmaar (16:00)
Liverpool vs Porto (18:30)
Atlético Madrid vs Genk (19:00)
All times CET
Tuesday February 28th
Hajduk Split 2-1 Manchester City
Hajduk became only the second Croatian club to reach the quarter-finals, after Dinamo in 2018/19 and 2019/20, when they delighted 8,000 spectators at the Poljud stadium. In a thrilling first half, Roko Brajković struck from a long-range first shot and Mate Antunović’s single goal doubled Hajduk’s lead before Oscar Bobb leveled. City dominated the second half but couldn’t find a way through and had Finley Burns sent off late.
AC Milan 1-0 Ruh Lviv
Kevin Zeroli scored five minutes from time to send Milan through to the first quarter-finals. The home side had the better chances in their first round of 16 since the 2013/14 debut but looked after penalties against debutants Ruh before Zeroli headed in an Adam Bakoune cross.
Borussia Dortmund – Paris Saint-Germain 1: 1 (5: 4 penalties)
Silas Ostrzinsk saved the last penalty in a shoot-out against Ilyes Housni to take Dortmund to the quarter-finals a year after they first reached that quarter-final (also on penalties against Manchester United). Noha Lemina put Paris ahead in the 39th minute but Samuel Bamba equalized almost immediately. In the second half, Paris had the better chances despite losing Vimoj Muntu Wa Mungu to a second yellow card.
Meet the Youth League candidates
- Barcelona (2013/14 and 2017/18 winners) are aiming to become the first three-time champions. Porto (2018/19), Real Madrid (2019/20) and Salzburg (2016/17) are the other former winners who are still at it. Paris was a finalist in 2015/16.
- Salzburg finished runners-up last season, beating Atlético in the semifinals. Ajax and Man City have also previously made it into the last four.
- Dortmund, Liverpool, Paris and Sporting CP reached the quarter-finals last season, while AZ, Genk and Real Madrid were eliminated in the round of 16.
- Madrid maintain their record of reaching the round of 16 in all nine editions, with an eighth appearance in this stage for Atlético.
- Madrid are in their seventh quarter-finals and are taking a lead over Benfica who caught up with them last season.
- Milan are in this phase for the first time since the inaugural season of 2013/14.
- Ruh were in their debut season.
- Hajduk also reached the round of 16 for the first time.
- Like Hajduk, AZ and Genk are also hoping to become only the second clubs from their nations to reach the quarter-finals (after Ajax and Anderlecht respectively).
- Liverpool and Porto met in the 2021/22 group stage. Liverpool won 4-0 at home after a 1-1 draw in Portugal to top the group while Porto finished third, just a point behind.
- Sporting and Ajax also played in the same group last season. Sporting won 1-1 at home and won 3-2 away. On Matchday 6, Sporting returned as group winners from a 2-0 deficit. Ajax dropped to third place, as did Porto, just a point behind first place.
- Madrid beat Salzburg 2-1 in the 2019/20 semifinals in Nyon en route to the title.
- Atlético’s Adrian Niño became the first player to score in all six Youth League group games.