Bayern hit six as Atletico rout Spurs; Barca draw, Liverpool lose

KATHMANDU: The first-leg matches of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 produced dramatic results on Tuesday night, with FC Bayern Munich delivering a dominant victory, Atlético Madrid overpowering Tottenham Hotspur, while FC Barcelona avoided defeat late against Newcastle United.

Meanwhile, Liverpool FC suffered a narrow loss to Galatasaray S.K. in Istanbul.

Bayern crush Atalanta

Bayern Munich took a commanding step toward the quarterfinals with a 6–1 victory over Atalanta BC.

Michael Olise starred with two goals and an assist, while Josip Stanišić, Serge Gnabry, Nicolas Jackson and Jamal Musiala also found the net.

Bayern opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Gnabry’s short corner set up Stanišić for an easy finish.
Olise doubled the lead in the 22nd minute, before providing an assist for Gnabry three minutes later to make it 3–0.

Seven minutes into the second half, Jackson scored on a counterattack after a blocked free kick by Nicola Zalewski.
Olise struck again in the 60th minute to make it 5–0, and Musiala converted Jackson’s cross in the 67th minute for Bayern’s sixth.

Atalanta managed a late consolation when Mario Pašalić scored in the third minute of stoppage time.

Atletico overwhelm Tottenham

Atlético Madrid defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5–2 in another first-leg clash.

Tottenham came under pressure early after mistakes from goalkeeper Antonín Kinský. In the 6th minute, he slipped while trying to clear the ball, allowing Julián Álvarez to set up Marcos Llorente for the opening goal.

Antoine Griezmann added the second in the 14th minute, and Álvarez made it 3–0 a minute later after another Kinský error.

Kinský was substituted in the 17th minute for Guglielmo Vicario, but Atlético continued their dominance as Robin Le Normand scored in the 22nd minute to make it 4–0.

Tottenham pulled one back through Pedro Porro in the 26th minute. However, Álvarez scored again 10 minutes into the second half to extend Atlético’s lead to 5–1.

Dominic Solanke netted Tottenham’s second in the 76th minute. The return leg will be played in London.

Barcelona rescue late draw

Barcelona avoided defeat with a dramatic 1–1 draw against Newcastle United.

After a tightly contested match, Newcastle appeared set for victory when Harvey Barnes scored in the 86th minute, converting a first-time finish from Jacob Murphy’s cross. Barcelona goalkeeper Joan García was unable to stop the shot.

Newcastle were only seconds away from a historic win, but the match took a dramatic turn in stoppage time. Substitute Dani Olmo was brought down in the penalty area by Malick Thiaw, prompting the referee to award a penalty.

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Lamine Yamal calmly converted the spot kick, sending goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale the wrong way and leveling the match.

Newcastle fans were left heartbroken, having been just moments away from a famous victory. The decisive second leg will take place next week at Camp Nou.

Liverpool lose in Istanbul

Liverpool suffered a 1–0 defeat to Galatasaray in Istanbul in another Round of 16 first-leg match.

The Turkish side took the lead in the 7th minute when Mario Lemina headed home after Victor Osimhen nodded down a set-piece delivery from Gabriel Sara.

It marked the 10th goal Liverpool have conceded from a corner this season. With regular goalkeeper Alisson Becker injured, replacement Giorgi Mamardashvili was unable to prevent the goal.

Osimhen later scored again but the effort was ruled out for offside.

Liverpool thought they had equalized in the 70th minute when the ball crossed the line from a corner delivered by Dominik Szoboszlai. However, after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed for a handball by Ibrahima Konaté.

The English side created several chances late in the match, with Florian Wirtz and Konaté both coming close, but they failed to find an equalizer.

The decisive second leg will be played at Anfield on March 18.