PSG 5–2 Chelsea, Real 3–0 City; Arsenal draw with Leverkusen

KATHMANDU: The first-leg matches of the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League delivered dramatic results as Arsenal F.C. held Bayer Leverkusen to a 1–1 draw, while Paris Saint‑Germain secured a commanding victory over Chelsea F.C. and Real Madrid defeated Manchester City.

Arsenal Rescue Draw Against Leverkusen

Arsenal came from behind to secure a 1–1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg.

The match remained goalless in the first half before Leverkusen took the lead just one minute into the second half when Robert Andrich scored with a header from Álex Grimaldo’s corner.

Arsenal had earlier threatened through Gabriel Martinelli, whose shot struck the crossbar.

Manager Mikel Arteta later introduced Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz. The substitution proved decisive when Madueke was fouled in the penalty area in the 89th minute. Havertz converted the penalty to rescue Arsenal from defeat.

The second leg will be played next week at Arsenal’s home ground, where the quarterfinalist will be decided.

Bodø/Glimt Continue Impressive Run

Norwegian side FK Bodø/Glimt continued their remarkable campaign with a 3–0 victory over Sporting CP.

Playing in the Champions League for the first time, Bodø/Glimt recorded their fifth consecutive win in the competition.

Sondre Fet opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute after a VAR review awarded the hosts a spot kick. Shortly before halftime, Ole Blomberg doubled the lead.

The home side maintained pressure in the second half, and Kasper Høgh added a third goal in the 71st minute to seal a comfortable win.

The second leg will be played in Lisbon next week, with Bodø/Glimt aiming to reach the quarterfinals where they could face either Arsenal or Leverkusen.

PSG Dominate Chelsea

Paris Saint-Germain defeated Chelsea 5–2 in a high-scoring encounter.

Bradley Barcola gave PSG the lead in the 10th minute after connecting with a cross from Ousmane Dembélé. Chelsea equalized in the 24th minute through Malo Gusto, but Dembélé restored PSG’s lead before halftime.

Enzo Fernández made it 2–2 in the 57th minute, raising hopes for Chelsea. However, a late error by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen shifted the momentum.

PSG capitalized quickly as Barcola set up Vitinha for the third goal. Substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then scored twice, including one in injury time, sealing a dominant 5–2 victory for the French champions.

Chelsea now face the difficult task of overturning a three-goal deficit in the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

Real Madrid Beat Manchester City

Real Madrid secured a commanding 3–0 victory over Manchester City, with Federico Valverde scoring a stunning first-half hat-trick.

Despite missing key players including Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo due to injuries, Madrid capitalized on City’s defensive weaknesses.

Valverde opened the scoring in the 20th minute after receiving a long pass from goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. He doubled the lead seven minutes later and completed his hat-trick in the 42nd minute.

Madrid had another chance from the penalty spot after Vinícius Júnior was fouled by Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Donnarumma saved the penalty.

Manchester City tried to respond but could not break through, with Courtois denying a shot from Nico O’Reilly.

The second-leg matches next week will determine the teams advancing to the quarterfinals of Europe’s premier club competition.