Soccer

Arsenal and Aston Villa ease through to Champions League quarter-finals

Draw at the Emirates enough to see Arsenal through after crushing first leg

Declan Rice celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Declan Rice celebrates scoring Arsenal's second goal. Photograph: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Wed Mar 12 2025 - 22:28
Arsenal 2 (Zinchenko 6, Rice 37) PSV 2 (Perisic 18, Driouech 70)

Arsenal eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 9-3 aggregate victory over PSV Eindhoven after a 2-2 draw in the second leg of their last-16 clash.

Progress was already a formality for the London club after their stunning 7-1 victory in the Netherlands last week.

When Oleksandr Zinchenko blasted the hosts ahead in the fifth minute, PSV likely feared another hammering.

However, Ivan Perisic replied for the visitors with a sublime finish in the 18th minute to give the thousands of boisterous PSV fans something to cheer.

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Declan Rice headed Arsenal back in front from Raheem Sterling’s cross before half-time but PSV earned a deserved reward for a vastly-improved display as Couhaib Driouech chipped in a 70th-minute leveller.

Marco Asensio celebrates scoring Aston Villa's third goal. Photograph: Jacob King/PA
Marco Asensio celebrates scoring Aston Villa's third goal. Photograph: Jacob King/PA
Aston Villa 3 (Asensio 50,61; Maatsen 57) Club Brugge 0

Aston Villa marched into the quarter-finals with an easy 3-0 win over 10-man Club Brugge in their last-16 second leg, giving them a 6-1 aggregate victory and setting up a far tougher task next against Paris St Germain.

Trailing 3-1 from the home leg, Brugge began the tie better and gave Villa some early scares, but they faced an impossible challenge after Kyriani Sabbe was sent off for pulling down Marcus Rashford while through on goal in the 16th minute.

Unai Emery’s team took full advantage in the second half, Marco Asensio swivelling and scoring from close range in the 50th minute after a pass from fellow substitute Leon Bailey.

Ian Maatsen sidefooted Villa’s second goal with the help of a deflection seven minutes later, before Asensio swept home in the 61st minute from a cutback by the marauding Rashford, to the joy of a packed and bouncing Villa Park.

Back in the competition for the first time in more than four decades, Villa will have to be at their absolute best to beat French champions PSG, who knocked out high-flying Liverpool on penalties at Anfield on Tuesday.