Arsenal will play PSG in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, while FC Barcelona will play Inter Milan.  Real Madrid, the defending champions, were defeated by Arsenal in the most recent quarterfinals, while Inter Milan defeated Bayern Munich.

The team with a record 15 Champions League victories, including the 2024 trophy, Real Madrid, suffered a devastating quarterfinal loss.

Real Madrid lost to the Gunners 3-0 in the opening leg in London, suffering a crushing setback.  The Spanish giants had a mountain to climb on their way back to the Santiago Bernabéu, but they remained optimistic because of their legendary history.

 But in the capital of Spain, the enchantment was not there this time.  In the second match, Arsenal defeated Madrid 2-1, essentially ending Madrid’s chances.  Arsenal advanced thanks to goals from Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, while the hosts’ only goal came from Vinícius Júnior.

Real Madrid’s Belgian goalie Thibaut Courtois was open about the team’s difficulties this year.  “We haven’t had the best year.  We must be critical of ourselves because we have suffered far too many losses.  Every player must ask themselves how they might improve their contribution to the team, he said in an interview.  “We must work to get better, but there are still wonderful things to fight for this season.”

Having already defeated PSG 2-0 in the current campaign’s group stage, Arsenal now faces them in the semifinals.  In the past, Arsenal has only triumphed once against PSG this season, and their meetings in the group stages of the 2016–2017 campaign resulted in two draws.  PSG has yet to defeat Arsenal in their Champions League history as of right now.

After a thrilling 2-2 draw at home against Bayern Munich, Inter Milan moved to the final quarterfinal encounter.  Harry Kane and Eric Dier of the Bavarians responded to goals from Lautaro Martínez and Benjamin Pavard of the Nerazzurri.  But they were eventually able to advance since Inter had won the first leg in Germany 2-1.

FC Barcelona and Inter will now play each other in the semifinals.  The Catalan giants have won six of their previous 12 Champions League meetings, while Inter has only triumphed twice, with four games ending in draws.  Notably, José Mourinho’s Inter Milan defeated Barcelona in the semifinals of the 2009–2010 season, winning 3-2 overall and taking home the Cup.