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Top Winners, Losers After Wednesday’s Champions League Quarterfinal Leg 2 Results

Timothy Rapp

The Champions League semifinals are set. 

Real Madrid will face Chelsea after Los Blancos played to a scoreless draw against Liverpool on Wednesday, winning the matchup 3-1 on aggregate. Manchester City is heading for a showdown with PSG after the Citizens beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on Wednesday (4-2 on aggregate). 

Below, we'll break down the day's winners and losers. 

Winner: Phil Foden

City already held the edge on aggregate in the second half when Foden provided the death blow for Dortmund:

What a strike. What a player. What a future:

What makes City so difficult to beat is that it seamlessly blends superstar veterans with some of the top young talents in the world. Foden, at just 20 years old, keeps proving that his ascension to superstardom is an undeniable inevitability. 

Loser: Emre Can

Dortmund looked poised to absorb City's relentless possession and ambition, at least through the first half, going into halftime with a 1-0 lead and the advantage on away goals. 

And then Emre Can did this:

That led to this:

Foden perhaps rendered Can's blunder a moot point with his follow-up goal—and perhaps Can has some argument for simply being unlucky that the ball nicked off his head onto his arm—but his arm shouldn't have been extended like that in the first place.

A tough way for Dortmund to concede after the controversy from the first leg. 

Winner: Jude Bellingham

It was a tough day for Dortmund, though 17-year-old Jude Bellingham provided the one bright spot:

What were you doing at 17? You weren't scoring goals in the Champions League quarterfinals, surely. Well, maybe on FIFA, but that's about it. 

Loser: Mo Salah and Liverpool's Front Line

Liverpool had its chances on Wednesday, namely in the first half. There were goals to be had in this game. But Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane simply couldn't convert. 

It's been a tough season for the Reds, who are currently in a fight to even qualify for Champions League football next season. But failing to score a single goal in a must-win game vs. a depleted Real Madrid side will surely be considered one of the major disappointments of Liverpool's season.

Loser: Jurgen Klopp

Speaking of disappointments, there will surely be some questioning of Jurgen Klopp's tactics and starting 11 after the match.

Namely, why did Thiago come off the bench? Why not bring Diogo Jota on sooner?

Liverpool fans could be lamenting those decisions for some time, especially if the team can't manage to finish in the Champions League places in the Premier League.

   

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