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Top Winners and Losers After Wednesday's Final Champions League Round-of-16 Results

Joseph Zucker

The 2022-23 Champions League quarterfinalists have been confirmed after Napoli and Real Madrid secured the last two spots up for grabs on Wednesday.

Napoli put three goals past Eintracht Frankfurt to win 5-0 on aggregate. Madrid coasted to a 6-2 aggregate win against Liverpool after scoring once in the second leg, with the damage having already been done at Anfield.

Here's a quick overview from Wednesday's action.

Winner: Victor Osimhen

The leading scorer in Serie A rose to the occasion—literally and figuratively—as Napoli secured its first-ever berth in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Victor Osimhen headed home the opener in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

The Nigerian forward doubled his team's second-leg lead from close range in the 53rd minute.

The €70 million fee Napoli paid to secure Osimhen's services in July 31 raised some eyebrows at the time, but he has been worth every penny so far. The 24-year-old has steadily improved over time, and his form this season has been nothing short of scintillating.

Many of the usual suspects are still hanging around in the tournament, yet Napoli might be the one side you don't want to be drawn against right now. If you have a plan to actually slow down Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, you'll be the first.

Loser: Liverpool's Champions League Qualification Hopes

Liverpool is no stranger to making an incredible European comeback. On Wednesday, it simply wasn't to be.

With the Champions League journey officially over, the hopes of qualifying for next year's campaign rest entirely on securing a top-four finish in the Premier League.

In keeping with the roller-coaster nature of their season, the Reds followed their 7-0 demolition of Manchester United with a 1-0 defeat to Bournemouth. That leaves Jürgen Klopp's squad in sixth, six points behind fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur.

The good news is that Liverpool can now focus its efforts entirely on the Premier League. The bad news is that the club plays Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in its next three fixtures.

That stretch is likely to define Liverpool's season.

Winner: The Inevitability of Real Madrid

This is all going to end with Real Madrid lifting the European Cup for the 15th time, isn't it?

The score from Wednesday's match doesn't do justice to how well the reigning champions performed in a situation where the club's primary objective was to not allow three goals. Alisson Becker's effort in the Liverpool goal is the only reason this wasn't another significantly one-sided outcome.

The Champions League continues to bring the best out of Real Madrid, and Karim Benzema's goal Wednesday illustrated how the club is almost fated to advance to the latter stages. Vinícius Júnior slipped as he attempted a shot but had the wherewithal to poke the ball across to the Frenchman for the easy finish.

Don't worry about the fact Real Madrid is nine points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona. Who cares if that gap widens following Sunday's El Clásico. Forget about what the quarterfinal draw looks like.

Just go ahead and pencil Los Blancos into at least the semifinals of the Champions League.

   

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