5️⃣ things we learned from Wednesday's UCL quarter-final action | OneFootball

The 2024/25 Champions League is down to its final eight across an enthralling first season under its new format, with some storied sides locking horns tonight across the continent in the first of two installments of quarter-final action this week.

Here are five things we took away from clashes in North London and Bavaria.

You cannot rule Arsenal out

Mikel Arteta's Arsenal shocked the competition with a gargantuan 3-0 win against Real Madrid at the Emirates tonight, in a result no one, not even most Gunners supporters, could have dreamed up.

After finishing in the top three across group stage play, Arteta's men saw their way past PSV by a 9-3 aggregate score before being drawn against the kings of Europe.

Under Arteta, when fully primed, Arsenal are an attacking force that few know how to cope with, and they proved that tonight despite the absence of Kai Havertz.

But Arsenal did not shy away from the occasion in the north of the English capital, dominating Los Blancos along the way and keeping a vaunted front four of Mbappé, Vini Jr, Rodrygo, and Bellingham quiet.

This was no fluke result, and it has left many Arsenal fans dreaming of another magical run to a UCL final. The last time the club reached those heights on the continent? They ousted the Spanish side from the competition in the knockout stage.

Declan Rice; dead-ball wizard

It is a well-known fact across the Arsenal fanbase and the broader Premier League landscape that Gunners midfielder Declan Rice is an expert during dead-ball situations.

Tonight, he showed that and more while breaking a duck of his own.

A brace of world-class free-kick goals from the England international highlighted an exceptional performance from the midfield talisman, putting him among illustrious company and into the history books of the Champions League at the same time.

He now joins Cristiano Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Neymar, and Hakim Ziyech as just the fifth player to score twice from a free-kick in the same Champions League fixture.

His duties on the pitch may have just been expanded moving forward.

This is not Real Madrid's year

In the run-up to every Champions League campaign, one club stands above the rest as the dominant favourite before a ball is kicked in anger; Real Madrid.

The undisputed hegemonic presence on the continent and on the back of a record 15 tournament trophies in their cabinet, Los Blancos came into tonight confident of securing another scalp on their way to greater achievement.

But this has not been the same Real Madrid side this season as they remain off the pace in the La Liga title race behind bitter rivals Barcelona.

Disjointed in defence and amid questions surrounding Carlo Ancelotti's future, it was an uncharacteristic poor outing from the club on a European night.

Can they tap into their vaunted magic in the capital in the second leg? That remains to be seen.

Inter look like Champions in shades of 2010

Bavarian juggernaut Bayern Munich suffered defeat at the Allianz Arena in their first-leg clash with visiting Inter, and that should not surprise anyone.

Though Vincent Kompany's outfit can usually call upon firepower that most clubs could only dream about, Simone Inzaghi's Nerazzurri were up to the task as they have been across the entire 2024/25 campaign.

After allowing just a single goal in group play on their way to finishing level on points with Barcelona and Arsenal, Inter eased past Feyenoord before learning their quarter-final fate.

Taking the lead in Bavaria through Lautaro Martínez and then finding a late winner thanks to Davide Frattesi, Inter continue to show that they could very well be on track for another appearance in the finals at the very least.

Warning bells sound after Bayern bested at home

Bayern Munich remain one of the biggest clubs on the planet and a perennial powerhouse in Europe while largely keeping the Bundesliga in a stranglehold.

Sitting atop the domestic table and ahead of holders Bayer Leverkusen, Vincent Kompany is on course to return the Meisterschale to the Marienplatz.

Though Bayern undoubtedly knows how to find the back of the net while boasting a penchant for simply overpowering the opposition, they've struggled to truly impress in the Champions League this season and failed to secure automatic passage into the knockout stage.

Comfortably seeing off Leverkusen by a 5-0 aggregate scoreline, their group stage form left much to be desired, and a first home loss in the competition since 2021 must serve as a warning bell for Kompany as they face a difficult second leg in Italy's fashion capital.

No matter what happens, Bayern must avoid a run of poor results from affecting their run-in on the home front.

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