Good day everyone,

I hope you are all well and have had an excellent week, welcome to CryptoGod-1's blog on all things sports. Today I will be doing a recap on the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final second leg results. With the eight teams now down to four, we know how the semi finals will match up as the teams aim for the final in Istanbul.

You can find my post on the first legs here: Champions League Quarter Final - First Leg

Quater Final Second Leg

Tuesday 18th April 2023

Chelsea 0 (0) - (2) 2 Real Madrid - Real Madrid progress 4-0 on aggregate

Rodrygo x2

Chelsea had it all to do here as they entered the game already two goals down, and Lampard struggled to get a response from his side. Chelsea did start brighter with an unusual system of Kante and Gallagher playing at 8s in midfield with Havertz leading the line alone. Kane put an effort wide from a James cross and Chelsea continued to threaten but Madrid got a grip on the game. Rodrygo and Modric tested Kepa while Vinicius Junior and Benzema wasted great chances. Cucurella save a great chance saved before the break and afterwards it was Kante who missed a great early chance. A rapid counter saw Vinicius Junior cut the ball back to Rodrygo on 58 minutes to open the scoring on the night. The Brazilian got his second on 80 minutes when Valverde danced through the Chelsea defence and played him in. While Chelsea showed spirit, their awful season continued as Madrid march on towards what they hope will be their 15th Champions League trophy in the clubs history.

Napoli 1 (0) - (1) 1 AC Milan - AC  Milan progress 2-1 on aggregate

Osimhen - Giroud

The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was at fever pitch prior to the game as Napoli looked to continue their remarkable season which sees they top of Serie A. The home side made a fast start, with Kvaratskhelia and Zielinski seeing efforts saved. Politano also saw two effort go just wide but the Rossoneri's defence remained firm. Milan won a penalty when Mario Rui's clumsy challenge brought down Leao, but Giroud saw his spot kick saved. The Napoli fans were full of noise but their side saw two injuries, Rui and Politano, disrupt their play. Giroud then saw a close effort saved but they got their goal just before the break. Leao robbed the ball from Ndombele and burst towards the area before squaring for Giroud to score on 43 minutes. Osimhen then had a goal ruled out for handball just before the break. Kvaratskhelia blazed over two chances over early in the second half and Napoli dominated proceedings. Lozano, Olivera and Amir Rrahmani all had good opportunities but wasted them and on 82 minutes won a penalty of their own, but Kvaratskhelia's spot-kick was saved by Maignan. In the third minute of stoppage time they did pull one back from an Osimhen header but it was too late and Milan powered their way into the Semi Finals.

Wednesday 19th April 2023

Bayern Munich 1 (0) - (3) 1 Manchester City - Manchester City progress 1-4 on aggregate

Kimmich - Haaland

Bayern started strong here, determined to make up for their defeat last week. They took the game to City, as Coman twice got clear down the right early on but his final pass was poor. Sane also got through on goal but put his effort wide before Upamecano got a red for tripping Haaland only for it to be rescinded for an offside. Upamecano then handled the ball in the box to give away a penalty but Haaland blasted his effort wide. Bayern ended the half strong as both Coman and Sane seeing efforts saved. Haaland had a chance after the break but failed to take it, while a Coman effort rolled across the City with only a touch needed but City managed to clear. On 57 minutes De Bruyne played in Haaland and the striker took his chance this time, and in doing so becoming the youngest player to reach 35 Champions League goals. Tel had a goal chalked off for offside as Bayern looked for a consolation and they got it from the penalty spot after Akanji had handled the ball in the box. Kimmich stepped up in the 83rd minute but it was too late for Bayern to get back into the tie, and Manchester City will progress for their third straight Champions League semi final in a row.

Inter Milan 3 (2) - (0) 3 Benfica - Inter Milan progress 5-3 on aggregate

Barella, Martínez, Correa - Aursnes, Silva, Musa

This game had it all, with Inter looking to make the most of their first leg advantage and Benfica determined to reach a Champions League semi final after so many years of going far in this tournament. It took Inter 13 minutes to open the scoring as Barella shot from inside the area as Inter looked to build on their lead. However, Aursnes headed Benfica back into the game on 38 to cause some nerves for Inter. The Nerazzurri came out strong in the second half, with Martinez scoring on 65 minutes and seven minutes later Correa adding his goal to the cause. Benfica did not wilt, and instead threatened one of the greatest comebacks as they scored through Silva on 85 minutes and substitute Petar Musa in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but in reality they did little to cause Inter and their healthy lead any real problems. The result means Inter are through to the semi finals, and will face their city rivals AC Milan in a mouth-watering semi final. These sides will meet in European competition for the first time since the 2004/05 season, and it ensure an Italian side will reach the final for the first time since Juventus lost to Real Madrid in 2017.

Semi Finals

There we have it, as we now know the four teams who will progress into this seasons Semi Finals, with the line up as follows:

Real Madrid - Manchester City 

Inter - AC Milan

Original Prediction

For those of you interested, my original predictions for the Semi Finals were:

Liverpool

Manchester City

Bayern Munich

Napoli

So it seems I was very much off, although with Manchester City and Bayern facing off I was never going to be totally right. Also with Liverpool facing Real Madrid in the Round of 16 that was always a difficult match, so it remains to be seen who the winner will be from here. However, given the four teams that remain, I feel that whichever team wins from the Real Madrid - Manchester City Semi Final will go on to win the competition, and I am backing Madrid to win it for the 15th time in their history. 

You can also find my previous prediction for this seasons Champions League here: Champions League 22/23 Round of 16 Draw & Prediction

My prediction for the 2022/23 Premier League season is also available here: Premier League 2022/23 Prediction

Have a great day.

Peace. CryptoGod-1.

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