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On Tuesday, the first two participants of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals were revealed.
London's "Arsenal" team came just one step away from a miracle as they crushed "Milan" 3-0 at home, but withdrew from further competition as they suffered an even bigger defeat in Italy - 0-4.
It seemed like the trip to the English capital could end tragically for the Serie A leaders: defender Laurent Koscielny scored a goal in the 7th minute, fueling the already enthusiastic crowd and team mates even more.
As if that were not enough, Tomáš Rosický made it 2-0 in the 26th minute capitalizing on a rough mistake by Thiago Silva, and Robin van Persie converted a penalty kick in the 44th minute, leaving "Milan" with just a one-goal advantage.
However, after the break, the hosts lost their momentum: even though van Persie couldn't score from close range against Christian Abbiati, the Italians managed to maintain their fragile lead comfortably and secured a spot among the top eight clubs on the continent. However, "Arsenal" fans still gave a round of applause to their players even after the final whistle, symbolizing seven consecutive years without trophies.
Results:
(highlighted teams advance to the next stage)
London's "Arsenal" 3 - 0 "Milan" (first leg 0-4, aggregate score 3-4) 7' [1 - 0] L.Koscielny 26' [2 - 0] T.Rosicky 44' [3 - 0] R.van Persie (from 11 m. penalty)
Key moments:
Detailed analysis:
Lisbon's "Benfica" 2 - 0 St. Petersburg's "Zenit" (first leg 2-3, aggregate score 4-3) 45' [1 - 0] M.Pereira 90' [2 - 0] N.Oliveira
