Arsenal and Bayern Munich have booked the last places in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League after contrasting second leg quarter-final outcomes on Wednesday.

The semi-final lineup is now confirmed, with Bayern set to face Paris Saint-Germain, while the Gunners will take on Atlético Madrid.

Bayern progressed in thrilling fashion, defeating Real Madrid 4–3 on the night at the Allianz Arena to secure a 6–4 aggregate victory. The German champions showed resilience after a chaotic start that saw Arda Güler score inside 35 seconds—Real Madrid’s fastest goal in Champions League history.

Despite the early setback, Bayern responded quickly, with Aleksandar Pavlović heading in an equaliser before Harry Kane restored their aggregate lead. Madrid remained dangerous, with Kylian Mbappé—who has now scored 10 away goals in this season’s competition—finding the net again as the contest swung from end to end.

However, the decisive moment came late on when Luiz Diaz pulled Bayern leveled on the night before the hosts capitalised on Madrid being reduced to 10 men.

Michael Olise curled home a dramatic winner to seal progression and extend Bayern’s unbeaten run to 17 matches in all competitions.

In contrast, Arsenal took a more cautious route, edging past Sporting CP with a 1–0 aggregate victory after a goalless draw at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners struggled to assert dominance on the night, failing to register clear-cut chances for long periods as Sporting threatened to overturn the deficit. Opportunities fell to Francisco Trincão and Pedro Gonçalves for the visitors, but neither could find the breakthrough.

Mikel Arteta’s side improved late in the game, with Leandro Trossard hitting the post, but ultimately relied on their first-leg advantage to advance.

The result marks a historic milestone for Arsenal, who have now reached the Champions League semi-finals in back-to-back seasons for the first time in the club’s history.

Tunde Eludini

Tunde Eludini is a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria where he studied International Relations. He is a Senior Correspondent coordinating the sports section for PREMIUM TIMES. Twitter: @tundeyeludini

Arsenal and Bayern Munich reach Champions League semi-finals

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