Havertz Rescues Arsenal as Real Madrid, PSG, Bodo/Glimt Secure Big Champions League Wins

Arsenal FC salvaged a late 1–1 draw against Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie, with Kai Havertz converting a late penalty against his former club.

Leverkusen began brightly and nearly scored early, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya produced a seventh-minute save to deny Christian Kofane. The visitors also came close when Gabriel Martinelli struck the crossbar following a quick counter-attack.

The German side eventually broke the deadlock shortly after the restart when Robert Andrich headed home Alejandro Grimaldo’s delivery from a corner. Arsenal pushed for an equaliser late on and were rewarded in the 89th minute when Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke in the box, allowing Havertz to convert from the penalty spot and ensure the tie remains level heading into the second leg.

At the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid took a commanding step toward the quarter-finals with a dominant 3–0 victory over Manchester City.

Federico Valverde produced a sensational first-half performance, scoring a hat-trick in just 22 minutes to give Madrid a huge advantage. The midfielder opened the scoring after capitalising on a defensive error before adding a second from Vinicius Junior’s deflected pass. He completed his treble with a close-range volley following a clever assist from Brahim Diaz. Madrid could have added a fourth early in the second half, but Vinicius saw his penalty saved.

In Norway, Bodo/Glimt continued their impressive European run with a convincing 3–0 win over Sporting CP at Aspmyra Stadion. Sondre Fet opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Ole Didrik Blomberg doubled the lead just before half-time. Kasper Hogh sealed the victory in the 71st minute to give the Norwegian champions a strong advantage ahead of the return leg.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain took control of their tie with a dramatic 5–2 victory over Chelsea FC at Parc des Princes.

Bradley Barcola opened the scoring for PSG before Chelsea responded through Malo Gusto. Ousmane Dembele restored PSG’s lead, but Enzo Fernandez equalised early in the second half. The match turned late on when Vitinha capitalised on a goalkeeping error to make it 3–2, before substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice in the closing stages to seal a commanding win for the French champions.