Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Benfica and Club Brugge are through from the UEFA Youth League quarter-finals.
The one-off ties decided the four teams advancing to the knockout finals in Lausanne on 17 and 20 April. Paris won 1-0 at Villarreal on Tuesday and now take on Real Madrid, who came from behind to defeat Sporting CP 2-1 today.
In Tuesday's other match, Club Brugge reached the finals for the first time after earning a 4-0 victory at Atlético de Madrid with three goals in the opening 27 minutes. Benfica will face the Belgian side having also won away, 3-2 at Inter in the last tie.
Where to watch the Youth League: TV/streams
Wednesday 18 March
Real Madrid 2-1 Sporting CP
Madrid, in a record ninth quarter-final, were on top for most of the first half but could find no way past Sporting goalkeeper Miguel Gouveia. And in the 43rd minute Flávio Gonçalves, who on Tuesday night was an unused substitute as Sporting knocked Bodø/Glimt out of the UEFA Champions League, intercepted a Madrid defensive pass and advanced on goal before beating Illia Voloshyn.
Just after half-time Alexis Ciria volleyed against the post for Madrid but it was 1-1 in the 51st minute when Carlos Díez played through Jacobo Ortega to score from an acute angle. Before the hour a header from Sporting's Gabriel Silva hit the inside of the post and Madrid's Roberto Martín then scored what proved to be the winner with a cute first-time finish from just inside the box. The Spanish side are now into a fifth semi-final, equalling Barcelona's mark along with Benfica.
Inter 2-3 Benfica
Benfica were missing suspended top scorer Gonçalo Moreira but began brightly and went ahead in the 26th minute when Daniel Banjaqui's curling cross was headed in by Federico Coletta (a squad-mate of Inter's Mattia Mosconi and Lamine Ballo when Italy won the 2024 UEFA Under-17 EURO). It was 2-0 after 58 minutes, Tiago Freitas rising to nod home Jaden Umeh's high cross, taking Benfica to 37 goals for the campaign, overtaking the competition record set by Chelsea in 2014/15.
Inter almost immediately sent on Aymen Zouin and with his first touch he pulled one back, receiving Mosconi's pass and creating room to shoot in with his left foot, but with 13 minutes left Benfica substitute Francisco Silva tapped in after Banjaqui centred. Another Inter sub, Anas El Mahboubi, rose to turn in an 88th-minute Mattia Marello free-kick, however Benfica held on to make their fifth semi, having won all the previous four.
Tuesday 17 March
Atlético de Madrid 0-4 Club Brugge
UEFA Youth League quarter-final highlights: Atleti 0-4 Club Brugge
Club Brugge led through Yanis Musuayi in the fifth minute when he headed in Lucas Delorge's corner. Midway through the first half Tian Koren turned in Tobias Jensen's low cross and shortly afterwards Musuayi made it 3-0 as he won the ball on the left, cut inside and shot in from a tight angle.
Atleti, who had won only one of their five past quarter-finals, pushed in the second half and hit the post through Miguel Gil. However, the captain was later sent off for a second booking, with visiting substitute Jesse Bisiwu scoring the fourth from the resulting free-kick. Club Brugge now emulate Anderlecht, who won Belgium's only previous quarter-final appearances in 2014/15 and 2015/16.
Villarreal 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain
UEFA Youth League quarter-final highlights: Villarreal 0-1 Paris
Paris went ahead on 26 minutes as Pierre Mounguengue played the ball into the box for Elijah Ly to cut back and shot in. Iker Adelantado hit the post for first-time quarter-finalists Villarreal, who also went close just after the break when Hugo López was played through but denied by Paris goalkeeper Martin James.
Just before the hour Villarreal were awarded a penalty when Hugo López was tripped; he stepped up himself but James dived to tip the ball away. With ten minutes to go Joselillo Gaitán struck the top of the crossbar with James out of position and later Babacar Welle Tendeng went close but Paris held on to reach the semi-finals for the second time, a decade on from finishing runners-up (after defeating Madrid in the last four).
Team guide
The quarter-finals featured two former champions (Benfica and Real Madrid), another past finalist (Paris) and two further clubs that have reached the last four (Atleti and Sporting). Inter have never made it past the quarter-finals while Club Brugge and Villarreal were at this stage for the first time.
This is the third time Spain have had three quarter-finalists after 2016/17 and 2017/18. The only other nation to manage the feat is England in 2013/14 and 2017/18.
For the third year running, no club have made the four-team finals two seasons in succession.
All eight teams emerged from the UEFA Champions League path: Benfica (2nd place in league table), Club Brugge (3rd), Real Madrid (4th), Villarreal (5th), Atleti (7th), Sporting (12th), Paris (13th) and Inter (14th).