London and Madrid, Mar 15 (EFE; odds by IDSca.com).- Manchester City qualified – for the first time ever – for the Champions League quarterfinals Tuesday in battling Dynamo Kiev to a scoreless draw in the second leg of the Round of 16, or knockout stage, but advancing as the 3-1 aggregate winner, after beating Dynamo in Kiev in the first leg.

Man City’s Vincent Kompany was injured in the 7th minute, possibly aggravating an earlier injury, and that seemed to set the tone for the lackluster match, but then – in the 24rd minute – it was Nicolas Otamendi’s turn to go down with an injury and leave the pitch, a serious blow to the squad that will probably keep the key pair sidelined through the weekend, when it faces its rivals Manchester United in a Premier League match.

Despite the fact that City had racked up a good lead in away goals, they just could not get anything going during the boring and seemingly interminable match, while Dynamo could not manage to control the ball long enough to take it downfield.

And they toyed with a couple of semi-chances – a couple by Jesus Navas, another by Fernandinho and David Silva and one more by Yaya Toure – nothing gelled for Man City, and Dynamo blew its best opportunity when Andriy Yarmolenko muffed what could have been a gamewinner, firing it directly into the hands of City goalkeeper Joe Hart.

Man City coach Manuel Pellegrini said after the match that “It was a very tactical game. We didn’t take risks and we waited for them to create openings. It was important to control the ball and not to let them create chances.” EFE

 

Packed Stadium in Madrid as Atletico Advances

 

Atletico Madrid managed to sneak into the Champions League quarterfinals here on Tuesday after making its fans suffer through a penalty shootout, albeit ultimately prevailing 8-7.

It was the third straight year in which the Madrid squad had reached the Champs q-finals.

After a scoreless outing in which both sides created chances for themselves but could not capitalize, the Spanish team and PSV, who had come to the same 0-0 result in the first leg of the Round of 16, or knockout phase, in Eindhoven, hit on shot after shot until Luciano Narsingh blasted a powerhouse driver against the bar, sending the fans in Vicente Calderon stadium into a frenzy.

It was Juanfran Torres who converted the final penalty for the 8-7 win, igniting a tremendous celebration both on and off the pitch.

Last season, Atletico had advanced to the quarterfinals in a similar shootout, downing Bayer Leverkusen 3-2.

The Madrid squad had good ball control but was unable to dominate in the way it had done in the first leg, despite that earlier match’s scoreless result.

PSV created several good chances, the best one in the 58th minute when Jurgen Locadia hit the post with a shot from close range. EFE

 

UEFA Champions League Betting Action in Costa Rica

 

Sportsbooks in Costa Rica are reporting brisk wagering action as the UEFA Champions League heats up into the quarterfinals.

According to ISDca.com, a leading Pay-Per-Head provider based in Costa Rica, the Champions League is one of the most active tournaments in terms of betting after March Madness and the second half of the NBA season.

Two big matches are scheduled for tomorrow Wednesday: Barcelona – Arsenal and Bayern Munich – Juventus. Most of the wagering action will be centered on the Barcelona – Arsenal match at Camp Nou in sunny Spain.

The London gunners must overcome a deficit against one of the most stellar clubs in the world. Striker Joel Campbell from Costa Rica may be a wild card substitution for Arsenal. Current odds favor Barcelona 1/4 while an Arsenal victory is calculated at 11 with a draw at 6.