The UEFA Champions League Is Down To Eight

The quarter finalists for this season's UEFA Champions League have now been decided, so who looks likely to go all the way.

Chelsea 0 Inter Milan 1
Inter Milan win 3-1 on aggregate
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Jose Mourinho made a triumphant return to Stamford Bridge, masterminding an away performance from Internazionale who deserved to go through. Samuel Eto'o 78th minute goal sealed their passage but the efforts of Inter's back pair, Lucio and Walter Samuel, were immense.

The first-half was an interesting battle as Inter closed down Chelsea with high intensity and despite the hosts looking dangerous, it was the Italians who had the best chance of the first-half when Eto'o bounced a header over the bar from close-range.

Into the second stanza, Wesley Sneijder was finding more of the ball and he set up a number of wasted chances before Eto'o smashed home neatly with barely ten minutes to go. Didier Drogba, frustrated by the close attentions of Inter's defenders all evening, petulantly got himself sent off late as Chelsea go out again in acrimonious circumstances.

After the game Mourinho declared his Inter side were the 'best team by far'. He added: “Sometimes in football you win because you’re lucky. Sometimes you win because you are the best team. Sometimes you win because you were the best team from the first to last minute. That team was my team, and my players.”

Sevilla 1 CSKA Moscow 2
CSKA Moscow win 3-2 on aggregate

CSKA Moscow advanced beyond the last 16 for the first time ever with a surprise 2-1 victory at Sevilla, to become the first Russian club to go this far in the Champions League. The Muscovites were enterprising, with Keisuke Honda causing Sevilla problems but goalkeeper Andres Palop's howler may be seen as the difference between the sides.

Sevilla had begun the game well, but CSKA came into it, with Honda prevalent before he teed up Tomas Necid who controlled well before slotting a neat opener. But ominously three minutes later Sevilla replied courtesy of Diego Perotti, bringing the crowd right into it.



But Palop's error from Honda's relatively simple 55th minute free-kick offered CSKA a major advantage, with the Spaniards suddenly needing two more goals to progress. In the end, Sevilla failed to manage much and bowed out.

CSKA boss Leonid Slutsky said: “They were stronger and scored more goals. In football, one scored goal decides everything.” He added: “I am happy that despite Sevilla managing to get a goal back, we did not allow them to seize the initiative and controlled the course of the game after we scored the second.”

Bordeaux 2 Olympiacos 1
Bordeaux win 3-1 on aggregate

French champions Bordeaux got through in a tight contest at the Stade Chaban Delmas defeating Olympiacos 2-1. Despite an early Bordeaux goal, things got awkward for the hosts until Marouane Chamakh]'s late sealer eased the tension.

Early a tense night appeared a long way away for Girondins, with Yoann Gourcuff's well-placed free-kick giving Bordeaux a fifth minute advantage. Olympiacos stopper Antonis Nikopolidis was caught out there and it almost got worse when he misread another Gourcuff free-kick which cannoned into the woodwork.

Bordeaux seemed in control when Matt Derbyshire was given his marching orders early in the second stanza, but substitute Kostas Mitroglou fired the visitors level, moving them within a goal of qualification for the next round. And when Alou Diarra saw red, Bordeaux had worries, with Raul Bravo going close until Chamakh climbed to seal the French club's passage.

Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc said afterwards: “Alou Diarra missing the quarter-final first leg is a blow. We were calm tonight until he was sent off. Without him we are not at our highest level. Six of the quarter-finalists would expect to beat Bordeaux, and I don't think Lyon would be a good draw. What I want more than anything, though, is to avoid Barcelona.”



FC Barcelona 4 VfB Stuttgart 0
FC Barcelona win 5-1 on aggregate

2009 FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi produced a wonderful display to guide Barcelona to a comfortable 4-0 rout of German Bundesliga outfiut Stuttgart. Messi was involved in Barca's first three goals, scoring two himself and perhaps will be disappointed he didn't get his hat-trick.

But the Catalans won't be disappointed by the result as the emphatically put Stuttgart on the back foot from the outset. Thierry Henry, preferred to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, was a threat early before Messi's stunning individual opener on 12 minutes. He then produced a great lofted through ball which Yaya Toure cut back for Pedro to double their advantage.

Stuttgart had no option but to push on after trailing by two at the break but couldn't make any inroads against the reigning European champions. Messi capped off a fine team goal, making Stuttgart's veteran stopper Jens Lehmann looking silly, before substitutes Ibrahimovic and Bojan Krkic combined to complete the rout.

Barca boss Pep Guardiola said: "We've been very intense in all aspects, highly aggressive. We were backed by the love of our fans, we feel strong.” He added: "All the teams in the next round are good teams, it will take another two great matches to make that (reaching the final) happen.”