Twenty-four hours of Champions League play-off second legs can do strange things to a football fan’s nervous system. One minute you’re watching Atlético turn a tie into a one-man showcase, the next you’re seeing Juventus drag a giant comeback to extra time… and still go out. Across 24 and 25 February 2026, the new knockout phase play-offs did what they were designed to do: give the heavyweights a trapdoor, give the disruptors a stage, and give the rest of us a reason to ignore sensible bedtimes.
Eight ties, eight different flavours of Champions League chaos. Let’s get into them.
🏆 THE UCL KNOCKOUT STAGE IS SET! ⚔️
— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 25, 2026
These 16 teams are dreaming of glory.
📅 The draw is this Friday — who gets the easiest path? Who faces a giant?
The road to the final starts now. 👀 pic.twitter.com/LK1XHlxhvK
Some serious Champions League action
Atlético Madrid 4-1 Club Brugge (7-4 agg)
If you like your Champions League drama delivered by centre-forward, Atlético had the perfect courier. Alexander Sørloth scored a hat-trick as Atleti pulled away from a tie that arrived in Madrid finely balanced after a 3-3 first leg. He opened the scoring by turning a long Jan Oblak punt into a chance and then a goal, but Brugge kept asking questions and levelled through Joel Ordonez’s header.
The hinge moment was early in the second half: Johnny Cardoso’s sweet half-volley restored Atlético’s edge, and from there Sørloth took over the closing duties, finishing off a scrappy third and then adding a clean volley for his third. Comfortable scoreline, uncomfortable evening, very Atlético.
Newcastle 3-2 Qarabağ (9-3 agg)
Newcastle treated the second Champions League leg like a victory lap for the first six minutes, then spent the rest of the night discovering that victory laps can still include potholes. Sandro Tonali and Joelinton scored inside six minutes at St James’ Park, and with a 6-1 first-leg win already in the bag, it looked like an early checkout.
Qarabağ had other plans: Camilo Durán struck just after half-time, Elvin Cafarguliyev followed up a saved penalty, and for a brief spell the tie felt like it had teeth. Newcastle’s response was simple and effective, with Sven Botman heading in to restore order. It was not spotless, but it was never truly in danger. Over two legs, Newcastle scored nine. That tends to solve most problems.
Bayer Leverkusen 0-0 Olympiacos (2-0 agg)
Some ties are for the highlight reels. This one was for the clipboard. Leverkusen arrived with a two-goal cushion from Patrik Schick’s first-leg double and played the return like a team protecting state secrets. They still had chances to turn the night into something more colourful: Schick’s attempted lob drifted wide in the first half, and Alejandro Grimaldo cracked the crossbar after the break.
Olympiacos had moments, too, but Leverkusen’s defensive shape stayed neat, the game stayed goalless, and the aggregate maths never changed. Not glamorous, not stressful, and very effective.
Inter 1-2 Bodø/Glimt (2-5 agg)
Every year the Champions League produces one result that makes you check you’re reading it correctly. Bodø/Glimt’s elimination of Inter is that result. After winning 3-1 in Norway, the visitors went to San Siro and played like a team that had no interest in admiring the architecture. Jens Petter Hauge pounced first, Håkon Evjen added a second, and Inter’s late Alessandro Bastoni goal only briefly changed the mood.
Over two legs, Bodø/Glimt scored five against Inter and looked like they belonged. It is an upset on paper, against last year’s Champions League finalists but it did not feel like a fluke on the pitch. The Champions League does not hand out fairytales. Teams take them.
Atalanta 4-1 Borussia Dortmund (4-3 agg)
Atalanta’s comeback had everything: early belief, a stadium riding every tackle, and late drama that arrived with paperwork. Trailing 2-0 from the first leg, Atalanta needed a fast start and got it through Gianluca Scamacca. Davide Zappacosta’s deflected strike hauled them level on aggregate before the break, then Mario Pašalić’s header put them in front in the tie.
Dortmund finally blinked into life when Karim Adeyemi’s superb finish made it 3-3 on aggregate, setting up extra time… until it didn’t. Deep in stoppage time, Dortmund’s Ramy Bensebaini conceded a penalty with a high challenge and was sent off, and Lazar Samardžić buried the spot-kick with the last action. From 2-0 down to last-16 bound, Atalanta turned the tie into a Bergamo folk story.
Juventus 3-2 Galatasaray (5-7 agg, aet)
Juventus spent 90 minutes building a miracle and 30 minutes watching it slip away. After losing 5-2 in Istanbul, they came out swinging in Turin: Manuel Locatelli converted a penalty, and then the tie tilted into pure adversity when Lloyd Kelly was sent off early in the second half (a straight red overturned to a second booking). Down to 10 men, Juve somehow got louder. Federico Gatti poked in a second, and Weston McKennie headed a third late on to level the aggregate at 5-5 and force extra time.
That is the good part. In extra time, Galatasaray found the decisive moments through Victor Osimhen and then Barış Yılmaz, and Juventus were left with a win on the night and a loss on the ledger. Football can be cruel, but it is rarely ambiguous.
🇹🇷 GALATASARAY SHOCK JUVE! 🌪️
— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 25, 2026
They stop the Juventus comeback and book their place in the Round of 16.
Next stop: either Tottenham or Liverpool.
CimBom back on the European stage! 🦁 pic.twitter.com/7TErYFqNJc
PSG 2-2 Monaco (5-4 agg)
A domestic derby tie in Europe has a way of making everything feel personal, including the referee’s pocket. Monaco arrived in Paris one goal down from a wild first leg (which they also finished with 10 men), and they levelled the aggregate before half-time through Maghnes Akliouche.
Then came the turning point: Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off just before the hour, and PSG immediately played like a team that had been waiting for permission. Marquinhos scored from the resulting set-piece, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia followed six minutes later, and the tie should have been done. Jordan Teze’s stoppage-time goal made it uncomfortable again, but PSG held on. Two legs, two Monaco red cards, and PSG’s title defence stays alive.
🔵🔴 PSG ARE THROUGH! 🇫🇷
— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 25, 2026
They take down Monaco in the UCL play-off and secure a Round of 16 spot.
Next challenge: either Chelsea or Barcelona.
Paris dreaming big. 💭 pic.twitter.com/l8T7lq9agv
Real Madrid 2-1 Benfica (3-1 agg)
Real Madrid did not so much manage the second leg as wrestle it into submission. Benfica struck first at the Bernabéu through Rafa Silva to make the early arithmetic interesting, but Aurélien Tchouameni responded quickly with a thunderous equaliser that swung the tie’s mood back towards inevitability.
From there it was tense, physical, and occasionally ragged, with Benfica probing and Madrid looking for the clincher. It arrived through Vinícius Júnior (who else?) who ran through to finish and turn a nervy night into a completed job. His dancing in the corner was deserved. Satisfaction. Love and joy always over hate. Two goals in Madrid, three on aggregate, and the competition’s most familiar late-stage resident is back where it expects to be.
⚪✅ REAL MADRID SURVIVE THE SCARE!
— 365Scores (@365Scores) February 25, 2026
They overcome Benfica in the UCL play-off and book a Round of 16 spot.
Next up: either Man City or Sporting.
Los Blancos keep marching. 👑 pic.twitter.com/vZmXdHRb8Q
What it all sets up
With the play-offs complete, the round of 16 draw is ready. It takes place in Nyon on Friday 27 February 2026 (12:00 CET), and the bracket structure means each play-off winner already knows their two possible opponents from the seeded top eight.
FAQs
- What were these Champions League matches?
The UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs, a two-legged round that determines the final eight places in the round of 16. - Who qualified from these eight Champions League ties?
Atlético Madrid, Newcastle United, Bayer Leverkusen, Bodø/Glimt, Atalanta, Galatasaray, PSG, and Real Madrid. - When is the Champions League round of 16 draw?
Friday 27 February 2026 at 12:00 CET in Nyon. - Do Champions League away goals count?
No. Ties level on aggregate go to extra time and then penalties. - Which Champions League result was the biggest shock?
Bodø/Glimt knocking out Inter over two legs, including a win at San Siro. - Any major Champions League discipline storylines?
Monaco had a player sent off in both legs of their tie with PSG, and Dortmund and Juventus both saw red in their second legs.
By Nicky Helfgott / @NickyHelfgott1 on Twitter (X)
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