PARIS: Chelsea and Bayern Munich completed the quarter-final line-up for the Champions League on Wednesday.

Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to reach the quarters for the first time since 2014 as Hakim Ziyech and Emerson Palmieri were on target to give coach Thomas Tuchel’s rejuvenated team a 3-0 aggregate win.

“A very good performance, unbelievable effort. I could feel we totally wanted it,” Tuchel told BT Sport. “We enjoyed the battle. The guys were totally on and sharp. We were super hungry to go through.”

Holders Bayern, meanwhile, cruised through to the last eight for the ninth time in the last 10 seasons after beating Lazio 2-1 at the Allianz Arena in their last-16 second leg to secure a 6-2 aggregate victory.

“It was important for me that we won the game,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said. “Lazio defended well but I think the win was deserved.”

Lazio’s exit means no Italian team will compete in the quarter-finals, with Juventus and Atalanta having also gone out at the last-16 stage.

England is the best represented country in the final eight with Liverpool and Manchester City also through. Borussia Dortmund are with Bayern in Friday’s draw, along with Paris St Germain, Porto and record 13-time champions Real Madrid.

There are four German coaches in the last eight as Bayern’s Flick and Chelsea’s Tuchel joined Liverpool’s Juergen Klopp and Dortmund’s Edin Terzic.

A goal combination featuring more than $200 million of summer signings symbolised the Chelsea revival under Thomas Tuchel.

Kai Havertz and Timo Werner launched a counterattack. Ziyech applied the finishing touch.

If only Frank Lampard had managed to get the best out of his lavishly-funded attacking recruits it might be him and not Tuchel leading Chelsea into their first Champions League quarter-final in seven years.

Ziyech squeezed the ball under Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak in the 34th minute as he connected with a cross from Werner who had raced down the left after being fed by fellow German Havertz.

The three players involved in the goal had come under pressure after falling short of expectations since they arrived as big-money signings at Stamford Bridge last summer.

“There were some difficult moments in the game but for most of the time we had it under control,” Ziyech said. “It was an important goal and I had to wait a long time for it.”

The goal meant La Liga leaders Atletico needed to score twice but their slim chances ended when Stefan Savic was sent off in the 81st minute for elbowing Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger.

Two of Chelsea’s substitutes then combined for the second goal in the fourth minute of stoppage time. Emerson had only been on the pitch a minute when he was set up by Christian Pulisic on the break.

The win further builds on the momentum the London club has built up in the two months since Lampard was fired, with Tuchel unbeaten in 13 matches with 11 clean sheets.

Atletico were left to rue referee Daniele Orsato’s decision not to give a penalty when, with the score at 0-0, Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta underhit a back pass and put his arm around Yannick Carrasco who went down in the box.

But Atletico boss Diego Simeone said Chelsea deserved the win. “We are not looking for excuses. We were beaten by a better team. We tried to press them up the field, but couldn’t attack the way we like.”

Leading 4-1 from the first leg in Rome, Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring for Bayern from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, his 39th goal of the season in all competitions, to virtually end Lazio’s hopes.

The German champions took their foot off the gas before substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, having replaced Lewandowski, added the second goal with a deft chip in the 73rd minute.

Lazio grabbed a consolation when Marco Parolo was left unmarked to head in a late free-kick from close range.

“The win is very important to us. It’s in our DNA that we want to win every game,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich told Sky. “We played confidently, even if it wasn’t a brilliant performance and it was annoying to concede a goal.”

Their passage into the last eight takes Bayern past Barcelona’s tally of 18 Champions League quarter-final appearances since the competition was rebranded from the European Cup. They extended their unbeaten run in the Champions League to 19 games over two years.

“We needed a good performance and we bow out of the competition with a positive game,” Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi told Sky. “Some teams are unplayable: Bayern are one of them.”

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2021