UEFA decided to abolish the away goal rule from all of its European tournaments. An interesting call, given it allowed the team with the most away goals to advance if both sides ended the tie with the same aggregate score in knockout stage matches.

Coach Carlo Ancelotti's insistence on allowing the brilliantly-talented Madrid players freedom keeps paying off, even if it can be risky

Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League quarterfinals by beating Lille 2-1, overcoming an early deficit Wednesday to set up a final-eight matchup against Barcelona. Last season's runner-up advanced 3-2 on aggregate after last week's 1-1 draw in the round-of-16 first leg in Germany.