Quarterfinals: Key Matches, Comebacks, and Who Advances

When it comes to quarterfinals, the decisive stage in knockout tournaments where only eight teams or players remain. Also known as last eight, it’s the point where luck runs out and only the toughest survive. This is where underdogs shock the world, favorites crumble, and history gets rewritten in a single match.

Quarterfinals show up in nearly every major competition. In the Champions League, Europe’s top club soccer tournament, a team can lose the first leg by three goals and still advance if they win the second leg by the same margin—like Roma did against Barcelona. In the Carabao Cup, England’s midweek knockout football competition, lower-league clubs like Grimsby Town and Swansea City get their shot at Premier League giants. And in the World Cup, the global soccer championship held every four years, quarterfinals are where nations either make their mark or go home empty-handed.

It’s not just soccer. The ICC Women’s World Cup, the premier tournament for women’s cricket also has quarterfinals that decide who moves toward the final. Teams like India Women and New Zealand Women have clashed in these high-stakes games, with results decided by the DLS method when rain interrupts play. These matches don’t just test skill—they test nerve.

What makes quarterfinals so intense? There’s no room for error. One mistake, one bad call, one moment of brilliance—and your season is over. That’s why fans remember them years later. The tension builds slowly, then explodes. You don’t just watch a quarterfinal—you feel it.

Below, you’ll find real matches that went down in the quarterfinal stage. From Roma’s miracle comeback to Sunderland’s gritty home win, from a women’s cricket thrashing in Guwahati to a surprise cup draw in Riga—these aren’t just scores. They’re turning points. Some teams advanced. Others vanished. And every result tells a story you won’t forget.