UEFA Youth League quarter-finals: Milan, Porto, Olympiacos, Nantes win through

AC Milan, Porto, Olympiacos and Nantes are into the UEFA Youth League finals in Nyon after victory in their last-eight ties.

A 3-1 win at Bayern München on Tuesday made Olympiacos the first Greek team to get to the semi-finals of this competition, and Nantes will also make their debut at that stage after an epic 3-3 draw and sudden-death penalty shoot-out defeat of Copenhagen. They will face off on 19 April, with the other tie being set on Wednesday with AC Milan pipping Real Madrid on penalties and Porto winning 4-1 at debutants Mainz.

Last season finalists AZ Alkmaar and Hajduk Split both came through the domestic champions path, and Olympiacos facing Nantes means at least one more in the decider this season. Porto will aim to join Barcelona and Chelsea as two-time winners while Milan hope to go at least a step further than last season, when they lost in the semi-finals.

Matches

Wednesday 13 March

Milan 1-1 Real Madrid (4-3 pens)

Milan held off former winners Madrid to reach the semi-finals for the second straight year. Featuring in a record eighth quarter-final, Madrid took the game to the only one of last season's final four to still be involved and they were ahead in the 33rd minute when Vittorio Magni brought down Daniel Meso in the Milan box and Gonzalo García converted the penalty.

With Madrid on top, and not having conceded a goal since Matchday 1 (their six clean sheets in a row since a competition record), Milan seemed to have quite a task on their hands. But early in the second half Diego Sia burst into the box to equalise with a solo goal, his fifth strike of the campaign.

Both teams pushed for a winner, but it went to penalties. Noah Raveyre stopped Madrid's second kick by Daniel Yañez and Pol Fortuny missed. Filippo Scotti had the chance to win it for for Milan but Ferran Quetglás saved, though after Gonzalo kept Madrid's hopes alive, Kevin Zeroli ensured the home side progressed, just as he had done in the round of 16 shoot-out against Braga.

Mainz 1-4 Porto

Porto can dream of emulating their victory of 2018/19 after victory at Mainz, who were hoping to be the first competition debutants to get to the finals since Hoffenheim five years ago, before they too lost to the Dragons. Mainz were again roared on by a sold-out Bruchwegstadion, the 7,000-plus tickets for today's tie going within five minutes, but Porto led on 18 minutes when Tiago Andrade's cross was met by a João Teixeira volley that deceived Mainz goalkeeper Louis Babatz.

Mainz pushed for an equaliser but were almost two down when André Oliveira hit the post. It was 2-0 when Rodrigo Mora jinked past several defenders outside the box and looped in his sixth goal of the competition.

There were chances at both ends after the break but Mora confirmed victory, and moved level with Copenhagen's Amin Chiakha as competition joint-top scorer on seven goals, as he intercepted a defensive pass and produced a low finish. Anhá Candé got Porto's fourth, his sixth of the campaign, with a curling shot before Fritz Engel's consolation.

Tuesday 12 March

Bayern 1-3 Olympiacos

Olympiacos, already the first Greek quarter-finalists, went a step further thanks to a burst of three goals in nine first-half minutes. Bayern had much of the early play but Olympiacos went ahead just past the half-hour when home goalkeeper Max Schmitt was caught in possession and his intercepted clearance was turned in by Christos Mouzakitis for his fifth goal of the campaign.

Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Antonios Papakanellos cut in from the left on the byline and beat Schmitt from a tight angle. It was three almost immediately, Charalampos Kostoulas pouncing on a loose ball just outside the box and lashing in a half-volley to join Mouzakitis on five Youth League goals.

In the 63rd minute Robert Ramsak pounced on the rebound from a parried Lovro Zvonarek shot to pull one back. Zvonarek then headed against the post but Olympiacos held on to become the first team from their club to reach any UEFA competition semi-final.

Nantes 3-3 Copenhagen (5-4 pens)

Nantes are into the finals for the first time after an unprecedented fourth penalty shoot-out win in their five-tie run. They delighted the Stade de la Beaujoire crowd of 19,301 (a UEFA Youth League quarter-final record and fourth biggest in the competition overall) on 12 minutes when Dehmaine Assoumani produced a superb turn and half-volley from just inside the Copenhagen area. Five minutes later Louis Leroux brought down Oliver Højer in the Nantes box and Emil Højlund chipped in the Copenhagen penalty.

Just past the half-hour Højlund turned provider as he burst down the right and crossed for the on-rushing Hunor Németh to turn in. Almost immediately it was 3-1, a fine passing move concluding with Højlund setting up Amin Chiakha to get his competition-leading seventh of the season.

Copenhagen then went down to ten players as captain Cornelius Olsson was dismissed for a foul on Leroux. Just before half-time Nantes had a penalty of their own when Hjalte Bidstrup fouled Assoumani, whose kick was saved by Oscar Gadeberg Buur. Exaucé Mafoumbi did pull one back not long after the break as he pounced on a loose ball in the box and in the 64th minute Leroux's pinpoint low shot from distance levelled the scores.

The visitors clung on to force penalties, and Buur saved Nantes' third kick by Enzo Mongo. Tom Mabon stopped Copenhagen's fourth effort from Tristan Birch, and as it went to sudden death, Brayan Nzita missed for Nantes but his fellow substitute William Glindtvad was denied by Mabon, who then won the game as he saved from Aksel Halsgaard after Diockoumalang Gomes converted.