Chelsea, against all odds, made it to the round of 16 after a victory at Salzburg last night, as well Graham Potter remains unbeaten since taking over the job at Chelsea. Juventus were stunned by Benfica in Portugal and have been eliminated from the UCL, while Benfica advances to the next round. The Old Lady of Turin doesn’t only have a bad run in the UCL, they have been struggling in the SerieA as well. Los Blancos were handed their first defeat of the season after they were knocked in Germany by RB LdefeatManchester City was held to a barren draw by Dortmund and PSG put seven pass Maicabi Haifa.
Group E
Salzburg 1-2 Chelsea
After ending SpastuMaccabi-match unbeaten home run in all competitions. The Blues were irresistible in the first half, but had only Mateo Kovačić’s improvised finish to show for it – Salzburg keeper Philipp Köhn pulled off a string of fine saves. Sure enough, the hosts levelled soon after half-time thanks to Junior Adamu’s composed side-footed finish, but Kai Havertz had the final word when he curled the ball unerringly into the top corner on 64 minutes.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-4 AC Milan
A clinical second-half showing from Milan helped them into second place in Group E, simultaneously ending Dinamo’s last-16 hopes. The visitors edged in front just before the interval thanks to Matteo Gabbia’s diving header, and made sure of the points early in the second half through Rafael Leão and an Olivier Giroud penalty. A Robert Ljubičić own goal compounded a frustrating evening for Dinamo, who can now only finish as high as third in the section.
Group F
Celtic 1-1 Shakhtar
Shakhtar will have to beat Leipzig on Matchday 6 to progress to the knockout stages after they could only draw in Glasgow. A quiet first half came to life when Giorgos Giakoumakis forced in the opener for Celtic just past the half-hour, but a moment of brilliance from Mykhaylo Mudryk after the break ensured a second 1-1 draw between the teams in this season’s competition. Shakhtar can finish no lower than third in Group F, with the result confirming Celtic to finish fourth.
Leipzig 3-2 Real Madrid
Leipzig needed a point in their final game to earn progress after beating the holders in a rousing home performance. Joško Guardiola nodded in the opener before Christopher Nkunku blasted in the second off the underside of the crossbar. A brilliant Vinícius Júnior header reduced the arrears on the stroke of half-time, but the Brazilian spurned a fine chance in the second half and Timo Werner made him pay almost immediately with a tap-in. Rodrygo got a late consolation from the spot with the final kick after he had been fouled by Nkunku.
Group G
Dortmund 0-0 Man City
Both sides got the point they required to wrap up the top two spots in Group G in an engaging encounter. Shortly before the hour, Gregor Kobel guessed correctly to push away Riyad Mahrez’s penalty after the Algerian international had been tripped by Emre Can. The hosts had the best of the opening half, with City debutant Stefan Ortega denying the lively Karim Adeyemi and Giovanni Reyna and Youssoufa Moukoko poking wide just before the break.
Sevilla 3-0 Copenhagen
There was little to choose between the teams until the 88th minute, with a youthful Copenhagen outfit twice denied by the woodwork either side of half-time substitute Youssef En-Nesyri’s opener. Late efforts from Isco (well worth a watch!) and Gonzalo Montiel sealed the fate of the visitors, who had Davit Khocholava sent off deep into added time. The Danish side – yet to score in Group G – are in the fourth spot; Sevilla will finish third and enter the Europa League.
Group H
Paris 7-2 Maccabi Haifa
Messi and Mbappé got two apiece as Paris booked their place in the knockout stage in style. Neymar was also on target, while Sean Goldberg’s own goal and Carlos Soler’s goal helped Paris score seven for the first time in five seasons in the Champions League. Abdoulaye Seck twice headed in for the visitors, who suffered the heaviest-ever loss for an Israeli club in the Champions League. They could yet pip Juventus for a Europa League spot, though.
Benfica 4-3 Juventus
Juventus’s late comeback came too little too late as Benfica held on to reach the last 16. António Silva headed the Eagles ahead with his first senior goal, but Juve equalised when Moise Keane bundled in. João Mário scored a penalty and Rafa Silva a brilliant back-heel as Juve conceded three goals during the first half of a Champions League match for the first time. Rafa Silva added another fine finish in the second half and could have had a hat-trick before Arkadiusz Milik and Weston McKennie replied to set up a thrilling finish, but the hosts held on.
Who is through to the round of 16?
Bayern (GER)
Benfica (POR)
Chelsea (ENG)*
Club Brugge (BEL)
Dortmund (GER)
Manchester City (ENG)*
Napoli (ITA)
Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)
Real Madrid (ESP)
Today’s fixtures for the UEFA Champions League:
Club Brugge vs Porto (18:45)
Inter vs Plzeň (18:45)
Napoli vs Rangers (21:00)
Ajax vs Liverpool (21:00)
Atlético vs Leverkusen (21:00)
Barcelona vs Bayern (21:00)
Tottenham vs Sporting CP (21:00)
Frankfurt vs Marseille (21:00)
