Barca, Dortmund, Atletico and Lazio into CL last 16
Published on: Thursday, November 30, 2023
By: AFP
Barcelona’s Joao Cancelo shoots to score against Porto.
PARIS: Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Lazio all qualified for the knockout phase of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Manchester City bounced back from 2-0 down to beat RB Leipzig with both teams already qualified, while Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle drew 1-1 and both need a result on matchday six to go through.
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Atletico Madrid booked their place with a sumptuous volley from defender Mario Hermoso and two own goals firing them to a thrilling 3-1 win over Dutch champions Feyenoord.
“I am very happy for the players. Today, we knew how difficult our opponent would be,” said Atletico coach Diego Simeone to Movistar.
That left Atletico with 11 points in Group E ahead of 10-point Lazio, who had a tense wait after playing earlier and needing a Feyenoord defeat to confirm their place.
Veteran Italian striker Ciro Immobile shot the Italian side into the last-16 in a 2-0 win over eliminated Celtic in Rome, leaving Feyenoord to join the Europa League.
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In Group H, Barcelona came from behind to beat Porto 2-1 as Portuguese duo Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix both netted to turn the game on its head after Brazilian winger Pepe opened for Porto.
“It was a final and we won it ... we’ve put the club in the last-16, which is where it deserves to be,” Cancelo told Movistar.
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The Spanish champions now have 12 points while Porto are locked on nine alongside Shakhtar Donetsk, who beat Antwerp 1-0 in Hamburg.
Borussia Dortmund secured their spot in the last-16 with a 3-1 win at AC Milan, who are staring early elimination in the face.
Marco Reus’ early penalty and second-half strikes from English teenager Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi secured passage into the next round with a match to spare for Dortmund.
There was late drama at the Parc des Princes when a 98th-minute Kylian Mbappe penalty earned Paris Saint-Germain a 1-1 draw with Newcastle United.
It looked as though Newcastle—who won 4-1 when the sides met at St James’ Park last month—were going to leave Paris with all three points in the Group F encounter thanks to Alexander Isak’s 24th-minute opener.
PSG had run out of ideas by the time they were gifted an opportunity to salvage a draw in injury time when the VAR decided a Tino Livramento handball in the box was worthy of a penalty.
Mbappe made no mistake from the spot, and PSG hold onto second place in the group behind Borussia Dortmund.
“I’m feeling very flat, but very proud of the players and their commitment levels,” said Newcastle coach Eddie Howe to TNT Sports.
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