Twitter
Advertisement

Champions League wrap-up: Alisson, Salah take Liverpool into last 16; Inter Milan out

8 teams made it to the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday night.

Latest News
article-main
Champions League: Liverpool vs Napoli- Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the goal at Anfield on Tuesday
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Mohamed Salah's delightful first-half strike and Alisson Becker's 92nd minute save sent Liverpool into the Champions League last 16 with a 1-0 win over Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday.

Paris Saint Germain became the other team to reach the last 16 from Grouu C thanks to an inspired performance by their three-pronged attack of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe in a 4-1 win at Red Star Belgrade.

Borussia Dortmund qualified as Group A winners for the Champions League last 16 after beating Thierry Henry's Monaco 2-0 on Tuesday. 

In Group B, Tottenham Hotspur produced a bold and spirited performance, coming from behind to grab a 1-1 draw at Barcelona which saw them finish second. Inter Milan crashed out after being held 1-1 by PSV Eindhoven at the San Siro. 

Porto struggled to a 3-2 away victory over Galatasaray to finish top while the Turks stayed third in Group D to secure a spot in the Europa League's round of 32. Schalke 04 finished second in the group. 

Champions League Group A

Borussia Dortmund qualified as Group A winners for the Champions League last 16 after beating Thierry Henry's Monaco 2-0 on Tuesday. Portugal's Raphael Guerreiro scored twice to claim all three points for the visitors as Atletico Madrid could only draw 0-0 at Club Brugge.

Lucien Favre made nine changes from Saturday's derby victory against Schalke which continued their superb unbeaten start to the Bundesliga season.

Henry started four teenagers in a meaningless game for the Ligue 1 strugglers who were guaranteed to finish bottom of the group for a second straight campaign after defeat at Atletico in round five. Monaco have failed to win in 14 European games and the Germans made it through to the knockout stage of the top-tier competition after having to settle for a Europa League place last season.

With a quarter of an hour on the clock the Germans attacked and the ball was worked to striker Maximilian Philipp inside the box. His low cross found winger Guerreiro at the back post to tap in.

Dortmund centre-back Abdou Diallo, who spent three seasons with the principality outfit earlier in his career, wasted a good chance on the half-hour mark as he scuffed his shot wide despite being unmarked in the box.

In a scrappy second half neither team could muster a clear shot on goal until Guerreiro added his second of the game and fourth in the competition so far this season from a delicate Paco Alcacer lay-off on 88 minutes.

In Belgium, Atletico Madrid were denied top place after a goalless draw away at Club Bruges. Bruges finished third in the standings and will play in the Europa League in the new year.

Champions League Group B

Inter Milan crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday after being held 1-1 by PSV Eindhoven at the San Siro as Group B rivals Tottenham Hotspur gained a point against Barcelona.

The Serie A side needed to better Spurs' result at the Camp Nou in order to overtake the Premier League outfit and snatch a place in the knockout rounds.

Luciano Spalletti's side thought they had done enough in the 73rd minute when captain Mauro Icardi marked his 200th game for the club by equalising Hirving Lozano's 13th-minute opener, with Spurs a goal down in Catalonia.

However, Lucas Moura levelled at 1-1 for Tottenham, enabling his team to advance to the last 16 thanks to the away goal they scored in their 2-1 defeat at the San Siro.

Tottenham came back from the brink as Lucas Moura's late equaliser salvaged a 1-1 draw against Barcelona. 

Lionel Messi was left out of a heavily-rotated Barca line-up at the Camp Nou but Ousmane Dembele's stunning early goal looked set to put Spurs out, until Moura intervened.

Champions League Group C

Liverpool knew that a 1-0 win, or a victory by two goals or more, would be enough to seal a top-two spot. Mo Salah was again the hero for the hosts, scoring what proved to be the winner with a magical individual burst in the 34th minute.

Napoli pressed for a leveller in the second half, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson denying Arkadiusz Milik in stoppage time with a superb save, but the home side's resolute defence stood firm to the intense relief of the home fans.

Paris Saint Germain's three forwards scored in an intimidating atmosphere at Red Star's Rajko Mitic stadium, and midfielder Marquinhos was also on target to cancel out a sumptuous volley by Red Star defender Marko Gobeljic.

Despite crashing out of European competition, 1991 European Cup winners Red Star received a standing ovation from their die-hard supporters on the final whistle after several spirited performances in their maiden Champions League campaign.

Champions League Group D

Porto struggled to a 3-2 away victory over Galatasaray in their final Champions League group match on Tuesday but the Turks stayed third in Group D and secured a spot in the Europa League's round of 32.

Porto, who had already secured top spot in the group, took the lead against the run of play in the 17th minute with a well-timed Felipe header from a free kick.

Moussa Marega doubled the lead when he converted a 42nd minute penalty, finding the net for the fifth successive group-stage match.

The hosts, who needed a win to make sure of third place, had failed to score in the competition since September but did break their goal drought with a penalty of their own from Sofiane Fenghouli in first-half stoppage time.

The Portuguese weathered a Turkish offensive early in the second half and restored their two-goal cushion when Marega pounced on a defensive mistake and Sergio Oliveira finished off a quick move.

The Turkish side reduced the deficit through Eren Derdiyok in the 65th minute and could have drawn level if Algeria international Feghouli had not hit the crossbar with his second penalty a minute later.

Lokomotiv Moscow were equally desperate for a win against already-qualified and injury-hit Schalke 04 to have any hope of snatching third place away from Galatasaray.

They could not find the back of the net, however, against the lacklustre Germans, who had already clinched second place and a spot in the competition's knockout stage.

Schalke struck in stoppage time through Alessandro Schoepf to condemn the Russians to fourth place on three points, one behind Galatasaray.

(With Reuters and PTI Inputs)

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement