Benfica do the unthinkable
18 - The story of the night, and of the league phase, came in Lisbon, where Benfica scored a 98th minute goal via their goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin to beat Real Madrid 4-2. That goal helped the Portuguese giants secure the final place in the knockout rounds, while Real are now forced to feature in the knockout round playoffs for the second year running. Now earning their third win over Real, Benfica became the 18th different team to beat Los Blancos on three or more occassions in European play.
12 - Olympiakos Piraeus were made to work in what was a crucial tie for them. The Greek champions found a way though, with Gelson Martins and Santiago Hezze netting for the visitors in a 2-1 defeat of Ajax in the Dutch capital. That allows Olympiakos into the knockout stages at the expense of the four-time Champions League winners, who are now out. Thrylos have been waiting for quite sometime to return to the UCL knockout stages, with this being their first appearance in 12 years.
10 - FC Kobenhavn were unable to repeat their magic from earlier in the league phase. Despite taking the lead at Barcelona, the Catalans ran rampant in the second half, scoring four times to top the Danes 4-1. As a result, Barca will enter the round of 16 directly, just as they did last term. FCK, meanwhile, exit the competition having conceded the joint-second most goals on 21. This was also their 10th defeat against a side from Spain (1-6-10).
3 - It was a solid showing from Bayer Leverkusen as they booked their place in the knockout playoffs thanks to a 3-0 success over Villarreal. Malik Tillman's first half brace set Die Werkself on their way, with Alex Grimaldo adding a third just before the hour mark. The Yellow Submarine have been sunk, as they finish the league phase with just one point. Leverkusen have impressed against Spanish teams at home, with this being their third straight victory in such matches.
9 - Tottenham had to show some patience against a stubborn Eintracht Frankfurt team with nothing to lose. Still, Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke scored second half goals to help them to a 2-0 success in Germany. Spurs will now get to skip the playoff stage, entering the last 16 directly. Frankfurt, who lost their last four, will not see any more European action this term. The North Londoners have kept multiple away clean sheets in a group phase for the first time in nine years.
13 - There was no messing about from Liverpool, who saw five different players get on the scoreboard with a 6-0 beating of Qarabag at Anfield. Having closed out the league phase with back-to-back wins, the Reds will be in the round of 16 draw at the end of February. While the result was not what Qarabag wanted, they still made it through to the knockout rounds, becoming the first Azeri side to do so. However, they did concede 13 times on the road, the most of any team in the league phase.
6 - Manchester City got their work done in the first half to get the better of Galatasaray 2-0 at home. Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were the goalscorers for the Cityzens, who are one of five Premier League teams to enter the last 16 straight from the league phase. The Turkish side were never in any serious danger of falling out of the top 24, and will continue their European journey in February. City are now the sixth different English team to beat the Istanbul-based Galatasaray in Europe.
5 - The last English team to secure their place in the last 16 on Wednesday were Chelsea, who battled back to defeat Napoli 3-2 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Joao Pedro's winner eight minutes from time - his second of the match - decided the outcome for both sides. While the Blues celebrated a top eight finish, Napoli crash out of the UCL, making it the first time they could not get past a group phase. Funny enough, it is the fifth time the Partenopei have lost at home in Europe by a 3-2 scoreline.
23 - Arsenal became the first team in the league phase era of the Champions League to win all of their matches as they got the better of last place Kairat Almaty 3-2. All three goals from the Gunners came in the opening 45 minutes, allowing them to preserve top spot. Kairat's maiden journey in the UCL proper is over, though they left on a high. They did score in all four away games, although it did not stop them from finishing last. Arsenal's 23 goals scored in the leauge is more than the other teams.
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Sporting break Athletic hearts as Bodo keep writing history
11 - Both Portuguese teams ended up scoring late winners, as Alisson Santos netted Sporting CP's third goal in the dying moments of their 3-2 win over Athletic Club. That goal proved to be pivotal in both ends of the table. For Sporting, they finished in the top eight thanks to results elsewhere. Meanwhile, Athletic got knocked out as they could not get the required win. For the Basque club, it is the first time in 11 years in which they lost a European home game where they scored two or more times.
1 - Club Brugge's 3-0 victory over Olympique Marseille proved that every goal matters. The Belgian side will partake in the knockout stages of the competition for the third year in a row. Aleksandar Stankovic's goal 11 minutes before the end, coupled with the previously mentioned drama in Lisbon, saw Marseille miss out on joining Club in the knockout rounds. Heading into the match, Marseille had never lost to a team from Belgium. That has now changed, as they have one defeat to their name (4-3-1).
0 - The only match this round without a goal came at Stade Louis II, where AS Monaco and Juventus played to a goalless draw. While the Ligue 1 side had created more chances, they could not put the ball into the back of the net. Both teams will be in the knockout playoffs for the second year running. Monaco will be happy to have kept three consecutive clean sheets at home, while Juve had zero shots on target in the match.
23 - It was a matter of too little, too late for Inter Milan. While they finally ended their three-game losing skid with a 2-0 success at Borussia Dortmund, it was not enough for the Nerazzurri to crack the top eight. Dortmund, who had also started quite well, went winless in their last three, including defeats in both matches this month. Both teams will be in the playoff draw on Friday. Inter have kept a clean sheet on German soil for the first time in 23 years.
7 - Bodo/Glimt have managed to do what none of the other three UCL debutants in this season's competition could, and that is get past the league phase. The Norwegians came from a goal down in the Spanish capital to top Atletico Madrid 2-1 and, thanks to results from elsewhere, make it through. Los Colchoneros missed out on a place in the top eight as a result of their defeat. The seven away goals scored by the side from the Arctic Circle were the most they have ever scored in a group phase.
25 - Pafos bow out of the Champions League in style, scoring their second win of the campaign. The side from Cyprus got past Slavia Praha 4-1, barely missing out on qualifying for the knockout phase. In comparison, the match concluded a miserable showing for the Czechs, who have just one win in the UCL proper. They are winless in away matches in the competition, conceding a whopping 25 goals across the 10 games.
33 - Bayern Munich wrapped up second place in the league phase ranking thanks to a 2-1 victory on the road against PSV Eindhoven. The Bavarians got their winner from Harry Kane with six minutes to go. While Bayern can enjoy a place in the round of 16 - something that was confimed before the round began - PSV are out of the competition. It was their third reverse at home in the league phase. The only other time they lost three home games in the same group phase was 33 years ago in the maiden UCL season under its current guise.
4 - A 1-1 draw between Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle in the French capital did not help either team in what was a direct clash for a place in the top eight. In the end, neither will skip the knockout playoffs, and will be back in action in a few weeks. The Magpies maintain to their unbeaten record versus PSG through three games (1-2-0). However, they are without victory on French soil on their last four trips (0-2-2).
20 - The other team to be knocked out despite winning to give themselves hope are Union Saint-Gilloise. The Belgian champions got a goal from Anan Khalaili as they edged Atalanta 1-0. Given their weak goal difference, it was always going to be a longshot for Union, who will see their European journey end early. It is a fifth loss in six for Atalanta versus teams from Belgium (1-0-5), with their league phase matches amassing a total of 20 goals - 10 for and 10 against.
Catch up on everything that happened on a crazy night of UEFA Champions League football