Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix earned Barcelona a 2-1 comeback win towards Porto to e book their spot within the Champions League knockout rounds for the primary time in three seasons.
After crashing out of the competitors within the group stage two years in a row, five-times champions Barca are again within the final 16 after securing a top-two end with one recreation remaining.
Barcelona are prime of Group H on 12 factors, three forward of Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk who will play one another on the ultimate match day to resolve who will be part of the Spaniards within the knockout stage.
Shakhtar beat Antwerp 1-0 on Tuesday courtesy of Mykola Matviyenko’s early purpose to provide themselves actual hope of going by means of.
Barca want not less than a draw towards backside aspect Antwerp in two weeks’ time to ensure prime spot within the group.
They needed to dig deep towards a valiant Porto who had been the higher aspect within the first half however had been pissed off by an impressed efficiency from Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena, who changed injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen and made a number of glorious saves to maintain the hosts within the recreation.
Pena made a reflex save to disclaim a point-blank strike from Galeno within the twenty eighth minute and blocked one other effort by the Porto winger two minutes later, however this time Pepe was nicely positioned contained in the field to strike house the rebound and put them in entrance.
Nevertheless, Barca hit again two minutes later, with a nice curling shot into the highest nook by Cancelo after he dribbled previous Joao Mario.
Porto did not hand over and virtually obtained again in entrance within the forty third minute, when Pena made an excellent one-handed save to palm one other Galeno shot from vary across the submit proper earlier than the break.
However Cancelo and Felix got here out firing within the second half and Barcelona had been remodeled with the Portuguese duo inflicting all types of bother for the guests’ defence.
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Manchester Metropolis loanee and former Benfica defender Joao Cancelo scored for Barcelona towards his boyhood membership’s rivals Porto
Felix unleashed a thunderous strike from vary within the forty seventh minute that crashed towards the crossbar and he linked up nicely with Cancelo, each of whom began their profession on the Benfica academy, Porto’s rivals in Portugal.
Cancelo was glorious working down the left channel and teed up Felix for a tidy first-time end simply past the goalkeeper’s attain within the 57th minute to safe the win.
Group F: Dortmund seal development with assertion victory in Milan
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Karim Adeyemi sealed Borussia Dortmund’s progress with the third purpose of their 3-1 win at Milan
Borussia Dortmund booked their spot within the final 16 by beating AC Milan 3-1 on the San Siro in a full of life Group F conflict.
Marco Reus, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Karim Adeyemi had been all on track to assist Dortmund prime the group on 10 factors, with Paris Saint-Germain, who drew 1-1 towards Newcastle, second on seven.
Milan, backside on 5 factors from 5 video games, can nonetheless safe a top-two end in the event that they win at Newcastle and Dortmund beat PSG within the closing spherical of video games subsequent month.
“If we keep away from taking a look at our assaults within the first half, we did nicely,” mentioned Dortmund defender and participant of the match Mats Hummels.
“With our possession, we managed to maintain the environment in test. It’s nice to play Champions League in such a stadium. We need to ship once more at house in two weeks and safe first place in entrance of our followers.”
Dortmund might be confirmed as group winners in the event that they keep away from a house defeat by PSG.
Group E: Personal targets see Atletico into knock-outs
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Mario Hermoso (centre) was the one Atletico Madrid participant to attain for his aspect regardless of their 3-1 win at Feyenooard
Two personal targets plus a superb Mario Hermoso hooked volley gave Atletico Madrid a 3-1 win at Feyenoord and a spot within the Champions League final 16 whereas eliminating the hosts.
Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida put the ball into his personal web after 14 minutes earlier than Hermoso added a shocking second purpose within the 57th, though Feyenoord pulled one again with 13 minutes left as Mats Wieffer headed house from a nook.
Nevertheless, a second personal purpose 4 minutes later, this time from Santiago Gimenez, wrapped up the factors for Atletico who moved prime in Group E and claimed a knockout-stage berth.
They’ve 11 factors, yet one more than Lazio, who additionally reached the final 16 on Tuesday by beating Celtic 2-0 in Rome, with their spot assured by Feyenoord’s defeat.
Group G: Man Metropolis prime group, Younger Boys into Europa League
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Phil Foden celebrates after scoring Man Metropolis’s equaliser towards RB Leipzig
Manchester Metropolis’s Julian Alvarez scored within the 87th minute because the European champions clawed their approach again from two targets right down to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 and clinch prime spot in Champions League Group G on Tuesday with one spherical of matches remaining.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden additionally netted within the second interval after one in all Metropolis’s most underwhelming current first-half performances to provide Pep Guardiola’s workforce 15 factors after 5 video games. Leipzig, who had additionally reached the final 16, have 9.
“First half was the worst I’ve seen us,” midfielder Foden advised TNT. “Braveness and motivation modified it round. This workforce has nice mentality and its so good to see.”
Haaland added one other report to his bulging resume, changing into the quickest participant to 40 Champions League targets. The striker turned the quickest to 50 Premier League targets on Saturday.
Three days after their 1-1 top-of-the-table Premier League draw with Liverpool, Metropolis appeared like zombies by means of the primary half, though they’d a flurry of probabilities earlier than the break, their greatest being Dias’s header over the bar.
It was Guardiola’s second comeback from a two-goal deficit in his Champions League managerial profession after his Bayern Munich aspect rallied to beat Juventus within the 2016 quarter-finals.
Metropolis end the group stage at Pink Star Belgrade on December 13.
Younger Boys, who’re third on 4 factors, secured a spot within the Europa league knockout spherical playoffs with a 2-0 house win over Pink Star. The Belgrade aspect are backside with one level.