Perhaps Lincein supporters would have preferred to watch the other matches on a Wednesday evening. Their crushing defeat against Arsenal (0-6) reduced any chance of qualifying for the eighth round of the Champions League. A result in favor of PSV Eindhoven, which had a good comeback at Seville (2-3). The Dutch club will accompany Arsenal in the final stage. Update on matches and other qualifying possibilities.
Group A: Manchester is on the verge of elimination
The Red Devils had to win on Wednesday in Turkey at Galatasaray Stadium to take control of their destiny, but they collapsed under pressure from Istanbul. In this match that progressed until 6:45pm, the Mancunians quickly found the break in the opening twenty minutes thanks to Jarnacho, decisive after his impressive run this weekend, and a gem away from Bruno Fernandes.
But that was without relying on Hakim Ziyech, who put the Turks back in front twice with two free kicks. First in the 29th minute, then in the 62nd minute, with the help of a beautiful ball from Andre Onana, to respond to the third English goal by Scott McTominay. Then the Moroccan sent a perfect ball deep into Akturkoglu, who restored the score (3-3, minute 71). Majnoon drew in favor of Galatasaray, which remained with 5 points, ahead of its rival Al-Massaray (4 points), which will play its qualifiers against Copenhagen.
The Danes stuck to their guns against Bayern Munich. Munich’s players, already qualified, dominated the game, finding no fault against Camille Grabara, despite the presence of Matthijs Till and Kingsley Coman on the flanks. Copenhagen Club, with 5 points, is considered the most likely to qualify, provided it does not lose at home on the last day to the Turks. On the other hand, Manchester United will have to win against Munich, and hope for a draw in the other match, in order to qualify. An almost impossible task.
Group Three: Real Madrid still controls Napoli
In Group C’s shock, there was an air of déjà vu. As happened in the first leg, Real Madrid narrowly won (4-2) over Napoli, and continues its perfect performance in the Champions League. Trailing (again as was the case in the first leg) at the start of the match after the first goal scored by Giovanni Simeone (0-1, min. 9), the Merengues reacted quickly thanks to a wonderful shot from Rodrigo into the top corner. 1-1, 11) before Jude Bellingham scored with a header (2-1, 22). At the age of 20, the midfielder has scored 10 goals in the Champions League.
It was Frank Zambo-Aguisa who tied the two teams (2-2) thanks to… Nice half volley under the barBefore young Nicolas Paz (19 years old) achieved victory for the White House by scoring his first goal of the season. Joselu added the score at the end of the match so that he would not return to the locker room with the same result of the first leg.
With this result, Real Madrid secures the top spot in the group, while Napoli still secures its qualification thanks to the draw between Union Berlin and Braga (1-1). The Germans were unable to exploit their numerical superiority against Braga after Sekou Nyakati, who scored an unintentional goal, was sent off after half an hour of play, and the Portuguese were able to raise the score to 10 to 11, before even regaining control of the match, but without seeking victory. With 4 points, Braga will leave two points behind their evening rival on the final day in search of third place, which means qualification for the Europa League.
Group Four: Inter comes from afar against Benfica
This is certainly one of the less interesting groups this season, with Real Sociedad and Inter already qualifying two days before the end of the season. However, we had a very nice evening in Lisbon. It has long been believed that Benfica, which has not been present since the beginning of the group stage (4 defeats in 4 matches), but was surpassed by Joao Mario on Wednesday, will achieve its first success on the European stage this year. The hat-trick-winning Portuguese midfielder put his former club through hell in less than 35 minutes.
But a quick score-reduction at the start of the second half from Arnautovic and Fratesi completely revived the match. The comeback ended with a penalty kick earned by Marcus Thuram, but Converted by former Marseille player Alexis Sanchez (3-3, 72nd place). A return of little importance for Inter, which will anyway play first place in two weeks against Real Sociedad, not necessarily more successful at home against Red Bull Salzburg (0-0). The Austrian side (4 points) will play for their place in the Europa League at home against Lisbon (1 point).
