Champions League wrap: Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG through; Real made to wait for top spot; Juventus exits

Indian Super League Prediction

April 23 2024, 07:30 PM

Odisha

ATK Mohun Bagan

Bengaluru, October 26: Kai Havertz fired Chelsea through to UEFA Champions League last-16 stage as his second-half strike secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Salzburg while Juventus were condemned to a humiliating group-stage exit after a 3-4 loss at Benfica as Rafa Silva's brace helped the outstanding hosts seal their own place in the knockout-round.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid missed the chance to progress as Group F winners after RB Leipzig closed in with a 3-2 home win over the European champions while Manchester City sealed their progress as group winners despite Riyad Mahrez missing a penalty and Erling Haaland being kept quiet on his return to Borussia Dortmund in a 0-0 draw.

At Salzburg, Mateo Kovacic's first-half effort gave the Blues the lead, but the hosts hit back swiftly in the second half, Junior Adamu capping off a fine counter-attack.

Goalkeeper Philipp Kohn was called upon in both halves to keep the visitors at bay but could do nothing with Havertz's winning effort, as the Germany international drilled in to end Salzburg's 40-game unbeaten home run.

Victory means Chelsea's spot in the knockout stages is confirmed, while Graham Potter's side were also confirmed as group winners after Dinamo Zagreb lost to AC Milan 0-4 in the Croatian capital.

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Opportunities were few and far between until Chelsea took the lead after 22 minutes, Kovacic drilling a shot into the top-left corner after the ball fell kindly to him just outside the area.

Three minutes after the break, Salzburg equalised on the counter as Maximilian Wober's superb cross-field pass found Adamu and the 21-year-old jabbed a first-time finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

There was no denying Havertz three minutes after the hour mark as he collected Christian Pulisic's pass just outside the box and fired home a fine finish in off the left post to leave Kohn helpless.

RB Leipzig 3 Real Madrid 2

Meanwhile, a memorable victory for Leipzig ensured Marco Rose's side will now advance on the final matchday if they avoid defeat at third-placed Shakhtar Donetsk, while Madrid - facing Celtic at home - will top the group if they match Leipzig's result. Josko Gvardiol and Christopher Nkunku struck in the opening 18 minutes before Vinicius Junior reduced the deficit, but Madrid struggled without Federico Valverde, Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.

Madrid so often produced late drama in last season's European success, yet Rodrygo's penalty was not enough to rescue a result as Leipzig substitute Timo Werner had already stretched the home lead further.

Benfica 4 Juventus 3

Massimiliano Allegri's team arrived at the Estadio da Luz requiring a win to stay in contention in Group C, but were distinctly second-best after Dusan Vlahovic cancelled out Antonio Silva's opener. Benfica stormed into a 3-1 lead by the halfway mark as Rafa added to Joao Mario's penalty with a glorious backheel, and the winger doubled up with another wonderful goal after the break.

Late efforts from Arkadiusz Milik and Weston McKennie ensured a grandstand finish, but it was too little, too late for Juventus as Roger Schmidt's men held firm to knock out Juve.

PSG 7 Maccabi Haifa 2

Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain marched through to the knockout stages with a 7-2 win over Maccabi Haifa. Neymar was also on target to help Christophe Galtier's side book their place in the last-16 with a match to spare.

Sean Goldberg's own goal and a late Carlos Soler strike completed a commanding victory at Parc des Princes, where PSG remain unbeaten after 90 minutes since their 1-2 defeat by Manchester City in the 2020-21 semifinals.

Dortmund 0 Manchester City 0

Pep Guardiola's rode their luck at times and also wasted a glorious chance to claim victory at Signal Iduna Park, but they always knew a point would be enough to win Group G.

The away side looked brighter after Haaland's half-time withdrawal, but the Norwegian surely would have taken the penalty that Mahrez had saved; it had no bearing on City's main objective, however.

(With inputs from Agencies)