The final round of the UEFA Champions League league phase lived up to expectations, delivering an electrifying night of football with 18 simultaneous kick-offs and an astonishing 64 goals in total. The highlights included Aston Villa and Lille securing automatic qualification for the Round of 16, while Manchester City staged a dramatic comeback from the elimination zone to reach the knockout phase play-offs.
Manchester City 3-1 Club Brugge
Manchester City fought back from a goal down to secure a crucial win and progress to the knockout phase play-offs. Raphael Onyedika put Club Brugge ahead with a powerful strike just before halftime. However, Mateo Kovačić leveled the score early in the second half with a precise finish. An own goal by Joel Ordóñez turned the game in City’s favor before Savinho volleyed in a third goal to complete the comeback. Player of the Match: Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City)
Stuttgart 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain
Ousmane Dembélé stole the show with a hat-trick, leading PSG to a dominant win that secured their place in the knockout phase play-offs. Bradley Barcola opened the scoring early, and Dembélé netted twice before halftime and once more in the second half. Pacho’s late own goal provided a consolation for Stuttgart, who were eliminated. Player of the Match: Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic
Morgan Rogers made history as the first player to score twice in the opening five minutes of a Champions League match. Celtic responded with two quick goals from Adam Idah to level the score at halftime. Ollie Watkins restored Villa’s lead in the second half before missing a penalty, but he made amends by setting up Rogers for his hat-trick in stoppage time, securing a top-eight finish for Villa. Player of the Match: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Brest 0-3 Real Madrid
Rodrygo scored twice as Real Madrid wrapped up the league phase with an emphatic win. He weaved through the Brest defense to net the opener, before Jude Bellingham finished a counterattack early in the second half. Rodrygo then reacted quickest to Marco Bizot’s save from Kylian Mbappé’s shot to seal the victory. Madrid finished 11th in the league standings, ahead of Bayern based on away wins. Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Girona 1-2 Arsenal
Arsenal secured their place in the Round of 16 with a comeback win. Arnaut Danjuma put Girona ahead early, but Jorginho equalized from the penalty spot after Thomas Partey was fouled. Youngster Ethan Nwaneri sealed the victory with a stunning left-footed strike, despite Raheem Sterling missing a late penalty. Player of the Match: Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
Barcelona 2-2 Atalanta
Atalanta twice came from behind to deny Barcelona a top finish. Lamine Yamal gave Barca the lead after a Raphinha assist, but Éderson equalized. Ronald Araújo’s header looked to have secured the win for the Blaugrana, but Mario Pašalić responded seven minutes later, ensuring Atalanta advanced to the knockout phase play-offs. Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Bayern München 3-1 Slovan Bratislava
Thomas Müller led Bayern to victory with his 56th Champions League goal. Manuel Neuer made a crucial save to prevent an equalizer before Harry Kane and Kingsley Coman added to Bayern’s tally. Marko Tolić’s late goal was only a consolation for Slovan. Player of the Match: Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern München)
Inter 3-0 Monaco
Inter maintained their dominance with a comfortable win. Lautaro Martínez converted an early penalty before adding a second following a Nicolò Barella assist. He completed his hat-trick in the second half after a Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot was parried into his path. Player of the Match: Lautaro Martínez (Inter)
PSV Eindhoven 3-2 Liverpool
PSV came from behind twice to secure a thrilling win, securing a knockout phase play-off spot. Johan Bakayoko equalized Cody Gakpo’s penalty, and after Harvey Elliott restored Liverpool’s lead, Ismael Saibari equalized again. Ricardo Pepi flicked in the eventual winner in first-half stoppage time. Liverpool topped the league phase despite the loss. Player of the Match: Johan Bakayoko (PSV)
Juventus 0-2 Benfica
Benfica secured a knockout phase play-off spot with a dominant win. Vangelis Pavlidis slotted home early, and Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin made a brilliant save to deny him a second. Orkun Kökçü capitalized on a defensive mistake late in the game to double Benfica’s lead. Player of the Match: Vangelis Pavlidis (Benfica)
Other Results
- Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Sparta Praha – Florian Wirtz and Nathan Tella scored to send Leverkusen to the Round of 16.
- Borussia Dortmund 3-1 Shakhtar Donetsk – Serhou Guirassy netted twice, and Ramy Bensebaini sealed the win.
- Salzburg 1-4 Atlético Madrid – Antoine Griezmann’s brace helped Atleti secure a top-eight finish.
- GNK Dinamo 2-1 AC Milan – Marko Pjaca scored the winner for Dinamo, though they were eliminated.
- Lille 6-1 Feyenoord – Lille secured a last-16 spot with a dominant second-half display.
- Sporting CP 1-1 Bologna – João Simões rescued a crucial point for Sporting to reach the play-offs.
- Young Boys 0-1 Crvena Zvezda – Guélor Kanga’s stunning goal secured a rare win for Crvena Zvezda.
- Sturm Graz 1-0 Leipzig – Arjan Malić’s goal earned Sturm a victory in their final match.
With the league phase concluded, teams now turn their attention to the knockout rounds, where the battle for Europe’s most prestigious club trophy intensifies.
SOURCE: http://dew360.net | UEFA.com
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