UCL: Barcelona Beat Dortmund To Go Second, Juventus Deepens Man City’s Woes
Barcelona are assured of a place in either the round of 16 or knockout phase play-offs having moved out on their own in second place of the league phase table courtesy of a 3-2 win at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night.
Arsenal, meanwhile, are one of a group of teams tied on 13 points – two behind Barça and five adrift of leaders Liverpool – following a 3-0 victory over Monaco.
AC Milan and Juventus also climbed the standings with wins against Crvena Zvezda and Manchester City respectively, with just three points separating third from 19th in the inaugural table heading into the New Year break.
Atlético de Madrid 3-1 Slovan Bratislava
Two Antoine Griezmann goals helped Atlético de Madrid to a tenth consecutive win in all competitions. The hosts went ahead through Julián Alvarez’s delightful curled finish, although Slovan almost equalised when Tigran Barseghyan fired against the crossbar.
Griezmann’s header doubled Atleti’s advantage at the break and, after David Strelec pulled one back with a composed penalty, the Frenchman struck again from close range. Siemen Voet shot against a post late on for the visitors, who remain in search of their first point.
Player of the Match: Antoine Griezmann (Atleti)
LOSC Lille 3-2 Sturm Graz
Lille claimed their fourth win of the campaign after withstanding a Sturm Graz fightback at the Stade Pierre Mauroy. Three quickfire goals at the end of the first half left the hosts 2-1 in front, Osame Sahraoui finishing precisely in the 37th minute and Mitchel Bakker adding a second in added time before Otar Kiteishvili pulled one back with a thunderous last kick of the half.
The visitors carried their momentum into the second period, Mika Biereth tapping in William Bøving’s low cross within two minutes of the restart, but substitute Hákon Arnar Haraldsson found the top corner in the 81st minute to finally sink Sturm.
Player of the Match: Osame Sahraoui (Lille)
AC Milan 2-1 Crvena Zvezda
Tammy Abraham slotted in the winner to give Milan four consecutive league phase victories. The Rossoneri recovered from Andrija Maksimović’s early shot hitting the crossbar to dominate the first half, taking the lead through Rafael Leão’s classy finish.
Crvena Zvezda were revitalised after the restart, going close when Mike Maignan turned Mirko Ivanić’s drive behind and equalising courtesy of Nemanja Radonjić’s emphatic effort. Abraham decided matters three minutes from time, pouncing after Ivan Guteša tipped Francesco Camarda’s header against the crossbar.
Player of the Match: Rafael Leão (Milan)
Arsenal 3-0 Monaco
Arsenal extended their perfect home record in the league phase as a Bukayo Saka double helped them defeat Monaco. Gabriel Jesus’s excellent low cross found Saka at the back post in the 34th minute, but the Gunners spurned chances to double that lead as the first half concluded, Martin Ødegaard among those shooting wide.
Monaco applied pressure after the break, but Saka struck in the 78th minute to ease the tension after substitute Kai Havertz had intercepted the ball in the Monaco box. The roles were reversed for the hosts’ third, Havertz converting Saka’s delivery via a Thilo Kehrer deflection to seal the victory.
Player of the Match: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
Borussia Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona
Ferran Torres scored twice after coming off the bench to earn Barcelona a victory which guarantees them a place in either the round of 16 or knockout phase play-offs. After a goalless first half, Raphinha’s low drive gave the visitors a deserved lead before Serhou Guirassy equalised from the penalty spot after being fouled by Pau Cubarsí.
The Dortmund striker restored parity again not long after Torres’s first of the evening, but the Barcelona forward then raced onto Lamine Yamal’s pass and beat Gregor Kobel for a second time to lift Hansi Flick’s side three points above their opponents.
Player of the Match: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Feyenoord 4-2 Sparta Praha
Gernot Trauner’s downward header was deflected in before Igor Paixão’s stunning finish capped a counterattack to put Feyenoord two goals up inside ten minutes. Anis Hadj Moussa then curled in a brilliant third on the half-hour.
Santiago Giménez then pounced to restore Feyenoord’s three-goal cushion after Albion Rrahmani had pulled one back. A Thomas Beelen own goal in the 79th minute set up a nervy finish, but Feyenoord secured their first home win of the league phase having scored four goals in the Champions League proper for the first time.
Juventus 2-0 Manchester City
Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahović and Weston McKennie secured a significant win for Juventus in Turin. City – now with one win in ten matches in all competitions – were left to rue Erling Haaland’s first-half chance, when Michele Di Gregorio brilliantly parried his chipped effort.
Vlahović made no mistake after the break, powering a Kenan Yıldız cross over the line for his fourth goal in as many Champions League matches. Timothy Weah took just six minutes to set up fellow substitute McKennie for the second.
Player of the Match: Dušan Vlahović (Juventus)
Benfica 0-0 Bologna
An inspired performance from Bologna keeper Łukasz Skorupski earned the visitors a second league phase point, in the process denting Benfica’s aspirations. An even match tilted inexorably in the hosts’ favour after the break but, try as they might, the Eagles could not find a way past Skorupski.
The best of several chances fell to Vangelis Pavlidis midway through the second period but, with the goal at the Greek’s mercy, the Bologna No1 somehow recovered to block.
Player of the Match: Alvaro Carreras (Benfica)
Stuttgart 5-1 Young Boys
Stuttgart ran out emphatic victors despite trailing inside six minutes through Łukasz Łakomy’s goal. A strike from Angelo Stiller midway through the first half levelled the scores before a comprehensive second-half spell – with four goals in 22 minutes – from the home side blew their Swiss opposition away.
Enzo Millot clinically dispatched from a Fabian Rieder cross and then a neat move from a free-kick led to Chris Führich curling in the third. On his 24th birthday Josha Vagnoman got the perfect present, turning in a fourth at the back post, before Yannik Keitel added a fifth from distance to round off the scoring.
