The Champions League group stage ended with some outstanding performances and breathtaking setbacks.
Karim Benzema sent Real Madrid into the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday along with his rival Atletico.
Real had to beat Borussia Mönchengladbach to survive the group stage. Benzema took on the challenge and relieved coach Zinedine Zidane with two beautiful headers in the first half who secured a 2-0 win.
There was much controversy as Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir ended their game on Wednesday, 24 hours after his suspension. Neymar scored a hat trick before saying both teams felt compelled to stand up against racism in an unprecedented protest against an alleged comment by an official.
PSG won the game 5-1 after restarting where it left off the day before in the 14th minute. After a dispute over allegations, Romanian fourth official Sebastian Coltescu had used a racist term to identify Basaksehir’s black assistant coach Pierre Webo.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice from the penalty spot to win his battle against rival Lionel Messi and lead Juventus to a 3-0 win over Barcelona on Tuesday. This brought him the Italian top spot in the Champions League group G.
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City recorded five Group D wins and one draw as Ferran Torres and Sergio Aguero beat Marseille 3-0 in the second half ahead of an Alvaro Gonzalez own goal.
Porto, who had also qualified, beat Olympiacos 2-0 in Piraeus thanks to Otavio’s early penalty and a goal from Matheus Uribe. The Greeks, who ended up with 10 men, took third place in the section.
Meanwhile, the pressure on Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer increased after RB Leipzig left the Champions League.
United paid a sloppy start against last season’s semi-finalists and left elite European club competition after a 3-2 loss that put pressure on Solskjaer. Some angry fans called on Mauricio Pochettino to replace him.
Updated: December 10, 2020, 11:41 am
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