For the first time in 17 years, Barcelona failed to advance to the last 16 of the Champions League after losing to Bayern Munich in their final group match on Wednesday night. Barcelona needed to match Benfica's result in the group finale to advance, but the five-time European champions endured the worst-case scenario.
Heartbreak for Barca as Bayern preserves 100% record
Barcelona, who entered Matchday 6 with seven points, lost to Bayern Munich, 3-0. The Catalan giants still could have advanced to the knockout rounds if Benfica only managed a draw against Dynamo Kyiv. That did not transpire as the Portuguese side recorded a 2-0 victory at home. They jumped past Barcelona in the group table, with eight points through six games.
Barcelona had no answer for Bayern Munich, who finished with a 100% record in Group E. Thomas Muller opened the scoring for the German outfit in the 34th minute with a header off Robert Lewandowski's cross. Bayern doubled their advantage just before the halftime interval, with former Manchester City forward Leroy Sane scoring from 30 yards out.
Jamal Musiala completed the rout in the 62nd minute, netting Bayern's third goal with a clinical finish after Alphonso Davies delivered a terrific pull-back. Barcelona's offensive woes surfaced once again in their most crucial game of the season. They failed to find the back of the net in four of their six Champions League games this campaign.
Barcelona managed to score just two goals in the group stage. That is quite surprising given the attacking talent at their disposal. They did not have Lionel Messi, though, who was let go by the club on a free transfer before the start of the season due to Barcelona's financial issues. An early Champions League exit is a huge blow for Barcelona as they will now miss out on the revenues reserved for teams who advanced to the knockout round.
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Juve tops Group H after Chelsea surrenders late equalizer
Chelsea's quest to finish top of Group H ended in disappointment as the Blues suffered a gut-wrenching 3-3 draw against Zenit St Petersburg. Substitute Magomed Ozdoev scored a dramatic equalizer for Zenit four minutes into the second half stoppage time to deny Chelsea the group win.
Juventus took full advantage of Chelsea's slip-up, with the Italian giants soaring to the top spot following their 1-0 win over Malmo. That will help Juventus avoid the European powerhouses in the round of 16, such as Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool, and Manchester City, and Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
It was the second consecutive defeat for Chelsea, who lost 3-2 to West Ham in the Premier League last Saturday. The good news for the Blues is that Romelu Lukaku is starting to get back into shape. He scored in the 62nd minute for Chelsea's second goal.
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