Juventus needed a major performance to clinch the top spot in Group G on Tuesday night and the Italian side did just that at the Camp Nou.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace for the Old Lady while Weston McKennie bagged his second goal in as many matches for the club in a 3-0 victory. Juventus leapfrogged Barcelona into the top spot after holding a better goal differential in the head-to-head matches.
Ronaldo needed only 13 minutes to break the deadlock after scoring from the penalty spot after winning the penalty himself. The Portuguese forward made no mistake from the spot, beating Marc Andre ter Stegen.
Juventus’ early pressure continued and McKennie doubled the Italians lead in the 20th minute. The midfielder played a one-two before racing into the box and volleying home Juan Cuadrado’s cross past ter Stegen.
Ronaldo doubled his tally in the 53rd minute once again from the spot after Clement Lenglet was whistled for handball.
Despite seven shots on goal by Barcelona, Ronald Koeman’s side suffered its first defeat of the competition and will now face a group winner in the Round of 16.
RB Leipzig 3 – Manchester United 2
RB Leipzig not only eliminated Manchester United from the UEFA Champions League, but booked its place in the knockout round in the process.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side held on for a 3-2 home victory at Red Bull Arena, advancing along with Paris Saint-Germain out of Group H. It was a crazy ending in Germany, but the hosts held on despite almost seeing a three-goal lead almost slip away.
Leipzig scored a pair of goals early to take a two-goal advantage with Angelino and Amadou Haidara getting on the scoresheet. Willi Orban came close to extending the hosts advantage even more before halftime, but VAR ruled out his goal in the 30th minute.
Justin Kluivert’s close-range finish made it 3-0 to Leipzig in the 69th minute, but Manchester United did not lie down after conceding once again. Bruno Fernandes and Harry Maguire each scored for the Red Devils in a three minute span while a late surge of chances were denied by Peter Gulasci.
The Red Devils drop into the Europa League Round of 32 with the defeat while RB Leipzig tops the group for now, pending the result of PSG-Istanbul Basaksehir.
Lazio 2 – Club Brugge 2
Lazio joined Borussia Dortmund as the second Group F team to advance into the Round of 16 after earning a 2-2 draw at home vs. Club Brugge.
Despite a late equalizer from Hans Vanaken, the Belgian side finished third in the group and will drop into the Europa League.
Joaquin Correa and Ruud Vormer each scored in a three-minute span to make it 1-1, but Ciro Immobile’s second penalty goal in his last two UCL appearances gave Lazio a one-goal advantage heading into halftime. Club Brugge’s comeback hopes also took a hit when Eduard Sobel was sent off in the 39th minute for a second yellow card offense.
Vormer set up Vanaken in the 76th minute to tie things up for the visitors, but it would be the closest they would get to a win.
Lazio finished group stage unbeaten after going 2-4-0 while Borussia Dortmund topped the group following a 2-1 road victory over already-eliminated Zenit St. Petersburg.
Paris Saint-Germain – Istanbul Basaksehir (Postponed)
Paris Saint-Germain’s scheduled home match with Istanbul Basaksehir was postponed after only 20 minutes due to a racial act by the fourth official.
Pierre Webo and Demba Ba were reportedly targets of racial comments during an incident in the match, which caused both teams to walk off the field at the Parc Des Princes. Despite reports of a return to play at 4 p.m. ET, the match was postponed and is set to take place on Wednesday.
PSG has already advanced to the Round of 16 following Manchester United’s loss, but could leapfrog RB Leipzig into first place pending goal differential.
Here’s a closer look at who advanced from Tuesday’s action:
Group Winners: Chelsea, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Either PSG or RB Leipzig.
Runners-Up: Sevilla, Barcelona, Lazio, Either PSG or RB Leipzig.
Europa League: Krasnodar, Club Brugge, Dynamo Kyiv, Manchester United.
Eliminated: Rennes, Zenit St. Petersburg, Istanbul Basaksehir, Ferencvaros
Here’s all of Tuesday’s UCL results:
Rennes 1 – Sevilla 3
RB Leipzig 3 – Manchester United 2
Paris Saint-Germain – Istanbul Basaksehir (POSTPONED)
Chelsea 1 – Krasnodar 1
Lazio 2 – Club Brugge 2
Zenit St. Petersburg 1 – Borussia Dortmund 2
Barcelona 0 – Juventus 3
Dynamo Kyiv 1 – Ferencvaros 0