Champions league groups review: 25th-26th November 2014
Tuesday and Wednesday saw the fifth matchday of the Champions league take place with the last 16 in sight for some teams. On Tuesday, groups E-H took centre stage and groups A-D took place.
Teams that have already qualified for the last 16:
- Atletico Madrid
- Real Madrid
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Arsenal
- Borussia Dortmund
- Bayern Munich
- Barcelona
- Paris Saint-Germain
- FC Porto
Group A
Atletico Madrid got revenge on Olympiakos from the first matchday by winning 4-0. Ex-Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic got a hat-trick and scored his second and third goals within three minutes. Despite the loss, it seems likely that Olympiakos will be qualify for the Europa league round of 32 because of Malmo -9 goal difference in bottom place. Malmo lost 2-0 to Juventus as Llorente and Tevez scored one each. The big game on the final matchday (Juventus vs Atletico Madrid) should be a good game even though there isn't really anything to play for.
Group B
Real Madrid beat Basel in Switzerland 1-0 as Ronaldo grabbed his 71st Champions league goal. For Real, this game and the final game is just a chance to rotate their squad. Liverpool drew 2-2 with Ludogorets in Bulgaria and Brendan Rodgers is under more pressure after dropping two points. second place looks open for any of the teams in 2nd,3rd and bottom at the moment.
Group C
Bayer Leverkusen lost 1-0 to Monaco which is surprising given the form of the Bundesliga stronghold. Zenit secured a big three points against Benfica to give them hope of advancing out the group stages. Monaco vs Zenit looks to shape the final group standings, with Bayer Leverkusen expected to beat Benfica.
Group D
Arsenal stopped Dortmund's 100% streak in the Champions league after a 2-0 win at the Emirates. Danny Welbeck and Alexis Sanchez bagged a goal each to qualify for the last 16. Anderlecht beat Galatasaray 2-0 to give them hope of a spot in the Europa league round of 32. It looks likely that Dortmund will finish top as they face Anderlecht at home.
Group E
Manchester City looked like their hopes of continuing in this year's Champions league were over as they were down 2-1 to Bayern Munich. However, Sergio Aguero had other ideas as he levelled the game to give the City faithful some hope. Then, the little Argentine magician threaded through the Bayern defence and slotted past Neuer to give City their first win this season. This game was extremely fast-paced and fun to watch. Roma and CSKA Moscow drew 1-1 in Russia to keep the possibility of any of the bottom three teams to qualify for the last 16 (or the round of 32 in the Europa league).
Group F
PSG's 3-1 win over Ajax means that they stay at the top of the group (for the time being). Edison Cavani scored a brace and Ibrahimovic scored his first goal since returning from injury that kept him out for two months. Barcelona beat Apoel 4-0 as Lionel Messi became the all-time Champions league goalscorer (74) with a hat-trick. PSG and Barcelona will fight it out for top spot at the Nou Camp on the final matchday. A win or draw against Apoel will see Ajax qualify for the Europa league knock-out stages but a win for Apoel will see them jump into third spot and into Europe's second competition.
Group G
Chelsea booked their place in the last 16 with a 5-0 demolition of Schalke in Germany and have also guaranteed top spot. Sporting beat Maribor 3-1 to give the Portuguese outfit some hope of progression. For that to happen, Sporting must beat Chelsea. Maribor can qualify for the Europa league by beating Schalke.
Group H
Group H is really decided before the final matchday, as Porto are group winners with Shakhtar finishing second. The attention will be on who can qualify for the Europa league when Atletico Bilbao play BATE Borisov. Bilbao can qualify through a win or a draw and BATE must win to qualify.
My player of the week
Sergio Aguero. Single-handedly kept Manchester City's hopes of progressing in the Champions league alive by scoring a hat-trick to beat Bayern Munich 3-2.
Group E
Manchester City looked like their hopes of continuing in this year's Champions league were over as they were down 2-1 to Bayern Munich. However, Sergio Aguero had other ideas as he levelled the game to give the City faithful some hope. Then, the little Argentine magician threaded through the Bayern defence and slotted past Neuer to give City their first win this season. This game was extremely fast-paced and fun to watch. Roma and CSKA Moscow drew 1-1 in Russia to keep the possibility of any of the bottom three teams to qualify for the last 16 (or the round of 32 in the Europa league).
Group F
PSG's 3-1 win over Ajax means that they stay at the top of the group (for the time being). Edison Cavani scored a brace and Ibrahimovic scored his first goal since returning from injury that kept him out for two months. Barcelona beat Apoel 4-0 as Lionel Messi became the all-time Champions league goalscorer (74) with a hat-trick. PSG and Barcelona will fight it out for top spot at the Nou Camp on the final matchday. A win or draw against Apoel will see Ajax qualify for the Europa league knock-out stages but a win for Apoel will see them jump into third spot and into Europe's second competition.
Group G
Chelsea booked their place in the last 16 with a 5-0 demolition of Schalke in Germany and have also guaranteed top spot. Sporting beat Maribor 3-1 to give the Portuguese outfit some hope of progression. For that to happen, Sporting must beat Chelsea. Maribor can qualify for the Europa league by beating Schalke.
Group H
Group H is really decided before the final matchday, as Porto are group winners with Shakhtar finishing second. The attention will be on who can qualify for the Europa league when Atletico Bilbao play BATE Borisov. Bilbao can qualify through a win or a draw and BATE must win to qualify.
My player of the week
Sergio Aguero. Single-handedly kept Manchester City's hopes of progressing in the Champions league alive by scoring a hat-trick to beat Bayern Munich 3-2.
Aguero scores his first goal on 15 minutes, after being taken down by Benatia in the penalty area.
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