João Cancelo and João Félix both scored during separate halves, leading to a 2-1 victory for Barcelona at home against Porto. This win secures their spot in the Champions League knockout rounds, a feat they haven’t achieved in the past three seasons.
The guests squandered numerous opportunities before Pepe scored for them in the 30th minute with a shot from close range off a rebound. However, Barça responded swiftly with a superb curling shot into the upper corner by Cancelo just two minutes later.
Cancelo, who is on loan from Manchester City, performed exceptionally well while moving down the left side and set up Félix for a clean first-time goal to secure the victory. With 12 points, Barcelona is currently at the top of Group H, three points ahead of both Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk. Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Royal Antwerp 1-0 with an early goal from Mykola Matviyenko. On the final matchday, Porto will host Shakhtar to determine which team will advance to the knockout stage alongside Barcelona.
Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the round of 16 with a 3-1 victory over Milan at the San Siro in an exciting Group F match. In the 10th minute, Dortmund’s midfielder Marco Reus scored from a penalty to give his team the lead, but Samuel Chukwueze equalized for Milan with a goal from inside the box before halftime.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scored a goal for Dortmund right before the 60th minute, giving them the lead. In the 69th minute, Karim Adeyemi extended their lead to 3-1 after Milan’s goalkeeper Mike Maignan attempted to save his powerful shot twice, but the ball still crossed the goal line. Dortmund is currently in first place in the group with 10 points, followed by Paris Saint-Germain with seven points after their 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Newcastle and Milan both have five points.
Atlético Madrid secured a spot in the next round of the competition and eliminated Feyenoord with a 3-1 victory in Rotterdam. Two own goals and a remarkable volley from Mario Hermoso gave the Spanish team a comfortable lead. Despite Feyenoord’s goal from Mats Wieffer, a second own goal from Santiago Giménez ensured Atlético’s top position in Group E and guaranteed their place in the last 16. With 11 points, they are one point ahead of Lazio, who also advanced to the knockout stage after defeating Celtic 2-0 in Rome.
Young Boys secured third place in Group G and a spot in the Europa League knockout round by defeating Red Star Belgrade 2-0. The home team took the lead with a deflected own goal by Kosta Nedeljkovic, followed by a curling shot from Lewin Blum to seal their victory. The top two spots in the group had already been claimed by Manchester City and RB Leipzig, with the latter earning a 3-2 comeback win to secure first place.
Source: theguardian.com
