Despite drawing their latest matches, Real Madrid and Manchester City already booked their spot in the next round of the Champions League. Both teams have already bagged 10 points each on top of the respective group, assuring that they will not drop below second place. Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica also moved closer to the last 16. Don’t miss today’s football match updates and results!
Shakhtar Donetsk’s Oleksander Zubkov opened the scoring in the 46th minute, putting pressure on Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Antonio Rudiger’s equalizer in the fifth minute of injury time saved Real Madrid from defeat, setting a 1-1 draw at Shakhtar Donetsk instead and sealing a place in the knockout stage of the competition. “We did not play well, but this team never gives up,” Ancelotti said.
In the same group, RB Leipzig climbed to second, four points behind Real, with a 2-0 win over Celtic in Glasgow. With the loss, Celtic is now out of the competition, while Shakhtar’s hopes will depend if they will win in the next round and Leipzig will drop points against Real Madrid next week. Celtic and Shakhtar will also meet next week. Get Sunday soccer predictions and more here!
Meanwhile, for the first time this season, Manchester City failed to score in a match as they settled for a goalless draw away against Copenhagen. Pep Guardiola decided to bench several starters, including Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Erling Haaland in preparation for their weekend match against rivals Liverpool. City’s woes worsened as Sergio Gomez was dismissed with a red card.
“Really satisfied, with the team that gives everything, 10 v 11 in Europe, the physicality of them, we concede few (chances), we start really well, many things happen.” Guardiola said. “We are going to recover, prepare for the next games, go to Dortmund and try to get results, and Sevilla, to finish first in the group stage.” City travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the English top-flight this weekend.
Also in Group G, Borussia Dortmund missed the chance to clinch the qualification as they were also held 1-1 at home against Sevilla. Sevilla took the lead through Tanguy Nianzou’s superb goal in the 18th minute before teenager Jude Bellingham scored the equalizer 12 minutes later. Elsewhere, neither Paris Saint-Germain nor Benfica secured a spot in the next round as the two held to a 1-1 draw in Group H.
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