Thursday, 23 January 2025
Thursday, 23 January 2025
Arsenal outclassed Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to all but guarantee a spot in the Champions League knockout phase with Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard all on target on Wednesday.
Rice struck inside the opening two minutes after a clever lay-off by Havertz and the German put Arsenal in full control with a 66th-minute header.
Captain Odegaard put the icing on the cake of a clinical Arsenal display with a third in stoppage time -- his first goal in 14 games in all competitions.
Victory lifted Arsenal to third in the standings on 16 points and with the top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16 only an extraordinary sequence of freak results in next week's final round of group matches could deny the London club.
They are three points clear of the sides in ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13 places who would all need to win along with a massive Arsenal loss away to Girona.
A draw would be enough in Spain to avoid any possibility of being dragged into a two-legged playoff in February.
Defeat for Fabio Cannavaro's Dinamo side left them in the elimination places ahead of their last match at home to AC Milan which they will have to win to stand any chance of a playoff.
"Look it was an important win tonight. It's been a very positive Champions League campaign, so we've got one more to go now, hopefully we can win that as well," Rice told reporters.
Madrid advances to knockout phase
After winning a record 15th European title last season, then signing France star Kylian Mbappé in the offseason, it probably should not have been such a drama for Real Madrid to reach the knockout stages in the new Champions League format.
But three losses in six games — to Lille, AC Milan and Liverpool — left Madrid in 22nd place at kickoff Wednesday, before swatting aside Salzburg 5-1 to rise into 16th.
Vinícius scored his 99th and 100th goals, according to UEFA, moving him into third place in the top Brazilian scorers in the Champions League with 28 goals in the competition. Neymar leads the way with 43, with Kaká second on 30.
Madrid said Vinícius has 101 goals for the club, with Spanish media saying the discrepancy dates back to a Spanish league goal that many considered an own-goal and should not count for the Brazil forward.
“Sometimes it's pure instinct, sometimes there's a little more time so I can take a glance and see things which help, like where the goalkeeper is," Vinícius said. "Goals are making me a better player. Early on here (at Real Madrid), I didn't score so many, but now I might play the odd bad game but still score twice, and that's a good habit to have.”
Young guns prove PSG can deliver
Paris Saint-Germain finally showed it can shine in the Champions League without star Kylian Mbappé, rallying from 2-0 down in the second half to beat Manchester City 4-2 for a crucial victory Wednesday.
The win moved PSG out of the elimination zone in the competition's new-look format and dumped City in it with one game to play. PSG needs only a draw at Stuttgart next week to advance.
“I feel pride this evening, against such a team, against such a manager, against such good players,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said. "It was a complete performance today.”
Match-winner Martinez proud at equalling Inter record
Lautaro Martinez scored a goal of the highest quality against hosts Sparta Prague to become Inter Milan’s joint highest scorer in the Champions League and take his side to the brink of a round of 16 place with their 1-0 victory on Wednesday.
Martinez’s volley at the back post from Alessandro Bastoni’s cross was an illustration of his flawless technique, and recent good form, as he netted for a fifth time in seven games.
It took him level with Adriano as Inter’s all-time leading scorer in the competition with 14 goals, a tally he will hope to add to next Wednesday when the Italian club host Monaco needing a point to be guaranteed of a place in the round of 16.
"I am full of pride, great players in Inter's history have passed through this competition, so having reached this milestone is important," Martinez told Inter TV.
Bayern Munich at a loss to explain Champions League struggles
Flying in the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich is stuttering in the Champions League.
The Bavarian powerhouse lost 3-0 at Feyenoord on Wednesday for its third defeat of the campaign, denting its hopes of reaching the round of 16 without having to contest a playoff.
Bayern reserve goalkeeper Sven Ulreich was shown a red card for complaining at the end of a game in which his team missed its opportunities at one end while leaving itself susceptible to attacks at the other.
“When I see how many big chances we have again, how much we invest for a chance, how many we didn't take, and how easy we're making it at the moment for the opposition to score goals. That was very, very bad today,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said.
AC Milan's Conceicao lauds team after Leao secures win over Girona
AC Milan quietly went about its business rising to sixth place with a 1-0 win against Girona at San Siro, on a powerful strike in the first half by Rafael Leão.
Conceicao praised the efforts of his players, but stressed the need for continued hard work.
"Seeing the classification, the work of the boys is rewarded. It's not over yet, we have to keep working hard. There are things that are going well and others to improve," Conceicao told Prime Video.
"I tried to tell my players how to stop Leao and, except for the goal, we succeeded," coach Michel told a press conference.
