Manchester City is on the verge of a humiliating situation Champions League exit after a stunning defeat against Paris Saint-Germain Wednesday, and Real Madrid is no longer in danger after the rout of Salzburg.
Man City lost a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash between super-rich underachievers who PSG won 4-2 in Paris but could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of matches next week.
Only the first 24 in the ranking of 36 teams will progress and Man City2023 champion, will start in 25th place and will have to beat Club Brugge to qualify for the round of 16. PSGnow 22nd, will play in 24th place Stuttgart.
Title holder Madrid is safe, dropping from 22nd place at kickoff on Wednesday to 16th place after being sidelined Salzburg 5-1.
Arsenal And Inter Milan expected wins should move to third and fourth respectively, but I'm not sure I'll join them yet Liverpool And Barcelona advance directly to the round of 16.
Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 and Between won 1-0 at Sparta Prague.
Bayern Munich fell to a 3-0 defeat at Feyenoord and fell to 15th in the quagmire of legendary clubs – including Madrid And Juventus – who are likely to face each other in the round of 16 of the qualifiers in February.
Every question of qualification and elimination will be resolved in a likely frenetic eighth and final round next Wednesday.
All 36 teams will be in action in 18 matches starting at the same time, with only the top 24 advancing to the knockout stage.
Man City looked set to send PSG close to elimination by taking a two-goal lead early in the second half. Jack Grealishsubstitute at half-time, scored in the 50th minute then set up Erling Haaland for a second four minutes later.
In a remarkable six minutes, PSG were level, thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, and a stunning turnaround came in the 78th when João Neves headed the decisive goal. Gonçalo Ramos added a fourth in stoppage time.
AC Milan quietly climbed to sixth place thanks to a 1-0 victory against Girona at San Siro, and Celtic progressed by winning 1-0 against Young boyswho lost a seventh consecutive game.
Sporting Lisbon faces elimination next week after losing 2-1 to Leipzigwhich ended a series of six defeats, and Shakhtar Donetsk stayed in contention – just – with a 2-0 victory against Brestwhich will be in the knockout phase.
Source link: https://www.marca.com/en/football/champions-league/2025/01/22/67916ff8e2704ebe398b45ad.html