Barcelona stormed back in the second half to claim a 4-1 victory over Copenhagen at the Camp Nou, sealing a top-eight finish and direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League.
Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Marcus Rashford on Wednesday ensured the Catalans finished fifth in the standings on 16 points, level with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sporting but ahead on goal difference.
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Copenhagen shocked the hosts early when 17-year-old Viktor Dadason slotted the opener past Joan Garcia in the fourth minute, but the second half began with a Barcelona fightback.
Yamal set up Lewandowski to equalise in the 48th minute, before scoring himself in the 60th with a deflected effort that left Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski helpless. Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled, and Rashford added a fourth with a free kick in the 85th minute.
“We all came here tonight thinking about getting into the top eight. We’re very happy with the win,” 18-year-old Yamal told Movistar Plus.
“When you concede a goal in the Champions League, it’s very difficult to come back, but the team was very resilient and managed to turn it around. With the number of matches we play in a season, having two fewer matches leaves you feeling much better.”
Despite the comfortable final result, Barcelona endured a frustrating first half, during which Copenhagen took a shock lead.
Dadason stunned the home crowd after Mohamed Elyounoussi delivered a defence-splitting pass, allowing Dadason to outrun Barca’s high defensive line before rifling a low shot past keeper Garcia.
Clearly unsettled, Barcelona were wasteful in attack during the opening 45 minutes. Raphinha and Lewandowski spurned opportunities to equalise, while Eric Garcia came closest to levelling when his driven effort struck the crossbar in the 33rd minute.
The second half, however, saw a completely transformed Barcelona.
Barely three minutes after the restart, Yamal burst forward on a counterattack, darting past Copenhagen defenders before unselfishly squaring the ball for Lewandowski to slot into an empty net.
The hosts seized control and upped the tempo, pinning Copenhagen deep inside their own half, and Barca took the lead on the hour mark through Yamal, whose deflected shot from inside the box looped over a stranded Kotarski and nestled into the far corner.
Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Lewandowski was brought down inside the area while attempting to shoot, and substitute Rashford wrapped up the scoring.
Although Barcelona delivered a clinical attacking display, questions remain about their defensive organisation. They completed the league phase without a clean sheet and finished with the worst defence among the top 13 teams.
Dembele’s penalty miss costs PSG in 1-1 draw with Newcastle
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele had a night to forget, missing an early penalty and a golden chance from close range as defending champion Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 with Newcastle in the Champions League.
The draw meant both sides finished out of the top eight places in the league table and failed to qualify automatically for the last 16. They will enter the playoffs instead.
PSG was awarded an early penalty when Bradley Barcola got behind the defence down the left wing with less than one minute played. The ball hit Barcola’s arm following a tackle from a defender coming across, and then flew onto the arm of Lewis Miley right behind him.
Miley seemed unsighted, and the handball appeared accidental, but referee Slavko Vincic awarded the spot kick following a short video review.
Dembele aimed for the bottom right corner, but goalkeeper Nick Pope made a brilliant save. Pope was beaten in the eighth minute when Vitinha curled a shot into the same corner after being set up by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the edge of the penalty area.
Dembele, who scored 35 goals overall last season, scooped the ball well over the crossbar from 10 metres out in the 40th minute when meeting a cross from the left.
Joe Willock equalised for the visitors in first-half stoppage time, and substitute Harvey Barnes missed a chance to win it for the visitors with moments left.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern, Sporting, Man City and Chelsea also finish UCL stage in style
Liverpool thrashed Qarabag 6-0 to end their group campaign in style and finish in third place – Alexis Mac Allister scoring twice and Mohamed Salah also among the goals.
Chelsea trailed 2-1 at Napoli, but two goals by Joao Pedro earned them a 3-2 win to clinch sixth spot, while defeat left Napoli down and out in 30th place.
That meant five of the six English clubs are in the last 16 and could yet be joined by Newcastle.
Portugal’s Sporting grabbed a last-gasp 3-2 win at Athletic Bilbao thanks to a goal by Alisson Santos to snatch a top-eight spot and effectively relegate Real Madrid to the playoffs.
Manchester City beat Galatasaray 2-0 at home to jump from 11th to eighth and spare themselves a repeat of last season when they failed to reach the last-16 after losing to Real Madrid in the playoffs.
Arsenal, who like Bayern Munich were already assured of a top-eight finish, became the first club in the new 36-team group format to finish with a 100 percent record, beating bottom club Kairat Almaty 3-2. Runners-up Bayern ended with a 2-1 victory at PSV Eindhoven that left the Dutch club eliminated.
Just like last season, UEFA’s expanded Champions League group stage has proved a masterstroke, with the suspense lasting to the final seconds of the eighth round of fixtures.
Before the 18 matches kicked off, only four of the 36 clubs were definitely eliminated, and only Arsenal and Bayern Munich were guaranteed to be in the last 16.
Several who started outside the top eight needed wins and other results to go in their favour , with Barcelona, Manchester City and Sporting seizing their chance.
Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki were on target for City.
Inter Milan got the win they required, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 away, but, like fellow Italians Juventus, will have to take their chances in the playoffs.
Juventus could only draw 0-0 at Monaco. Dortmund missed out on being seeded for the playoffs, ending 17th.
Nowhere was the drama more compelling than at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, where Diego Simeone’s side hosted Norway’s Bodo/Glimt. Atletico led through Alexander Sorloth’s goal and at one point were into the top eight, but Bodo, who stunned Manchester City last week, hit back with goals by Fredrik Sjovold and Kasper Hogh for a remarkable 2-1 win to put the Arctic Circle debutants in 23rd and into the playoffs.
Atletico ended 14th and will have to be content with being one of the seeded teams in the two-legged playoffs.
Napoli and PSV Eindhoven were not the only illustrious clubs to finish below the elimination trapdoor.
Marseille had eyes on a top-16 place and a seeded playoff berth, but a 3-0 hammering at Club Brugge meant they finished 25th with Brugge grabbing a playoff spot at their expense.
The teams who finished ninth to 24th will learn who they will face in the playoffs in Friday’s draw.
