By Razeen Gutta
There was drama galore as Wednesday’s Uefa Champions League sides watched their destiny unfold in front of them. Inter Milan and Liverpool progressed, while Barcelona and Atletico Madrid exited Europe’s premier competition.
Inter’s 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the early kick off was enough not just to send them through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, but also enough to ensure Barcelona’s demotion to the Europa League.
Xavi’s side were down and out even before the first whistle at the Nou Camp, and once it sounded, things only got worse.
Sadio Mané scored early on for Bayern Munich before Eric Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Pavard rubbed salt in the wounds of the Catalan side.
The 3-0 scoreline rendered anything that happens on matchday six futile, with Bayern and Inter progressing to the last 16.
Results in group A would help Napoli and Liverpool discover a similar fate. The Italian side continued their sublime form with a 3-0 win over Rangers while the Reds, too, secured the same scoreline over Ajax in Amsterdam courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott.
It all means that the next round of fixtures will be about first place and nothing more, with Napoli making the daunting trip to Anfield in pole position.
Results in groups B and D would have come as a shock to some, with Tottenham Hotspur failing to secure qualification just yet and last season’s quarter finalists Atletico Madrid going out by the narrowest of margins.
Diego Simeone’s side missed a penalty that was awarded after the final whistle following VAR drama. They only managed a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen to see them eliminated — with Club Brugge and FC Porto now guaranteed places in the next round.
For Spurs, a late Harry Kane goal being disallowed in the tenth minute of stoppage time saw Antonio Conte sent off for his protests.
Their 1-1 result with Sporting also means that all four sides in the group can still qualify on matchday six after Frankfurt beat Marseille 2-1 in the other game.
Image source: @ChampionsLeague
