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Group A
Arsenal 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain
Ludogorets Razgrad 0-0 Basel
Group B
Beşiktaş 3-3 Benfica
Napoli 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv
Group C
Borussia Mönchengladbach 1-1 Manchester City
Celtic 0-2 Barcelona
Group D
Atlético Madrid 2-0 PSV Eindhoven
Rostov 3-2 Bayern München
Group E
CSKA Moskva 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
Monaco 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Group F
Sporting CP 1-2 Real Madrid
Borussia Dortmund 8-4 Legia Warszawa
Group G
Leicester City 2-1 Club Brugge
København 0-0 Porto
Group H
Sevilla 1-3 Juventus
Dinamo Zagreb 0-1 Lyon
- Can you play each other every week?
Dortmund and Legia have both shown a gung-ho approach this season so perhaps it was no great surprise that records tumbled when they met on Tuesday. The 12 goals scored were the most ever in a UEFA Champions League game (though in the 1969/70 European Champion Clubs’ Cup first round, eventual winners Feyenoord prevailed 12-2 at KR Reykjavík), but that was not all.
BVB’s eight goals equalled the most registered by any club in a UEFA Champions League match, while no losing team had ever managed Legia’s four. There have been a combined 32 goals in Legia’s five games, already the most ever in a single side’s group campaign, and their 24 conceded replicates BATE Borisov’s mark from 2014/15.
Dortmund themselves are only one off the record of 20 goals in a group by one team. And with Madrid winning 2-1 at Sporting, Tuesday’s 15 goals in Group F equalled the most in a single section on one night.
- Last 16 taking shape
In all, seven clubs secured round of 16 places this week, with Barcelona, Manchester City, Monaco, Leverkusen, Madrid, Leicester and Juventus joining Arsenal, Paris, Dortmund, Atlético and Bayern, who had sealed their berths on matchday four.
Surprise packages Monaco and Leicester have confirmed their respective top spots alongside Atleti and Barcelona, which means Bayern and City will finish second in their sections and shall lurk in the unseeded pot of the knockout draw, together with one of Madrid and Dortmund.
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- Beşiktaş refuse to be beaten
Beşiktaş started their campaign with a last-gasp Talisca equaliser to draw 1-1 at Benfica, and when this pair of Eagles met again in Istanbul on Wednesday, the Portuguese version again saw victory snatched from their grasp (or talons). Benfica had cruised into a 3-0 interval lead, yet even without Talisca, Beşiktaş were able to recover.
Cenk Tosun’s incredible scissor-kick fuelled the fightback and, with seven minutes to go, ex-Porto and Sporting CP man Ricardo Quaresma got one over his old Liga rivals by converting a penalty before setting up Vincent Aboubakar’s last-gasp equaliser with a stunning rabona cross. That sent us looking for the record books to find if any other side has come back from three down at half-time in a UEFA Champions League tie in Istanbul …
Beşiktaş explain second ‘miracle of Istanbul’
- Messi breathing down Ronaldo’s neck
Either Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi will be the first player to reach 100 goals in both Europe and the UEFA Champions League real soon, and it did seem the Real Madrid man had it in the bag. With a ten-goal advantage going into this season, Ronaldo still led by nine after two matchdays despite Messi’s opening hat-trick against Celtic.
But since then Ronaldo has drawn a blank, not even mustering a shot on his return to Sporting, while Messi is up to nine for the campaign, including another treble against Manchester City and two at Celtic on Wednesday. The overall score stands at 95-92 to Ronaldo in the UEFA Champions League, and 98-95 in all UEFA club competitions.
- Rostov make their mark
It has generally been a tough autumn for eastern Europe’s teams in the group stage with Ludogorets, Dynamo, CSKA, Legia, Dinamo and Rostov all out. Indeed, they had not a win between them until Rostov’s superb 3-2 defeat of Bayern on Wednesday.
While fellow debutants Leicester clinched their group on Tuesday, Rostov had just a solitary point against PSV before Bayern came to town. But despite falling behind and then having a lead cancelled out, Rostov clung on for victory with an incredible defensive effort to condemn Bayern to second in the group.
Rostov still require a point at PSV to go into the UEFA Europa League, but they now have a memory to rank highest in their club’s history and coach Ivan Daniliants said: “It is what we and our fans dreamt about; it’s what we were living for.”
What do you think of our choices? What stood out for you? Let us know using #UCL on @ChampionsLeague
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