Despite winning 2-1 at Juventus, Paris Saint-pursuit Germain’s for a first European title has been made more difficult because it is now unseeded in the round of 16 draw on Monday.
With a 4-0 victory over Salzburg on Wednesday, seven-time European champion AC Milan has made its way back into the Champions League knockout rounds after a nine-year absence.
Despite winning 2-1 at Juventus, Paris Saint-pursuit Germain’s for a first European title has been made more difficult because it is now unseeded in the round of 16 draw on Monday. Benfica’s stoppage-time goal in a 6-1 win against Maccabi Haifa knocked the French champion out of first place in Group H due to an unusual seventh-tier tiebreaker criteria – total goals scored away from home.
PSG and its superstar strike combination of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Neymar can now be paired with a group winner like as defending champion Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, or Manchester City.
“It’s a problem for them as well.” “We’re not concerned,” said PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who admitted to not knowing about the situation until after the game.
Milan is unlikely to like being seeded second in their group. A comfortable win over Salzburg assured finishing ahead of the Austrians and progressing from Group E with Chelsea, who defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1.
Milan advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season thanks to veteran attacker Olivier Giroud’s goals in both half. Some Europa League campaigns, failure to qualify at all, and a one-season ban for violating UEFA financial rules were among the nine-year gap.
Leipzig also advanced to the last round after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0, putting an end to the Ukrainian club’s incredible run in its chosen home stadium in Poland during the Russian invasion.
Despite losing to Shakhtar and the Spanish defending champion in September, Leipzig finished second in Group F behind Real Madrid, which thrashed last-place Celtic 5-1.
Shakhtar’s European campaign will continue in February, with third-place clubs in Champions League groups earning a spot in the Europa League playoffs.
Juventus also qualified for the Europa League despite only garnering three points, the same as Maccabi Haifa, because it won the tiebreaker over the Israeli team.
Manchester City trailed Sevilla at halftime before rallying to win 3-1, while Borussia Dortmund drew 1-1 in Group G, where all final rankings were determined last week.
TIEBREAKER FOR TIGHT TIES
PSG finished unbeaten with 14 points, which was more than four other group winners but not enough to take first place in the very tight Group H.
Benfica and PSG each won four games, tied 1-1 at home, scored 16 goals, and had a goal differential of plus-9.
The winner was determined by the seventh level of tiebreaker — who scored the most goals in three away games. PSG had six, Benfica had nine, including Joao Mario’s in the second minute of stoppage time on Wednesday.
RECORD OF MBAPPE
When Kylian Mbappé opened the score for PSG against Juventus, it was his 40th Champions League goal in record time — six for Monaco as an 18-year-old in 2017, and 34 for PSG.
Mbappé is the youngest player to achieve the 40-goal mark, over six months younger than Lionel Messi and nearly four years ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Nonetheless, Ronaldo’s consistent brilliance in his 30s has propelled him to a Champions League record 140 career goals.
ROUND OF 16 DRAW
The pairings will be announced Monday at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland, more than three months before the first-leg games begin on February 14.
The group winners are seeded and will host the second legs from March 7 to 15. No one can be drawn against another team from their own nation or a team they have already played in their group.
Napoli, Porto, Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Benfica are among the seeded teams.
Unseeded teams: Liverpool, Club Brugge, Inter Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, AC Milan, Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain.
PLAYOFFS IN THE EUROPA LEAGUE
The eight third-place teams in the Champions League groups will be drawn separately for the Europa League knockout playoffs on Monday.
Ajax, Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sevilla, and Juventus are among them.
These unseeded teams will play the first leg at home on Feb. 16 against the runners-up in Europa League groups that conclude Thursday. The rematches are scheduled on February 23.
