This past week the Champions League Group Stage's sixth and final matches were played. The competition now moves into its next phase — the Round of 16. Sixteen teams have advanced while the other 16 have departed, eight of which will continue their European journey in the Europa League.
In this blog I will discuss the results from the last round of matches, highlight which teams advanced and discuss what it means for the future of the competition. I will also compare the results to the predictions.
Keep in mind that teams that finished in 1st and 2nd in their groups will advance to the R16, and a team that finished 1st will definitely play a team that finished 2nd in the next round. Teams that finished 3rd will go directly into the Europa League Round of 32 draw, and teams that finished bottom are eliminated.
Group A final table:
1. Borussia Dortmund — 13 pts
2. Atletico Madrid — 13 pts
3. Club Brugge — 6 pts
4. AS Monaco — 1 pt
Matchweek 6 Results My Predictions
Club Brugge 0-0 Atletico Madrid Club Brugge 1-1 Atletico Madrid
AS Monaco 0-2 Borussia Dortmund AS Monaco 0-2 Borussia Dortmund
What it means:
An eventful final day meant that Dortmund jumped Atletico to claim the group's top spot. Despite finishing even on points, it was Dortmund's 4-0 thrashing of Atletico on matchday 3 that really did it for them, helping them to win the tiebreaker on head-to-head goal difference. In regards to predictions, I was pretty close to perfect with this group. I got the Dortmund score exactly right, and I predicted Brugge to hold Atletico to a draw. I said that Atletico have a formidable defense but sometimes struggle to score goals, and that rang true in a nil-nil draw. However, if there is any team that seems to have no problems going against the best of the best in the competition, it's Atletico. They are into the R16 and that's all that matters.
Group B final table:
1. Barcelona — 14 pts
2. Tottenham Hotspur — 8 pts
3. Inter Milan — 8 pts
4. PSV Eindhoven — 2 pts
Results Predictions
Barcelona 1-1 Tottenham Barcelona 3-2 Tottenham
Inter Milan 1-1 PSV Eindhoven Inter Milan 2-1 PSV Eindhoven
What it means:
The group that was widely regarded as one of the groups of death going into the tournament provided some late drama. Tottenham knew they needed to equal the result of Inter in order to advance. It was a disaster start for Spurs, when young back Kyle Walker-Peters was caught out on the break by lightning-quick striker Ousmane Dembele, who produced a brilliant solo group early in the match. From there, Spurs were helped out by already-eliminated PSV, when Hirzing Lozano scored for the away side pretty much right after Spurs conceded. In their match, despite going behind, Tottenham were the better team. However, no breakthrough came and both matches went into the break 1-0. It took until the 73' in the simultaneous kickoffs for drama to ensure. Inter's star, Mauro Icardi finally found the equalizer, to put one foot into the R16 for the Italian side. However, Spurs, undoubtably with knowledge of how the other game was progressing, were pushing hard for an equalizer, knowing they were headed out of the competition. However, the breakthrough came from substitute Luca Moura five minutes from full time, as he finished past goalkeeper Jaspar Cillessen, who to that point, had been doing his best impression of an immovable brick wall. Moura's goal sent Spurs into the R16 as PSV held on for an away draw in Milan. The Italian side must now turn their focus to the Europa League. In regards to my predictions, I cited Spurs horrible start as too much to overcome, but perhaps that is a bad way to approach the situation. They had a shot going into the final matchday, and they did enough, so hats off to them.
Group C final table:
1. Paris St-Germain, 11 pts
2. Liverpool, 9 pts
3. Napoli, 9 pts
4. Red Star Belgrade, 4 pts
Results Predictions
Liverpool 1-0 Napoli Liverpool 3-1 Napoli
Red Star Belgrade 1-4 PSG Red Star Belgrade 1-3 PSG
What it means:
In the only group where no teams knew they were through before the day began, Liverpool hopped Napoli as PSG held onto the top spot. PSG went into Serbia and put together a convincing performance against Belgrade, who deserve credit for garnering more respect than a lot of people were giving them before the tournament started. With that result all but decided by the second half, all eyes were on Liverpool's hosting of Napoli. It was Mo Salah (who else) in the 34' who finished from a tough angle to give the home side the lead. Knowing they either needed to win by a score of 1-0 or by two goals total, Liverpool were content to play for a clean sheet. With that said, as the game progressed, the Reds knew that one goal would see all their hard work undone. And it all so nearly was. In the 90+2', Liverpool saw their otherwise-solid defense fail to deal with a cross, and Napoli substitute Arkadiusz Milik found himself with the ball at his feet and a 1-on-1 with goalkeeper Alisson. Somehow, the 56m pound goalkeeper somehow got his right thigh and then right arm in the way of the striker's shot and produced what has to be the biggest save of the tournament thus far. It is moments like that that justify why Liverpool made him the world's highest paid goalkeeper. In regards to my predictions, I got both results correct. I went for a higher scoring match, but the 3-1 result still would have seen Liverpool through, so I'm pretty happy with this group.
Group D final table:
1. Porto, 16 pts
2. Schalke 04, 11 pts
3. Galatasaray, 4 pts
4. Lokomotiv Moskva, 3 pts
Results Predictions
Schalke 1-0 Lokomotiv Moskva Schalke 2-2 Lokomotiv Moskva
Galatasaray 2-3 Porto Galatasaray 1-2 Porto
What it means:
With Porto knowing they had already won the group and Schalke knowing they had already advanced in second, it was between Lokomotiv and Galatasaray for the Europa League spot in the group. Lokomotiv, despite stepping it up during the last two matchdays, laid an egg in Germany and thus saw their hopes of continuing in European competitions come to an end. Even though Galatasaray lost, the Turkish club still backed into that third spot. Porto established themselves as a real force to be reckoned with in the next round as they became the only team to win five matches in this year's group stage.
Group E final table:
1. Bayern Munich, 14 pts
2. AFC Ajax, 12 pts
3. SL Benfica, 7 pts
4. AEK Athens, 0 pts
Results Predictions
Ajax 3-3 Bayern Ajax 2-3 Bayern
Benfica 1-0 AEK Athens Benfica 3-1 AEK Athens
What it means:
This group really didn't have much to still be decided. It all came down to the match in Amsterdam. If Ajax won, they would top the group; if Bayern drew or won, they knew they would take the top spot. Even though both sides were through, this match was wildly entertaining and would prove to be extremely difficult for anyone to take their eyes off of. Dusan Tadic canceled out Robert Lewandoski's opener in the 61', knotting the game at 1-1. Then, the fireworks began. Ajax's Maximillan Wober was sent off in the 67', but only eight minutes later, Thomas Muller saw red for a dangerously-high boot to the head of an Ajax player. In what was now a 10v10 showdown, the tackles continued to fly in as Tadic buried a penalty in the 82' to nudge Ajax into the group's top spot momentarily, until Bayern were award a penalty just five minutes later, which knotted the score again. Knowing they had nothing to lose, Ajax pushed for a winner. However, this left them exposed at the back, and Bayern scored a third through Kingsley Coman to secure their place atop the group. However, in the 90+5', Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico netted an equalizer to end what was a thrilling match in a draw and ruin my otherwise-perfect prediction.
Group F final table:
1. Manchester City, 13 pts
2. Olympique Lyonnais, 8 pts
3. Shakhtar Donetsk, 6 pts
4. TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 3 pts
Results Predictions
Man City 2-1 Hoffenheim Man City 3-1 Hoffenheim
Shakhtar 1-1 Lyon Shakhtar 3-2 Lyon
What it means:
Manchester City secured their spot atop the group and condemned Hoffenheim to elimination in their first-ever Champions League campaign courtesy of a big performance from Leroy Sane. With Hoffenheim already eliminated, it was all at stake in the other match. Lyon knew a draw was enough to advance, but they would have to earn it in horrid weather in Kiev. In snowy and icy conditions, the Ukrainian side went ahead in the 22' through Junior Moraes. Knowing they needed a goal, the French side absorbed pressure and picked their moments to go forward. It was their star goalscorer and recent World Cup winner Nabil Fekir that equalized in the 65', putting Lyon through as it stood. It turned out that goal would be enough, as Lyon saw the match out and secured their spot in the next round. Lyon finished the group stage undefeated. It's up for interpretation whether that is impressive, though, because they only won one match, drawing their other five. The first day victory on the round in Manchester was certainly impressive, and was ultimately what got them through.
Group G final table:
1. Real Madrid, 12 pts
2. AS Roma, 9 pts
3. Viktoria Plzen, 7 pts
4. CSKA Moscow, 7 pts
Results Predictions
Plzen 2-1 Roma Plzen 1-2 Roma
Real Madrid 0-3 CSKA Moscow Real Madrid 3-1 CSKA Moscow
What it means:
Well, its safe to say the predictions went out the window on this one. First, it must be said that even before this round of fixtures, both Plzen and CSKA showed that they are good sides and could stand their own against top European sides like Roma and Real Madrid. With that said, few people expected Plzen to beat Roma, and even fewer saw CSKA beating Real Madrid by three goals to nil in Madrid. The Russian side did the double over the three-time defending Champions League title-holders, and handed them their worst-ever home defeat in the competition. However, it still wasn't good enough to earn a spot in the Europa League, as CSKA knew they had to better the result of the Czech counterparts on the day. Plzen eliminated any chance of Moscow advancing by beating Roma and taking care of business themselves. It's absolutely wild that CSKA took six points off of Real Madrid but only finished with seven total, and finished dead bottom of the group. It was ultimately Plzen's ability to pick up points against CSKA both times they played that earned them a ticket into the Europa League Round of 32.
Group H final table:
1. Juventus, 12 pts
2. Manchester United, 10 points
3. Valencia, 8 pts
4. BSC Young Boys, 4 pts
Results Predictions
Young Boys 2-1 Juventus Young Boys 0-2 Juventus
Valencia 2-1 Manchester United Valencia 1-3 Manchester United
What it means:
Again, wow. The predictions go out the window here. The only way Juventus could lose the top spot in the group was if they lost in Switzerland. And Young Boys delivered. The Swiss side, through a Guillaume Hourau brace, defeated the Italian giants and left the door open for Manchester United to hop them. However, the Red Devils could not even muster a draw in Spain, falling 2-1 to the side that was already destined to the Europa League.
The group stage has come to an end. Now we know the 16 teams that will compete in the knockout stages of the competition. Let's take a look at the big picture and along with a breakdown of which nation each club represents.
Group Winners: Borussia Dortmund (GER), FC Barcelona (ESP), Paris St-Germain (FRA), Porto (POR), Bayern Munich (GER), Manchester City (ENG), Real Madrid (ESP), Juventus (ITA)
Runners-Up: Atletico Madrid (ESP), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Liverpool FC (ENG), Schalke 04 (GER), AFC Ajax (NED), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), AS Roma (ITA), Manchester United (ENG)
Automatic Berth into Europa League: Club Brugge (BEL), Inter Milan (ITA), SSC Napoli (ITA), Galatasaray (TUR), SL Benfica (POR), FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR), Viktoria Plzen (CZE), Valencia CF (ESP)
Breakdown by Country (16)
England — 4
Germany — 3
Spain — 3
France — 2
Italy — 2
Netherlands — 1
Portugal — 1
In regards to my predictions this week, I think I did a pretty good job. In the important groups where shuffling of positions could occur amongst teams that were advancing, or spots were still up for grabs, I did pretty well. This is highlighted by the bold prediction of Dortmund hoping Atletico in Group A, and predicting the accuracy of results in Group C. I did get Spurs wrong, as a favored Inter advancing over them. Also, I picked Shakhtar to defeat Lyon and thus get themselves in as runners-up in group F. In regards to the wild results in Group H and Group F, I don't see anyone realistically getting more than maybe one of those results right, much less four, so I don't feel too badly about those.
By the numbers
Matchweek 6
Total number of matches: 16
Correct Result and Correct Score: 1
Correct Result but Wrong Score: 6
Completely Wrong: 9
Completely Correct:
AS Monaco / Borussia Dortmund
Correct Result but Barely Missed Score:
Club Brugge / Atletico Madrid
Red Star Belgrade / PSG
Man City / Hoffenheim
Horribly Wrong:
Viktoria Plzen / Roma
Real Madrid / CSKA Moscow
BSC Young Boys / Juventus
Valencia / Man United
Total thus far (keeping in mind I didn't make predictions for matchweek 1)
Total number of matches: 80
Correct Result and Correct Score: 4
Correct Result but Wrong Score: 33
Completely Wrong: 43
My season predictions thus far are interesting. Through 80 matches, I have a 46% success rate, which is decent. I was shooting for 50%, which i'm honestly not too far off from. Also, I get a score prediction exactly right one in every 20 tries. I'd like it to be a little more common, but what can you do.
My next blog will discuss the Knockout Stage Draw and introduce the match-ups for the R16 as the draw has been completed. The drama of the group stage was good, but the knockout stage promises to better, as more is on the line.
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