The Uefa Champions League witnessed a thrilling conclusion to its league phase on Wednesday night as all 36 teams played simultaneously.
The results determined the top eight teams to qualify directly for the last 16, which will be played across the end of February and start of March. The teams placed ninth to 24th will now contest play-offs over two legs to join them, while the bottom 12 sides were eliminated. After Wednesday's action, here's how it finished:
Top eight: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP, Manchester City
Ninth-24th: Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle United, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Brugge, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodo/Glimt, Benfica
Eliminated: Marseille, Pafos, Union Saint-Gilloise, PSV Eindhoven, Athletic Bilbao, Napoli, Copenhagen, Ajax, Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague, Villarreal, Kairat
Here are the main talking points as we reflect on a dramatic final round of fixtures, and look ahead to a heavyweight last-16 line-up.
Real Madrid and PSG face play-off route
There are some notable surprises in the cast for the play-offs, with several sides falling short of expectations. That bracket includes last season’s Champions League finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, alongside Real Madrid, winners of the competition on a record 15 occasions.
Teams finishing between ninth and 16th are seeded for the play-offs, while those placed 17th to 24th are unseeded, with seeding carrying the advantage of playing the second leg at home.
The play-offs will be contested over two legs next month, with the draw taking place on Friday, January 30. The confirmed play-off brackets are:
- Real Madrid v Bodo Glimt/Benfica
- Inter Milan v Bodo Glimt/Benfica
- Paris Saint-Germain v AS Monaco/Qarabag
- Newcastle United v AS Monaco/Qarabag
- Juventus vs Club Brugge/Galatasaray
- Atletico Madrid vs Club Brugge/Galatasaray
- Atalanta vs Borussia Dortmund/Olympiacos
- Bayer Leverkusen vs Borussia Dortmund/Olympiacos
Based on the bracket structure, the knockout phase poses the prospect of several blockbuster encounters, most notably Manchester City potentially meeting Real Madrid (once again) and PSG being drawn against Barcelona in the round of 16.
Benfica's 'crazy' win over Real
Benfica arrived for their final league phase fixture sitting 29th in the standings and under heavy pressure. On Saturday, supporters had protested at the club’s training ground following a poor run of form, with the team having lost three of their previous four games and sitting 10 points adrift of Porto in the Primeira Liga.
What followed in Lisbon was nothing short of pure magic and another Jose Mourinho masterclass. Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 and sealed progress - via goal difference - with the final act of the game. Deep into stoppage time, and with Madrid reduced to nine men, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin rose to head home in the 98th minute, a goal that secured a play-off place and forced Real Madrid out of the top eight in the process. Trubin became the fifth different goalkeeper to score in the Champions League.
“Before, I didn't understand what we needed,” Trubin said. “I see everyone start to point at me and I go and after I see [I can go forward]. We need one more goal. I don't know, I don't know what to say. A crazy moment. I am not used to scoring, so for me it was something completely new. I am 24 years old and for me it's the first time.”
Mourinho added: “A fantastic goal, a historic goal, a goal that nearly brought the whole stadium down – and I think it was very deserved for us. For Benfica it's an incredible prestige to beat Real Madrid.”
Napoli and Conte fail once more
The elimination of Napoli, the reigning Serie A champions, was perhaps the most significant failure on the night. Napoli hosted Chelsea in a must-win match with only 13 outfield players available due to a high number of injuries. Despite mitigating circumstances, Napoli’s exit again underlined Antonio Conte’s poor Champions League record: 17 wins, 17 defeats and 16 draws, with his only quarter-final appearance coming with Juventus back in 2012/13.
Enzo Fernandez had opened the scoring with a penalty for Chelsea, but Antonio Vergara and Rasmus Hojlund put Napoli ahead just before half-time. However, Cole Palmer was introduced at the interval and set up Joao Pedro twice to settle the clash.
Marseille’s exit was particularly cruel. Their 3-0 defeat by Club Brugge left qualification dependent on results elsewhere, and Benfica’s stoppage-time goal proved fatal for their chances.
Wealthy Premier League clubs dominate
Five Premier League clubs finished inside the top eight, securing automatic qualification for the last 16: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Newcastle United were the only English team to miss out, finishing 12th after remaining in contention until the final round.
While the Premier League is considered the best league in the world, the outcome closely mirrors football’s financial landscape. In rankings created by football finance experts Deloitte, six English clubs feature inside the world's top 10, while the Premier League sides collectively spent around £3.2 billion in the most recent summer transfer window. Broadcast income and commercial reach continue to provide English clubs with a huge advantage over their continental rivals.
One notable exception within the top eight is Sporting Lisbon. While the club has made financial progress in recent years, they continue to operate well below Europe’s elite, making their presence among the competition’s leading eight a striking overperformance.
Arsenal stay perfect and set record
Arsenal completed the league phase with a perfect record, winning all eight matches. They scored 23 goals and conceded only four across the campaign, with two of those goals coming on the final match day. Under the previous group stage format, only 13 teams had ever managed a perfect record. Arsenal are the first club to achieve the feat under the expanded league phase structure, doing so across eight matches rather than six.
