UCL Recap: Manchester City Faces Elimination Despite Scoring 15 Goals

Real Madrid booked their spot in the Champions League knockout stages with a 5-1 win over Salzburg, while Inter Milan edged Sparta Prague 1-0.

Atalanta delivered a resounding 5-0 victory over Sturm Graz, putting themselves in a strong position to qualify for the last 16. This win marked a significant turnaround for the Bergamaschi, as they ended a five-game winless streak at home in the competition, dating back to the 2021/22 season.

AS Monaco secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Aston Villa, booking their spot in the knockout stages. This triumph marked Monaco's ninth win against Premier League opposition in European competitions. Notably, they have also won their last three home games against English teams.

Stuttgart kept their hopes of progression alive with a 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Slovak capital. This victory marked the second away win for Die Schwaben in the group stage, a feat they have achieved in each of their last three European group-phase appearances.

Liverpool sealed a 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield, securing a top-two finish in the group. This win extended Liverpool's unbeaten run at this stage of the Champions League to 12 games, dating back to a 4-1 loss to Napoli in the 2022/23 campaign.

PSV held on for a 3-2 win away to Crvena zvezda, all but securing a place in the knockout-round playoffs. For the Serbs, this loss meant they have now gone 11 home games in the Champions League without a clean sheet, with their last one coming in the 2018/19 season against Liverpool.

Juventus continued their trend of drawing matches, as their 0-0 stalemate against Club Brugge in Belgium marked their 16th draw across all competitions this season. The Bianconeri have drawn 13 games in Serie A and three in the Champions League, sharing the highest number of draws in the league phase with Celtic.

Borussia Dortmund suffered a 2-1 loss to Bologna, but still managed to secure a spot in at least the knockout-round playoffs. This defeat marked the 20th time Dortmund has lost to an Italian side in European competition, accounting for half of their total matches against Serie A opposition.

In a thrilling match, Barcelona scored with virtually the last kick of the game to defeat Benfica 5-4 in Lisbon. Despite leading twice, Benfica squandered their lead, suffering only their second European loss despite scoring three or more goals. The previous instance occurred nearly 21 years ago in a 4-3 loss to Inter.

Atletico Madrid left it late, scoring the winning goal in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. This win marked Atletico's third consecutive home victory over Bundesliga opposition, having previously beaten RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund by the same scoreline.

RB Leipzig, who had lost all six of their league-phase matches prior to Wednesday, earned a 2-1 win over Sporting CP. This result ended Leipzig's eight-game winless streak in the competition, which included seven losses and a dismal run of four consecutive home defeats in the Champions League.

Shakhtar Donetsk maintained their slim hopes of progression with a 2-0 win over Brest. The Miners have now accumulated seven points from seven matches and have scored seven goals, all of which have come in their last four games.

Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb, putting themselves in a strong position to reach the round of 16 directly. The Gunners maintained their perfect defensive record at the Emirates, becoming the only team to have not conceded at home in all four league-phase games.

AC Milan took a significant step towards securing a spot in the last 16 with a 1-0 win over Girona, officially eliminating the Spanish team. The Rossoneri ended a 10-game run in UEFA club competitions without a clean sheet, with their last shutout coming in the Europa League knockout round playoffs a year ago.

Manchester City's 4-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain has put them in a precarious position, with their knockout-round hopes hanging in the balance. If they fail to beat Club Brugge in their next match, they will be eliminated despite having scored at least 15 goals in the league phase. This would be an unprecedented feat, as no team has ever been knocked out of a UEFA club competition's opening phase after scoring that many goals.

One matchday to go! 😲#UCL pic.twitter.com/jEYfEM9kTC

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 22, 2025

Real Madrid secured their spot in the top 24 with a resounding 5-1 victory over Salzburg at home. The loss marked Salzburg's sixth defeat on Spanish soil and their 14th overall. To make matters worse, they will face another LaLiga opponent, Atletico Madrid, in their final league phase match.

Inter Milan continued their trend of playing close matches in the Champions League this season, earning a hard-fought 1-0 win at Sparta Prague. This was the fifth time in the tournament that an Inter Milan match ended with a single goal scored. Encouragingly for the Nerazzurri, they have emerged victorious in four of those five outings.

Celtic secured a spot in the knockout stage for the first time since 2013, thanks to a late own goal that sealed a narrow 1-0 victory over Young Boys in Glasgow. 

Feyenoord produced a stunning 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich at De Kuip, becoming only the third team to score and concede at least 15 goals in their first seven Champions League matches. This shock win propelled Feyenoord above Bayern Munich in the standings, keeping their hopes of automatic last-16 qualification alive.