Champions League: Two teams secure playoff spots, current table
Photo: Bayern secures spot in Champions League playoffs (x.com/FCBayern)
On December 9, the first nine matches of the 6th round of the Champions League group stage took place. Following the results, two teams have already secured their places to continue in the tournament.
Who will advance in the Champions League
Bayern Munich has at least secured a spot in the knockout stage. The German club defeated Sporting Lisbon 3-1 at home. With 15 points, Vincent Kompany's team sits in second place in the standings. In the worst-case scenario, they will not finish lower than second place.
Arsenal also advanced to the knockout stage. The Gunners secured their fifth win in five matches two weeks ago, but Tuesday's results involving other teams officially guaranteed their progression. Mikel Arteta's side can no longer finish lower than second place. Today, they have a chance to cement their top spot with a win over Club Brugge.
Tuesday's headline match took place in Milan, where Inter hosted Liverpool.
Before visiting Milan, the English champions had won only once in their last five matches across all competitions. Inter, on the other hand, came into the game on a high, having won three consecutive Serie A matches.
Arne Slot's team risked dropping points for the third game in a row, but a decisive penalty in the 88th minute sealed the result. The referee awarded the spot-kick after Bastoni pulled Virtz's shirt inside the penalty area. Dominik Szoboszlai converted the penalty, setting the final score.
This defeat marked Inter's first home loss in European competitions in over three years. The last time the Milanese side lost at San Siro was in September 2022, against Bayern Munich.
Other notable matches
Besides the Milan clash, several Tuesday games stood out.
Atalanta claimed a comeback win over Chelsea. The London side took the lead with a goal from João Pedro, but Scamacca equalized after the break, and De Ketelaere scored the decisive goal in the final minutes, securing a 2-1 victory.
Barcelona followed a similar script at home, defeating Eintracht 2-1. Knauff put the visitors ahead, but two precise headers from Koundé in the second half turned the game around.
Barcelona followed a similar script at home, defeating Eintracht 2-1. Knauff put the visitors ahead, but two precise headers from Koundé in the second half turned the game around.
The only team with a Ukrainian connection playing that day was Olympiacos. The Greeks won 1-0 away against Kazakhstan's Kairat thanks to a goal from Martins
. Our forward, Roman Yaremchuk, was on the bench for the third consecutive Champions League match. This season, the Ukrainian striker's playing time in the main European club tournament is limited to 12 minutes, which he played in the third-round match against Barcelona.
All results from December 9:
Kairat – Olympiacos 0:1;
Bayern – Sporting 3:1;
Atalanta – Chelsea 2:1;
Barcelona – Eintracht 2:1;
Inter – Liverpool 0:1;
Monaco – Galatasaray 1:0;
PSV – Atletico 2:3;
Tottenham – Slavia 3:0;
Union – Marseille 2:3.
Who leads the table
At the halfway point of the 6th round, there is a tie at the top – Bayern caught up with Arsenal on points (15), although Arsenal still has a game in hand. Atalanta surprisingly claimed third place with 13 points.
Five teams are tied with 12 points each: PSG, Inter, Real Madrid, Atletico, and Liverpool. Both teams featuring Illia Zabarnyi and Andriy Lunin still have one game in hand.
In the middle of the table are both traditional giants and newcomers. Azerbaijani Qarabag and Cypriot Pafos are only three and four points behind Manchester City, Chelsea, and Barcelona, respectively.
Benfica, with Anatoliy Trubin and Heorhiy Sudakov, sits near the bottom in 31st place. Ajax closes the table as the only team yet to earn any points.
On December 10, the final nine matches of the 6th round of the Champions League will be played.
Earlier, we wrote that the Italian giant aims to sign Andriy Lunin from Real Madrid.
