DThanks to record man Sebastien Haller, Ajax Amsterdam took first place ahead of schedule in Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League Group C. The Dutch soccer champions won 2-1 (0-1) at Besiktas Istanbul and thus achieved their fifth win in their fifth game.
Haller scored his number eight and nine goals in the premier class (54th, 69th) and improved Erling Haaland’s record – today’s Dortmund player scored eight times in his first five CL appearances for Red Bull Salzburg in 2019.
Besiktas had taken the lead against Ajax through Rachid Ghezzal (22nd) from the penalty spot, only with a win the Istanbul would have had a chance of third place and the Europa League. On the Amsterdam side, Andre Onana was back in goal for the first time after his ten-month doping ban.
City wins group A.
Manchester City have been confirmed as the winners of Group A in the Champions League. The English football champions turned the game around after falling behind against their direct pursuer Paris Saint-Germain and won 2-1 (0-0) on Wednesday evening. With twelve points, the team of coach Pep Guardiola can no longer be displaced from first place with one remaining matchday.
After Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal (50th) it looked as if the French capital club could shake off the unrest surrounding coach Mauricio Pochettino’s transfer rumors. But Raheem Sterling (63rd) and Gabriel Jesus (76th) led the Cityzens to victory. The Parisians can no longer be displaced from second place, as Leipzig achieved a 5-0 (4-0) win at Club Bruges.
Real reciprocates the sheriff
In group D, too, the first two places are definitely already taken. Real Madrid retaliated with a 3-0 (2-0) win at FC Sheriff Tiraspol for the surprising 1-2 in the first leg. Former Munich-based David Alaba (30th), Toni Kroos (45th +1) and Karim Benzema (55th) met. The French international was sentenced to one year probation and a fine on match day for attempted extortion with a sex video.
The Italian champions Inter Milan had previously set the course for the round of 16. In the 2-0 (0-0) against Shakhtar Donetsk, the former Bundesliga top scorer Edin Dzeko scored twice (61st, 67th).
Thiago Alcantara paved the way with the 1-0 (52nd) in Group B to the fifth victory in the fifth game of Liverpool FC, which prevailed 2-0 (0-0) against FC Porto. Mohamed Salah (70th) put the finishing touches.
Since AC Milan scored their first victory in the parallel game with a 1-0 (0-0) win at Atlético Madrid, these two clubs, like Porto, still have hope of surviving the group stage.
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