FourFourTwo's Champions League winners and losers
FourFourTwo's heroes and villains from match day five, as Tottenham win their group, Chelsea and Manchester City book their places in the knockout stage, and Antoine Griezmann helps keeps Atletico Madrid alive with a stunning volley.
Winners: Tottenham
Take that, Group H. Both Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund have been well short of their traditional best, but for Spurs to have only dropped two points across those four fixtures is some achievement - and their 2-1 win in Germany confirmed that they will be qualifying as group winners. Their reliability in big games at home might still be up for discussion, but their delivery on the continent has been perfect.
Losers: AS Monaco
Not only out of the Champions League, but now eliminated from the Europa League too; Monaco’s loss to RB Leipzig condemned them to last place in Group G. The sales of Kylian Mpabbe, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Benjamin Mendy explain Leonardo Jardim’s woes to an extent, but Tuesday’s 4-1 home defeat was just the latest humiliation in a group which they were still strong enough to win. Peculiar, particularly given their strong domestic form.
Winners: Beşiktaş
Traditionally Turkey’s third club behind Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, but now through to knockout stages for the first time in their history. Beşiktaş fell behind to Porto on Tuesday night, but brilliant build up play from Cenk Tosun left Anderson Tolisca with a tap-in equaliser to make history. A goal very much worth your time if you haven't seen it already.
Loser: Jurgen Klopp
If there is a gripe about Klopp, it’s his habit of detaching himself from his side’s defensive failings. But ultimately, he’s running out of Dejans, Albertos and Simons to blame, because the loss of a half-time three-goal lead in Seville was both highly familiar and representative of a new low. As Liverpool are well aware, for a three-goal lead to be lost something absurd has to happen - and it certainly did at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Winner: Igor Akinfeev
CSKA Moscow enjoyed an excellent night, beating Benfica 2-0 in Russia to stay competitive in Group A - and, in so doing, they brought to an end one of the most notorious ongoing statistics in European football: after a run of 44 games, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev finally has his Champions League clean-sheet.
Loser: Jose Mourinho
Are Manchester United any good? It’s hard to tell. This was a rotten performance - a 1-0 defeat to a very mediocre side and a blown opportunity to tie up the group. Manchester United needed just a point in Switzerland to guarantee their progress and secure top spot, but a dreadful, lethargic showing meant that they’ll return home without even that. Mourinho will make his excuses and United will still progress because of their head-to-head record with CSKA Moscow, but the Portuguese can expect some less than complimentary press over the next few days.
Winners: Chelsea
Antonio Conte’s players have cut cheerfully through Qarabag on two occasions - winning 6-0 in London and 4-0 on Wednesday evening in Baku. Impressive, especially given how stubborn an opponent the Azerbaijanis can be - ask Atletico Madrid (who were held 1-1 in Madrid, 0-0 in Baku). This was a Chelsea performance full of life and intent and Conte will be delighted with how well his players have adapted around his recent tactical tweaks - and, of course, that they’re now guaranteed a place in the next round.
Loser: Brendan Rodgers
You do wonder how long Rodgers’ ego can take this. Nobody expected Celtic to trouble PSG and they certainly didn’t, losing 7-1, but the manner of the defeat was still disappointing. While the Parisiens have enough talent to make anyone look foolish, Rodgers will be chastened by just how easy it was for them at times. It’s difficult for him. His domestic success in Scotland means little to anyone outside the country and these repeated floggings in full view reflect badly on a manager who likes to be talked about in a positive way. How many bruises can that ego take?
Winners: The qualified teams
Congratulations to Tottenham, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Besiktas, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Barcelona, all of whom have qualified with a game to spare. Manchester United are essentially assured of playing in the knockout stages, but will have to wait a fortnight for mathematical confirmation.
Losers: The eliminated sides
Monaco are out after reaching the semi-finals last year, while Anderlecht, APOEL, Celtic, Feyenoord, Maribor, Benfica, Qarabag, Olimpiacos and Borussia Dortmund have all been eliminated with a game to spare. They'll have to console themselves with prize-money cheques for at least €12.7m plus €500k per point won, TV market pool share, gate receipts, sponsorship...
