FOOTBALL
Champions League Round-Up: Ronaldo rescues United again, Juventus win
Cristiano Ronaldo struck late once again to salvage a crucial point for Manchester United at the Gewiss Stadium.
The Portugal international had drawn the score level right before halftime, only to see United chasing the game after the break.
Josep Ilicic sent the Atalanta crowd into a frenzy as his shot found its way past David de Gea in the first half.
After Ronaldo’s equalizer, Duvan Zapata restored the home side’s lead in the 56th minute and it almost won the game for them, but a last gasp Ronaldo goal deprived them of all three points.
United were far from their best, but they did enough to hold on to their top position at Group F. A win from their remaining two matches will ensure qualification to the next round.
Chelsea edge Malmo
Reigning champions Chelsea moved closer to the knock-out stages with a 1-0 away win over Malmo.
With Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku unavailable because of injury, Chelsea had a lacklustre display in front of the opposition goal.
But, a rare Hakim Ziyech strike drew the line between the two sides and kept Chelsea second in the group behind Juventus.
Wolfsburg picked up their first European win of the season as the German outfit upset RB Salzburg with a 2-1 win.
New manager Florian Kohfeldt watched on from the sidelines as his team raced to victory, thanks to goals from Ridle Baku and Lucas Nmecha.
The win keeps Wolfsburg’s Champions League knockout stages hopes alive, as they are trailing top-placed Salzburg by only two points now and are level with second place holders Lille.
Villarreal manager Unai Emery has emerged as the likeliest candidate to occupy the Newcastle United vacancy, but that did not distract the Yellow Submarines from the task at hand.
Etienne Capoue and Arnaut Danjuma got their names on the scoresheet as Villarreal cruised past Young Boys with a 2-0 win.
Dybala shines in Juventus win
Juventus maintained their 100% record in this season’s Champions League with a remarkable 4-2 win over Zenit St Peterburg.
Paulo Dybala opened the scoring before Leonardo Bonucci put the ball into the back of his own net to make the scoreline 1-1.
Juventus took control of the match in the second half with goals from Dybala, Federico Chiesa, and Alvaro Morata.
Sardar Azmoun scored in added time to make the score seem more respectable.
Bayern move into last 16
Robert Lewandowski celebrated his 100th Champions League appearance with a hat-trick as Benfica received yet another thrashing at the hands of the Bavarians.
The match ended 5-2 in favour of the German champions and confirmed a knock-out stage spot for them.
Therefore, Barcelona, Benfica, and Dynamo Kyiv will compete for the remaining berth.
Lille turned the tables on Sevilla at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to grab a fantastic away win after falling behind in the first half.
Jonathan Davis canceled out Lucas Ocampos’ 15th minute opener, before Jonathan Ikone won it for Les Dogues in the second half.
Barcelona remained in contention for a knock-out stage spot after picking up their second victory of the season in the Champions League.
Teenage sensation Ansu Fati broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, and then Barcelona survived periods of sustained pressure from the home side to claim all three points.