PSG through to Champions League last 16 despite draw with Dortmund
- Paris Saint-Germain have made it to the last 16 of the Champions League despite a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, while Porto are also through thanks to a 5-3 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Berlin, 14 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Paris Saint-Germain have made it to the last 16 of the Champions League despite a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, while Porto are also through thanks to a 5-3 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.
Dortmund were ahead in the 51st minute with Karim Adeyemi, but PSG equalized just five minutes later. The French side thought they had a second in the 76th but Kylian Mbappe's effort was ruled out for offside.
The draw was enough to crown Dortmund Group F winners and secure PSG a spot in the last 16 after AC Milan defeated Newcastle 2-1 in the other group game and finished tied in points with PSG, but had to settle for the Europa League due to the negative head-to-head record against the French team.
"Big compliment to the team for finishing top of the group. It was a wild game today. In the end, I think it was a fair draw. There were plenty of chances on both sides," Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus told broadcasters DAZN.
Porto had an entertaining fight with Shakhtar in a game they had a narrow 3-2 lead until the 75th, when Pepe scored their fourth goal. Francisco Conceição added a fifth before Shakhtar pulled one back in the 88th.
Barcelona, meanwhile, were already through, but ended the group stage with a 3-2 defeat at Antwerp. Earlier, Manchester City youngsters led the English side to a 3-2 win at Red Star Belgrade and RB Leipzig defeated Young Boys 2-1.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid won 2-0 against Lazio - both already qualified to the last 16 - while Celtic defeated Feyenoord 2-1.
Adeyemi gave Dortmund the lead in the 51st after the PSG defence lost the ball dangerously close to their area and it ended up with the striker, who hit the net from close range.
But PSG found a quick response after Mbappe burst away down the left and dropped the ball to Warren Zaïre-Emery, who then drilled a low strike past the keeper.
Mbappe himself was on target in the 76th, but his goal was ruled out for offside. Luckily for PSG, Samuel Chukwueze secured Milan a late comeback win against Newcastle and ended any chances the English side had of advancing to the knock-out stage.
"We’re happy but we know we could have done better. First place was the objective, but we’re happy to have finished second in the end. We played well, but football is like that at times, sometimes the ball just doesn’t want to go in," Zaïre-Emery told broadcasters Canal+.
Defender Marquinhos stressed: "It was important to qualify no matter what. From now until the next round, we’re going to have to prepare well and prepare better because big opponents will be on the way."
Newcastle had found the breakthrough with Joelinton in the 33rd, with the temporary win sending them into the last 16, but Christian Pulisic equalized in the 59th before Chukwueze's final blow.
"We're disappointed to have ended our run in the Champions League. We knew the group was tough but I believe we deserved more – we should have taken our chances in the other games," Milan coach Stefano Pioli told Sky Sports.
Porto broke the deadlock in the ninth with Galeano, who completed his brace in the 43rd after Danylo Sikan had levelled for Shakhtar in the 29th.
Mehdi Taremi gave Porto a comfortable 3-1 lead in the 62nd, but Eustaquio's own goal put Shakhtar back into the game in the 72nd. That didn't last long as veteran Pepe was on target just three minutes later, before Conceição followed suit.
Eguinaldo added a third to Shakhtar but it was already too late for a comeback.
"This team deserves this victory for the effort we made from the start of this group stage. In Porto, we never play for a draw, even though that result also suited us," Galeno told CNN Portugal.
Photo: EPA