It actually happened. The winner of one of the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League groups came down to the sixth tiebreaker.
Group H was decided on the most away goals scored in the group stage after both PSG and Benfica won their final match to finish even on points, head-to-head results, goal differential, and goals scored.
So it ultimately came down to away goals scored in the tournament, and thanks to a 6-1 win over Maccabi Haifa in Israel, the Portuguese side claimed top spot.
Benfica joined seven other group winners that advanced to the Champions League knockouts as seeded teams. They will be drawn against one of the eight group runners-up in the November 7 Round of 16 draw. Third-place finishers clinch a spot in the Europa League knockout playoffs.
MORE: Round of 16 draw date, seeds and rules
Below you’ll find the official list of group-stage tiebreakers that were used:
Champions League group stage tiebreakers
The full list of UEFA Champions League group stage tiebreakers follow below as per the official tournament regulations:
- points obtained in group matches played among teams in question
- superior goal difference from group matches played among teams in question
- goals scored in group matches played among teams in question
- superior goal difference in all group matches
- goals scored in all group matches
- away goals scored in all group matches
- wins in all group matches
- away wins in all group matches
- disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards
- UEFA club coefficient
One twist to the tiebreaker rules: If there had been three or more teams deadlocked on points and tiebreakers No. 1-3 successfully separated one or more of those teams, then tiebreakers No. 1-3 would have been reapplied to any remaining teams that were still tied before moving on to tiebreakers No. 4-10.
Here’s how each of the groups wrapped up. There were four tiebreaker situations involving two teams in each case.
Champions League group tables
Group A table
Liverpool became the first team to beat Napoli this season 2-0, but it wasn’t enough to overcome them for first place after Napoli beat Liverpool 4-1 in their first meeting. (Napoli won on the second tiebreaker with a +1 goal differential in matches against Liverpool.)
Ajax got their second victory over Rangers to claim third place and a Europa League knockout playoff berth.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Napoli-Q | 15 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 6 | +14 |
| 2. Liverpool-Q | 15 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 6 | +11 |
| 3. Ajax Amsterdam-UEL | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 16 | -5 |
| 4. Rangers-E | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 22 | -20 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group B final table
Porto emerged as Group B winner on the final matchday after defeating Atletico Madrid. Coupled with Club Brugge’s scoreless draw at Bayer Leverkusen, the Belgian side was bumped into second place at the final hurdle after leading most of the way.
Atletico Madrid finished in last place, missing out on third place and the Europa League playoffs. They finished level with Bayer Leverkusen on five points, but the German club came away with more points in their two head-to-head battles (a win and draw).
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Porto-Q | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 7 | +5 |
| 2. Club Brugge-Q | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | +3 |
| 3. Bayer Leverkusen-UEL | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | -4 |
| 4. Atletico Madrid-E | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | -4 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group C table
In what was dubbed the “Group of Death” for this year’s Champions League, Bayern Munich didn’t flinch, winning all six matches and only conceding two goals.
Inter Milan’s two results against Barcelona (home win and road draw) were enough to see it gain the edge in the table. Barcelona will be heading to the Europa League knockout playoffs, while Viktoria Plzen were no match for any of the other three.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bayern Munich-Q | 18 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | +16 |
| 2. Inter Milan-Q | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 7 | +3 |
| 3. Barcelona-UEL | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 4. Viktoria Plzen-E | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 24 | -19 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group D table
Group D was wide open going into the final matchday and it delivered with comeback road victories by both Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt to claim the top two spots.
Tottenham were down 1-0 at the half and won their match in Marseille 2-1 on a stoppage time Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg goal. Marseille needed to win at all costs to make it into the Champions League Round of 16, but a draw would have at least allowed them to drop into the Europa League. Instead, the loss knocked them out of Europe entirely.
Sporting CP were leading Eintracht Frankfurt, but a Daichi Kamada penalty and a Randal Kolo Muani strike inside 20 minutes left gave the German side second place. Before Tottenham struck for their late winner, Frankfurt were on the verge of winning the group, but they’ll settle for second.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tottenham-Q | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | +2 |
| 2. Eintracht Frankfurt-Q | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 8 | -1 |
| 3. Sporting CP-UEL | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 9 | -1 |
| 4. Marseille-E | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group E table
Chelsea won the group on Matchday 5 and all that was left to be decided in the group finale was the second Round of 16 berth.
The final day showdown between AC Milan and RB Salzburg would determine the other Round of 16 qualifier and the Italian side coasted to a 4-0 home win to clinch it.
RB Salzburg settles for third place and a berth in the Europa League knockout playoffs since Dinamo Zagreb failed to beat Chelsea, instead losing 2-1.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Chelsea-Q | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 |
| 2. AC Milan-Q | 10 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 |
| 3. RB Salzburg-UEL | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 9 | -4 |
| 4. Dinamo Zagreb-E | 4 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 11 | -7 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group F table
Real Madrid were already mathematically through before the final day, but they clinched first place thanks to a 5-1 smashing of Celtic.
Shakhtar Donetsk could have advanced with a home win over German side RB Leipzig, but instead they lost 4-0 and will settle for a Europa League playoff berth.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Real Madrid-Q | 13 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 |
| 2. RB Leipzig-Q | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 9 | +4 |
| 3. Shakhtar Donetsk-UEL | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 |
| 4. Celtic-E | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 15 | -11 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group G table
There was nothing to play for on the final day in Group G since all the places were decided. Manchester City still beat Sevilla after going down 1-0, and FC Copenhagen held Borussia Dortmund to a 1-1 draw.
Even if Copenhagen had won that match, it wouldn’t have been enough to beat out Sevilla for third place. Sevilla was already guaranteed of the Europa League knockout playoff berth since they held the tiebreaker over FC Copenhagen after a win and draw against the Danes.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Manchester City-Q | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 2 | +12 |
| 2. Borussia Dortmund-Q | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 5 | +5 |
| 3. Sevilla-UEL | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 12 | -6 |
| 4. FC Copenhagen-E | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 12 | -11 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
Group H table
Benfica and PSG finished tied atop the group on points. And so the tiebreaker list was necessary to determine who would be declared the group winner.
PSG beat Juventus 2-1 on the final matchday, while Benfica rolled Maccabi Haifa 6-1 in Israel. So here’s how it went down with the group stage tiebreakers:
- points obtained in group matches played among teams in question (BOTH MATCHES FINISHED 1-1)
- superior goal difference from group matches played among teams in question (IT WAS EVEN 2-2 FOR BOTH)
- goals scored in group matches played among teams in question (BOTH TEAMS SCORED 2 GOALS)
- superior goal difference in all group matches (BOTH TEAMS FINISHED WITH +9)
- goals scored in all group matches (BOTH TEAMS SCORED 16 GOALS)
- away goals scored in all group matches (BENFICA BEATS PSG 9-6)
So after 540 minutes of action, the sixth tiebreaker was ultimately required to separate the two group leaders.
| Team | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Benfica-Q | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 |
| 2. PSG-Q | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 16 | 7 | +9 |
| 3. Juventus-UEL | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 13 | -4 |
| 4. Maccabi Haifa-E | 3 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 21 | -14 |
- Q = qualified to the Round of 16
- UEL = clinched berth to Europa League knockout playoffs
- E = eliminated
