Three Champions League knockout places were up for grabs on the final day of action, and Matchday 6 delivered. AC Milan, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Tottenham booked places in the final 16, while a number of clubs fell just short.
England and German clubs performed excellently in the group stage, with only one of the nine clubs, Bayer Leverkusen, failing to reach the knockout rounds.
Barcelona are one of the surprise big clubs to crash out of the Champions League group stage and suffer elimination, while fellow Spanish club Atletico Madrid have also been knocked out early. Juventus have been eliminated too, but some places will go down to the final matchday.
A reminder that the Champions League group stage tiebreakers were based on head-to-head results between teams even on points: points gained in direct matchups, followed by goal difference in those matches, and goals scored in those games. This means that if two teams are level on points in the standings, the side with the better performances across the two matches between the two teams in question will move ahead.
The Sporting News brings you a full look at how the group stage shook out after all the group stage matches came and went.
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Who has advanced to Champions League knockout stage?
All 16 knockout stage qualifiers have now been determined, and the places are set. Third-place finishers drop to the Europa league, while those that finish bottom are out of Europe entirely.
| Group | 1st Place (Group Winners) |
2nd Place (Group Runners-up) |
|---|---|---|
| A | Napoli | Liverpool |
| B | Porto | Club Brugge |
| C | Bayern Munich | Inter Milan |
| D | Tottenham | Eintracht Frankfurt |
| E | Chelsea | RB Salzburg |
| F | Real Madrid | RB Leipzig |
| G | Man City | Borussia Dortmund |
| H | Benfica | PSG |
Champions League Group A scenarios
Group A standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Napoli | 5-0-1 | +14 | 15 |
| 2. | Liverpool | 5-0-1 | +11 | 15 |
| 3. | Ajax | 2-0-4 | -5 | 6 |
| 4. | Rangers | 0-0-6 | -20 | 0 |
Group A scenarios
Napoli obliterated everyone standing in their way amongst Group A with Liverpool also joining them in the knockout stages. The two clubs finished level on points and on the head-to-head tiebreaker, but Napoli moves on via goal differential. Ajax secure a Europa League spot while Rangers were incredibly poor throughout the group stage.
Knockout round clinched: Napoli, Liverpool
Knockout round eliminated: Ajax, Rangers
Group B standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Porto | 4-0-2 | +5 | 12 |
| 2. | Club Brugge | 3-2-1 | +3 | 11 |
| 3. | Bayer Leverkusen | 1-2-3 | -4 | 5 |
| 4. | Atletico Madrid | 1-2-3 | -4 | 5 |
Group B scenarios
Club Brugge were not expected to be crushing Group B like they did through the first four rounds, but Porto pipped the group on the final matchday, with the Belgian side finishing second. For the first time in his career, Atletico Madrid finished bottom of the group, crashing out of Europe altogether.
Knockout round clinched: Porto, Club Brugge
Knockout round eliminated: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid
Group C standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Bayern Munich | 6-0-0 | +16 | 18 |
| 2. | Inter Milan | 3-1-2 | +3 | 10 |
| 3. | Barcelona | 2-1-3 | 0 | 7 |
| 4. | Viktoria Plzen | 0-0-6 | -17 | 0 |
Group C scenarios
In what was dubbed the “Group of Death” for this year’s Champions League, Bayern Munich impressed greatly, winning out in a perfect six-game run. Inter Milan advance behind them thanks to a pair of victories over Barcelona. The Blaugrana, meanwhile, crash out of the Champions League group stage for the second straight season and will have to settle for a place in the Europa League.
MORE: Barcelona suffers Champions League group stage elimination for second straight season
Knockout round clinched: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan
Knockout round eliminated: Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen
Group D standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tottenham | 3-2-1 | +2 | 11 |
| 2. | Eintracht Frankfurt | 3-1-2 | -1 | 10 |
| 3. | Sporting CP | 2-1-3 | -1 | 7 |
| 4. | Marseille | 2-0-4 | 0 | 6 |
Group D scenarios
Group D was one of the most hotly contested groups, and it came down to the final minutes of the final matchday. What a finish!
Tottenham emerge victorious thanks to a come-from-behind win at Marseille on the final day. Eintracht Frankfurt does the exact same thing to down Sporting CP and secure advancement, continuing the German side’s European magic. The Portuguese side earns a place in the Europa League as a consolation, while Marseille disappointingly crash out of Europe altogether, with the final blow coming late in the final seconds of the final match.
Knockout round clinched: Tottenham, Eintracht Frankfurt
Knockout round eliminated: Sporting CP, Marseille
Group E standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chelsea | 4-1-1 | +6 | 13 |
| 2. | AC Milan | 3-1-2 | +5 | 10 |
| 3. | RB Salzburg | 1-3-2 | -4 | 6 |
| 4. | Dinamo Zagreb | 1-1-4 | -7 | 4 |
Group E scenarios
Chelsea clinched a knockout stage spot before the final matchday, but the second spot came down to the last fixture. In a decisive result, AC Milan clobbered RB Salzburg in Italy to emphatically stamp a place in the knockout stage, while the Austrian side drops to the Europa League. After an emphatic opening to the group stage by beating Chelsea, it all fell apart for Dinamo Zagreb.
Knockout round clinched: Chelsea, AC Milan
Knockout round eliminated: RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb
Group F standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Real Madrid | 4-1-1 | +9 | 13 |
| 2. | RB Leipzig | 4-0-2 | +4 | 12 |
| 3. | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1-3-2 | -2 | 6 |
| 4. | Celtic | 0-2-4 | -11 | 2 |
Group F scenarios
Real Madrid was the first team to confirm a place in the Champions League knockout stage, cruising to the group’s top spot. RB Leipzig left it late, but confirmed the second spot with a final-day victory on the road at Shakhtar Donestk, with the Ukrainian club dropping to the Europa League. Celtic join Rangers as a last-placed club, able to garner only two points all group stage.
- Knockout round clinched: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig
- Knockout round eliminated: Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic
Group G standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Man City | 4-2-0 | +12 | 14 |
| 2. | Borussia Dortmund | 2-3-1 | +5 | 9 |
| 3. | Sevilla | 1-2-3 | -6 | 5 |
| 4. | FC Copenhagen | 0-3-3 | -11 | 3 |
Group G scenarios
Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund cruised through through to the knockout stage, while Sevilla and FC Copenhagen miss out. Sevilla will drop to the Europa League, while FC Copenhagen are out.
This was one that was entirely wrapped up before the final matchday, rendering those two last fixtures meaningless.
- Knockout round clinched: Man City, Borussia Dortmund
- Knockout round eliminated: Sevilla, FC Copenhagen
Group H standings
| Rank | Club | W-D-L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Benfica | 4-2-0 | +9 | 14 |
| 2. | PSG | 4-2-0 | +9 | 14 |
| 3. | Juventus | 1-0-5 | -4 | 3 |
| 4. | Maccabi Haifa | 1-0-5 | -14 | 3 |
Group H scenarios
The Champions League places were PSG and Benfica’s well before the final day, but Juventus barely survived to secure the Europa League spot. Maccabi Haifa gave it a good go, but it came apart in the second half of the final game against Benfica, and they fall just short. A commendable European journey for the Israeli side.
Interestingly, Benfica’s resounding finish pushes them above PSG on goals scored, having to progress through a significant number of the tiebreakers to separate the two sides.
Knockout round clinched: PSG, Benfica
Knockout round eliminated: Juventus, Maccabi Haifa
Champions League group tiebreaker rules
Every goal matters in the UEFA Champions League because it could come into play in the tiebreakers should teams finish even on points at the end of the group stage (three points for a win, one for a draw, none for a loss).
If two or more teams are tied on points in the group standings, there is a series of UEFA Champions League group stage tiebreakers outlined in 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 quirk to the tiebreaker rules: if there are three or more teams deadlocked on points and tiebreakers No. 1-3 help to separate only one of those teams, then tiebreakers No. 1-3 are reapplied to any remaining teams that are still tied before moving on to tiebreakers No. 4-10.
