Barcelona fought back strongly in the second half to beat Copenhagen 4-1 at the Camp Nou, securing a top-eight finish and direct qualification to the last 16 of the Champions League.
Goals from Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, Rafinha and Marcus Rashford on Wednesday took the Catalans to fifth place on 16 points, level with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sporting, but ahead of them on goal difference.
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Copenhagen shocked the hosts from the start, with 17-year-old Viktor Dadasson beating Joao Garcia to open the scoring in the fourth minute, but Barcelona started the second half with a counterattack.
Yamal equalized in the 48th minute by setting up Lewandowski’s goal, then scored himself in the 60th minute with a shot that was helplessly deflected by Copenhagen keeper Dominik Kotarski. Raphinha made it 3-1 from the penalty spot after Lewandowski was fouled, and Rashford added a fourth goal with a free kick in the 85th minute.
“We all came here tonight thinking of finishing in the top eight. I’m very happy with the win,” Yamal, 18, told Movistar Plus.
“When you concede a goal in the Champions League, it’s very difficult to get back. But the team was very tenacious and we managed to come back. Considering the number of games in the season, two fewer games makes us feel a lot better.”
Despite the comfortable final result, Barcelona endured a frustrating first half, during which Copenhagen took a shock lead.
Dadasson wowed the home crowd after Mohamed Elyounoussi sent in a defence-splitting pass and Dadson broke through Barça’s high defensive line and fired a low shot past keeper García.
Barcelona, clearly unsteady, attacked in vain for the first 45 minutes. While Rafinha and Lewandowski had chances to equalize, Eric Garcia came closest to equalizing with a powerful shot in the 33rd minute.
But in the second half, Barcelona completely transformed.
Just three minutes after the restart, Yamal burst forward on the counter-attack, weaving past Copenhagen’s defenders and selflessly slotting the ball into an empty net for Lewandowski.
The hosts took control and increased the tempo, pinning Copenhagen deep in their own half, with Barça taking the lead at the hour mark through Yamal’s goal. Yamal’s deflected shot from inside the box looped over the stranded Kotarski and into the top corner.
Raphinha scored from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Lewandowski was brought down inside the area while attempting a shot, and substitute Rashford equalized.
Barcelona displayed a clinical attack, but questions remained about their defensive organization. They finished the league without conceding a goal and had the worst defense of the top 13 teams.
PSG draws 1-1 with Newcastle due to Dembele’s penalty miss
Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele had an unforgettable night as defending champions Paris Saint-Germain drew 1-1 with Newcastle in the Champions League, missing an early penalty and a great chance from close range.
The draw meant that both teams were out of the top eight of the league table, meaning they would not automatically qualify for the last 16. Instead, they will advance to the playoffs.
PSG were awarded an early penalty after less than a minute had passed when Bradley Barcola slipped behind the defense on the left. The ball hit Barcola’s arm after being tackled by an oncoming defender, and then into the arm of Lewis Miley, who was just behind him.
Although Miley apparently had no vision and the handball was an accident, referee Slavko Vincic awarded the spot kick after a short video review.
Dembele tried to find the bottom right corner, but goalkeeper Nick Pope made a great save. In the 8th minute, after Hviča Kvaratscheria set up in front of the penalty area, Vicinha curled a shot into the top corner and Pope was defeated.
Dembele, who scored 35 goals last season, responded to a cross from the left in the 40th minute, scooped the ball up from 10 meters and sent it well over the crossbar.
Joe Willock equalized for the visitors in first-half stoppage time, but substitute Harvey Barnes missed a chance to give the visitors the lead with seconds remaining.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern, Sporting, Man City and Chelsea also finished the UCL stage in style.
Liverpool defeated Qarabag 6-0 and finished the group stage in style, finishing in 3rd place. Alexis Mac Allister scored twice and Mohamed Salah also scored.
Chelsea were led 2-1 by Napoli, but with two goals from Joao Pedro they won 3-2 and moved up to 6th place, but with the defeat Napoli dropped down the table and fell to 30th place.
That means five of England’s six clubs are in the last 16, with Newcastle still likely to join them.
Portugal’s Sporting defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-2 thanks to a goal from Alisson Santos, snatching a spot in the top eight and effectively relegating Real Madrid to the play-offs.
Manchester City defeated Galatasaray 2-0 at home to move from 11th to eighth place, avoiding a repeat of last season when they missed out on the last 16 after losing to Real Madrid in the play-offs.
Arsenal, who, like Bayern Munich, were already assured of a top-eight finish, beat bottom club Kairat Almaty 3-2 to become the first club to finish with 100% in the new 36-team group format. Runners-up Bayern won 2-1 against PSV Eindhoven, and the Dutch club was eliminated.
Just like last season, UEFA’s expanded Champions League group stage proved a masterpiece with tension lasting until the final seconds of matchday eight matches.
Only four of the 36 clubs were guaranteed elimination before the 18 games started, with only Arsenal and Bayern Munich guaranteed to make it to the last 16.
While Barcelona, Manchester City and Sporting all had their chances, some of the teams that started outside the top eight needed wins and other results to take advantage of them.
Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki scored for City.
Inter Milan got a much-needed win by defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 away, but like fellow Italian side Juventus, they must have a chance in the play-offs.
Juventus had no choice but to draw 0-0 with Monaco. Dortmund finished 17th and missed out on seeding for the playoffs.
Nowhere was the drama more captivating than at Atlético Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, where Diego Simeone’s side hosted Norway’s Bodo/Glimt. Atlético took the lead thanks to a goal from Alexander Soros and briefly moved into the top eight, but Bodo, who surprised Manchester City last week, hit back with goals from Fredrik Sjövold and Kasper Ho, winning 2-1 and sending the debutant Arctic side into the play-offs in 23rd place.
Atlético finished 14th and will have to be satisfied with being one of the seeded teams in the two-legged play-off.
Napoli and PSV Eindhoven were not the only notable clubs to finish below the elimination trapdoor.
Marseille were aiming for a top 16 place and a play-off seed, but suffered a 3-0 defeat to Club Brugge and finished in 25th place, with Brugge gaining a play-off spot in return.
Teams finishing 9th through 24th will find out who they will face in the playoffs during Friday’s drawing.
