Inter already in the round of 16, Milan, Atalanta and Juventus in the playoffs, Bologna (but it was already known) out .
These are the final verdicts of the eighth and final day of the Champions League maxi-group, 18 matches played simultaneously with continuous twists and turns and great emotions.
Things could have gone better for the Italians, who were hoping to place at least two, if not three, directly in the eighth finals. The big disappointment of the day was Milan, who had to win in Zagreb to enter the top eight. Instead, the Rossoneri were defeated 2-1 at the end of a horror match , with a defense that was as shaky as ever. The challenge was further compromised by Musah's expulsion in the first half: the Croatians won with goals from Baturina and Pjaca, Pulisic's temporary equalizer was useless.
Atalanta, on the other hand, had to win in Barcelona to get into the top eight, but it ended 2-2 : the Blaugrana took the lead twice with Lamine Yamal and Araujo, with Ederson and Pasalic scoring twice.
It was all easy for Inter, who finished the group stage in fourth place by beating Monaco 3-0 at San Siro, thanks to a hat-trick from an unleashed Lautaro .
Juventus did badly, defeated 2-0 at home by Benfica, goals from Pavlidis and Kokcu .
City, who were down 1-0 against Bruges at half-time and sensationally out of the Champions League, are saved. Guardiola's team overturns the situation in the second half and seals their place in the playoffs.
Finally, Bologna, already mathematically eliminated, drew 1-1 with Sporting in Lisbon : Italiano's team took the lead with Pobega, but were caught up in the second half by Harder's goal.
The playoff draw is on Friday, with the risk of a derby. Milan will find a team between Juventus and Feyenoord, while Juve will draw between the Rossoneri and the other Dutch team PSV . Atalanta, who finished the group in ninth place, will meet one between Sporting and Club Bruges . Inter are also at risk of a derby in the round of 16: Inzaghi's team, fourth, will draw one of the two teams that will emerge from the two playoffs that are in the Milan and Juventus segment.
The list of qualified
Liverpool, Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter, Atletico Madrid, Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa go directly to the last 16 .
The sixteen teams in the playoffs , in order: Atalanta, Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern, Milan, PSV, Psg, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Manchester City, Sporting, Club Bruges.
Eliminated and out of all European competitions : Dinamo Zagreb, Stuttgart, Shaktar, Bologna, Red Star, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague, Leipzig, Girona, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Young Boys.
(Unioneonline/L)
