Champions league: Jude the Real deal, Gunners on fire

Geneva, November 30

Advertisement

Arsenal scored six to advance in the Champions League as a group winners and Manchester United stayed last in their group despite again scoring three times away from home.

Arsenal’s 6-0 rout of Lens on Wednesday ensured second-place PSV Eindhoven also advanced from Group B to the Round of 16. PSV’s second-half rally to win 3-2 at Sevilla was clinched by United States forward Ricardo Pepi in stoppage time.

There are now 12 confirmed teams in the Round of 16 draw on December 18 and Man United are in serious danger of missing out.

The three-time European champions led by two goals after 18 minutes at Galatasaray and 3-2 early in the second half but were pegged back again in a wild 3-3 draw.

United only do topsy-turvy road games in Europe this season after 4-3 losses at group winners Bayern Munich and second-place Copenhagen.

A hat-trick of three-goal games on their travels has brought just a single point back for ten Hag’s players, who need to beat Bayern at Old Trafford in two weeks’ time.

Only four other Champions League teams this season have scored more than United’s 12-goal total and they all top their groups and have advanced to the knockout phase.

Real Madrid are one of them after a 4-2 win over second-place Napoli ensured the record 14-time champions will finish atop Group C.

Bayern drew 0-0 with Copenhagen, one of two games with no goals on a night when the other six games delivered 31.

Inter produced the night’s other second-half fightback in a 3-3 draw at Benfica, who wasted a three-goal lead at halftime earned by Joao Mario’s hat-trick against his former club. — AP