Energized by a change of manager and another opportunistic finish by Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a game to spare on Tuesday.
Another newly appointed coach sill has work to do, though, to get Barcelona into the last 16.
United was led for the first time by Michael Carrick following the weekend firing of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and, just like his predecessor, the interim manager was left to be thankful for a goal by the Champions League’s record scorer.
Ronaldo produced a sublime lobbed finish to put United ahead against Villarreal and a 90th-minute strike by Jadon Sancho — his first goal since joining for $100 million in the offseason — sealed a 2-0 win to secure progress as the winner of Group F. Ronaldo has scored in all five group games so far, and now has a record-extending 140 Champions League goals in his career.
Another English team, defending champion Chelsea, also advanced on the back of a 4-0 win over already-qualified Juventus, which slumped to its heaviest ever loss in the Champions League. With Liverpool also qualified and Manchester City likely to join them, the Premier League will again be well represented in the knockout stage.
Barcelona, now coached by former star midfielder Xavi Hernandez, has advanced from its group every season for almost two decades but a 0-0 draw at home to Benfica means the Spanish club might need to beat Bayern Munich in the final round of games to advance.
All four teams in Group G are separated by three points and could still qualify heading into their last games after wins for Lille and Sevilla over Salzburg and Wolfsburg, respectively.
Ronaldo had already scored two winners and a late equalizer in the Champions League this season before his smartly taken go-ahead goal against Villarreal in the 78th minute, prompted by Fred winning the ball high up the field.
And both Fred and Ronaldo featured in a counterattack that ended with Sancho smashing a shot in off the underside of the crossbar to seal the win.
Carrick made a big call in his first game in charge by dropping playmaker Bruno Fernandes in a bid to set up in a more solid fashion and protect a defense that has been overrun this season. It led to a first clean sheet of the group stage.
More joy was to follow as Atalanta’s wild 3-3 draw at Young Boys meant United cannot be displaced as group leader courtesy of its superior head-to-head record against Villarreal, which is three points back in second place.
Atalanta, which is a point further back, grabbed a point thanks to Luis Muriel’s 87th-minute free kick with his first touch after coming on as a substitute.
It was a bittersweet night for Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
The thrashing of Juventus, achieved courtesy of goals by academy graduates Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi as well as a fourth by substitute Timo Werner, was marred by knee injuries to key players N’Golo Kante and Ben Chilwell.
Kante went off in the first half while Chilwell looked in agony as he was helped off the field in the 71st.
Chelsea and Juventus, who are tied on 12 points with a game left to play, both started an American in Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, respectively. They were two of six Americans to start Tuesday, a record in one night of group play.
Zenit St. Petersburg is assured of finishing third and going into the Europa League knockout stage after drawing 1-1 at Malmo, which will end the group stage in last place but at least has a goal to show for its efforts.
Barcelona missed a string of chances at the Camp Nou and stayed two points ahead of Benfica.
If Barca fails to beat Bayern away, Benfica could overtake the Spanish club with a win at home to already-eliminated Dynamo Kyiv. If they finish tied on points, Benfica would advance courtesy of their head-to-head record.
Helping Barca is the fact that Bayern has little to play for — except, maybe, the chance to knock out a historic rival, albeit one that has lost its aura following the departure of Lionel Messi and other big-name players amid financial problems.
Bayern had already qualified for the last 16 before its 2-1 win at Dynamo Kyiv and the result secured the German champions first place in the group.
Robert Lewandowski — with an overhead kick — and Kingsley Coman scored the goals for a threadbare Bayern squad missing nine players, with seven unavailable because either they tested positive for the coronavirus or were unvaccinated and had contact with a positive case.
Lille moved top of its group after Canada striker Jonathan David scored his 12th goal of the season to seal a 1-0 win over Salzburg, which dropped a point back in second.
Sevilla jumped into third place, above Wolfsburg, with a 2-0 victory over the German team thanks to goals by Joan Jordán and Rafa Mir.
In the final games, Wolfsburg hosts Lille and Salzburg is at home to Sevilla.
Man United, Chelsea advance in Champions League; Barcelona made to wait
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Man United, Chelsea advance in Champions League; Barcelona made to wait
- Chelsea and Juventus, who are tied on 12 points with a game left to play
Zemmer fires 7-birdie round to lead Hilton Classic in Morocco
- 5-under round leaves Zimmer 1 shot ahead of compatriot Matteo Cristoni as Italy dominates early leaderboard
TANGIER: Italy’s Aron Zemmer produced a composed and clinical display to card a five-under-par opening round and claim the first-round lead at the Hilton Classic here on Monday.
Zemmer’s compatriot Matteo Cristoni was just one shot behind, giving the Azzurri a strong early lead at the second event of the MENA Golf Tour’s Morocco Series at Al-Houara Golf Club in Tangier.
Zemmer, who started from the 10th tee, carded seven birdies against two bogeys in strong, swirling wind that made scoring difficult throughout the field.
He birdied three consecutive holes from the third before adding another at the ninth to make the turn four-under, and despite dropping shots at 11 and 12, responded with birdies at 15 and 18 to sign for a 67.
Despite a three-putt early in his round, Zemmer was in good spirits, riding the confidence of a strong performance at last week’s Al -Houara Classic. “To make seven birdies in those conditions is very pleasing,” Zemmer said.
“I came into the week feeling confident after playing well last week, and my iron play was solid which allowed me to go at a few pins. I made a small adjustment to my putting setup which definitely helped today.”
Also starting from the 10th, Cristoni was equally impressive, making birdies at 10 and 13 before picking up further shots at the third, fourth and sixth on the front nine. A sole bogey at the seventh was the only blemish on a four-under 68.
Ireland’s Alex Maguire shares second place on four-under par after a round that featured arguably the shot of the day, an eagle at the par-five 15th alongside four birdies.
Maguire admitted he had been hard on himself after a disappointing finish at last week’s Al-Houara Classic but found inspiration on the morning of his round from a fellow Irishman, Ryder Cup star Shane Lowry.
Lowry’s widely-reported interview about throwing away a three-shot lead down the stretch at the Cognizant Classic on the PGA Tour struck a chord. “It was very, very gusty and in many ways it felt like it got harder as the round went on,” Maguire said.
“The front nine was more constant, you could read the wind and commit to a number, but on the back nine it became really unpredictable. It’s much more about feel and experience in these conditions.
“The first thing I saw this morning was Shane Lowry talking about going through something similar at a much bigger event and saying you’ve just got to keep teeing it up and not dwell on it.
“It helped me stop feeling sorry for myself and just get on with it, and I think that showed today.”
Four players share fourth place on three-under par: France’s Pierre Pineau, Scotland’s Sebastian Sandin, England’s Curtis Knipes and Pakistan’s Aadam Syed.
Pineau, who chipped in twice on what he described as two of the toughest holes on the course, credited his experience of playing in Ireland and Scotland for helping him handle the breeze.
“My driving was especially solid and I played very well tee to green,” Pineau said. “Having played so many tournaments in Ireland and Scotland, I’m used to these kinds of conditions.”
Knipes, who felt he benefited from the draw as the wind eased later in his round, was encouraged by his form heading into the second day.
“The wind was pumping and swirling at times but my game feels in a better spot than last week,” he said. “When you look at the scoring overall it’s a very good round in those conditions.”
Seven players are tied for eighth on two-under par: Toby Hunt (Wales), Haiko Dana (Spain), Alfonso Buendia (Spain), Michael Stewart (Scotland), Zubair Firdaus (Malaysia), Brody Harbinson (Australia) and Andoni Etchenique (France).
Ayoub Lguirati was the highest-placed Moroccan, the home favorite carding a level-par round to share 18th position and keeping local interest alive in the tournament.
Round two takes place on Tuesday, with the final round on Wednesday. The Hilton Classic has a prize fund of $100,000 and awards Official World Golf Ranking points.
