The Champions League Round-up: Final Matchday

14 December, 2023

And we are done finally! The Champions League group stage is finally over with teams like Newcastle and Manchester United crashing out of the tournament and not even qualifying for the round of 16 as well as the Europa League places. Other than them, the sides that were pretty much predicted to qualify have confirmed their name in the knockout rounds with FC København being the only team nobody would have thought might have their name in it.

Atletico vs Lazio  

Final score line: 2-0

Scorers: Antoine Griezmann (6’) assisted by Samuel Lino

               Samuel Lino (51’)

Match facts: Atletico are on song as they qualify for the round of 16 places in the Champions League being at the top of their group. Antoine Griezmann is the man behind a lot of Atletico’s success this time

Be it when it comes to the league or in the European tournaments. Alvaro Morata is also a household name now to the other club from Madrid he has shone this time out despite being asked to leave the club at the start of the season.

Celtic vs Feyenoord  

Final score line: 2-1

Scorers: L. Palma (33’) Penalty  

              Y. Minteh (82’) assisted by S. Giminez  

               G. Lagerbielke (90+1’) assisted by M. O’Riley

Match facts: Celtic took the game late at home

In Glasgow to register a victory over the In form Feyenoord who have been dominating their league lately. Unfortunately, their win over the Holland-based team did not help them stay in Europe but Brendon Rodgers's team will be hoping to take back some experience from this encounter to bounce back in next year's tournament if they qualify.

Dortmund vs PSG

Final score line: 1-1

Scorers: Karim Adeyemi (51’) assisted by N. Fulkrug  

               Zaire-Emery (56’)

Match facts: 180 plus million euros, yes this is the amount PSG spent on firepower up front last season and it was their homegrown player Zaire-Emery who was the difference maker as he equalized when Dortmund was ahead. As we finish the group of death it’s Dortmund who finished on top of the group with PSG second after their match yesterday in singal Iduna Park. Not to forget Niklas Sule helped Dortmund to a win by making an exceptional goal-line clearance of Kylian Mbappe’s shot which was a sure shot on goal.

Newcastle vs AC Milan

Final score line: 1-2

Scorers: Joelington (32’) assisted by Lewis Miley  

               Christian Pulisic (59’) assisted Olivier Giroud  

                S. Chukwueze  

Match facts: Since the Qatari takeover, Newcastle has become an altogether different team, with some people suggesting it shouldn’t be called the Big Six anymore by the Big Seven. With some great signings along with a great manager, they are playing some splendid football. A Champions League return after a long time couldn’t go as planned as they crashed out of European places but it’s been an experience to learn from with high hopes that they may qualify for the top tournament this season too.

Antwerp vs Barcelona  

Final score line: 3-2

Scorers: A. Vermeeren (2’)  

              Feras Torres (35’) assisted by Lamine Yamal  

              V. Janssen (56’) assisted by A. Yusuf  

              Marc Guiu (90+1’) assisted by Ilkay Gundogan  

              G. Llenikhenna (90+2’) assisted by J. Bataille  

Match facts: Who would have thought a win for the Surprise last season Belgium Champions? Possibly no one. A great match that witnessed some high-end scoring from both sides with the Belgium side eventually being the winner at the end. Former Tottenham forward Vincent Janssen was in good form and also on the scoresheet to be the difference-maker for his side with a well-taken goal. Certain Torres and Marc Guiu scored for their team but their goals weren’t enough to guide their side to win.

Porto vs Shakhtar  

Final score line: 5-3

Scorers: Galeno (9’) assisted by Evan Wilson  

               D. Sikan (29’) assisted by O. Zubkov  

               Galeno (43’) assisted by Pepe  

                Mehdi Taremi (62’) assisted by Galeno

              Stephen Eustaquio (72’) own goal

              Pepe (75’) assisted by Galeno  

              F. Conceicao (82’)  

              Eguinaldo (88’) assisted by T. Stepanenko  

Match facts: The game with the highest scoring encounter had the ball go young the goal line 8 times in total as Porto and Shakhtar both might have had some harsh words for their defense line during the match and after as well. Nevertheless, the Portuguese outfit outscored the Ukrainians by 2 extra goals, their campaign ended pretty much perfectly coming level on points with Barcelona as Shakhtar dropped to the Europa League places to have a hand on the 2nd best trophy in Europe.

Cover Credits: Mob.org