After completing the first phase of the Champions League, eight teams secured their direct pass to the round of 16.Sixteen other teams must play a series of round-trip matches to define their continuity in the competition.
Benfica and Real Madrid hosted the most attractive duel of this phase for LaOrejona, but everything was marked by Vinicius Júnior’s complaint after scoring the only goal of the match at the beginning of the second half.The Brazilian attacker accused the referee of having received a racist insult from Gianluca Prestianni before the restart.The game was stopped for 10 minutes and, finally, Francois Letexier warned the young man from the Albiceleste because it could not be verified with the broadcast cameras if that actually happened.
Both had already faced each other at the close of the League Phase, when the Portuguese won 4-2 at home with an unforgettable goal from their goalkeeper Anatoli Trubin’s header.
On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain, current champion of the tournament, worked harder than necessary to turn the match around and win 3-2 as a visitor against Monaco.Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund took a good advantage with their 2-0 victory in Germany against Raffaele Palladino’s Atalanta with a view to the rematch in Italy.
In the first round of the day, Mauro Icardi’s Galatasaray (he was a substitute and entered the complement) beat Juventus 5-2 at home in Istanbul and was in a favorable position to settle the dispute in Turin.
They, added to Inter, Newcastle, Atlético Madrid, Leverkusen, Olympiacos, Brujas, Qarabag and Bodo Glimt, will seek a ticket from the remaining eight to complete the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City already have their place guaranteed in the next round and await their next rivals.
Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus
Stadium: Ali Sami Yen Sports Complex RAMS Park
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta
Stadium: Signal Iduna Park
Monaco 2-3 PSG
Stadium: Luis II Stadium
Benfica 0-1 Real Madrid
Stadium: Estadio da Luz
