Champions League: BVB clinches, Leipzig thrills, Frappart makes history
Leipzig #Leipzig
Borussia Dortmund was the only team to clinch a knockout round berth in the 2020-21 Champions League as a wild Matchday 5 continued Wednesday around Europe.
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The day’s results mean Manchester United, PSG, and RB Leipzig are all on nine points heading into the final Group H matchday, while Lazio and Club Brugge can still make it out of Group F.
All this plus the stats for six USMNT players to hit the pitch: Christian Pulisic, Giovanni Reyna, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, and Barca duo Konrad de la Fuente and Sergino Dest.
Here’s what you missed:
Krasnodar 1-0 Stade Rennes
The 12-year-old Russian club has its first Champions League win, as Marcus Berg scored to put the Europa League veterans returning to that tournament as Group E’s third-place team.
Sevilla 0-4 Chelsea — THREE THINGS
Olivier Giroud scored all four goals and Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger were very good at the back as Chelsea won Group E.
Frank Lampard was buzzing for his French center forward, via the BBC.
“Olivier is reliable, full stop. Not just for us but his international goals for France, he’s up there with great French individuals, he’s got great statistics. I’m not too bothered about that in a way but I am bothered about what he gives us on the pitch. There couldn’t be a team-mate there that the players are happier for because of the way Olivier is around the training pitch and in the games.”
Both teams had already advanced to the knockout rounds prior to Matchday 5.
Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Lazio
Raphael Guerreiro’s 44th-minute goal was answered by Ciro Immobile’s second-half penalty, but that was enough for Borussia Dortmund to clinch a knockout round berth.
Lazio will advance to the knockout rounds with a draw or better versus Club Brugge on Tuesday. The Serie A side can win the group in several scenarios that involve Dortmund failing to win at Zenit.
USMNT teen Giovanni Reyna went the distance for BVB, taking three shots and completing 91 percent of his passes. Reyna had two key passes and drew a foul in the win.
Here’s the kid:
Club Brugge 3-0 Zenit-Saint Petersburg
Three different players scored as Club Brugge stayed alive for the knockout rounds with a decisive beating of the visiting Russian powers.
Charles De Ketelaere had it 1-0 at halftime before Hans Vanaken and Noa Lang scored second-half goals to put it to bed.
The Belgians will need to beat Lazio in Rome to advance to the next round.
USMNT goalkeeper Ethan Horvath did not play in the win, as Simon Mignolet kept Club Brugge’s clean sheet.
Ferencvaros 0-3 Barcelona
The Hungarian hosts didn’t have to worry about accounting for Lionel Messi, who didn’t make the trick, but it didn’t matter too much.
Ousmane Dembele had a goal and an assist as Barca built a 3-0 lead before the match was a half-hour old, Antoine Griezmann and Martin Braithwaite also scoring goals.
USMNT back Sergino Dest went 90 minutes at right back, completing 94 percent of his passes, while fellow American teen Konrad de la Fuente was an 80th-minute sub for Braithwaite. De la Fuente completed all seven of his passes on an eight-touch night.
Will Barca and Juve suit up Messi and Ronaldo next week?
Juventus 3-0 Dynamo Kiev
The story before, during, and after the game was referee Stephanie Frappart, as the French official became the first female to oversee a Champions League game and did a fine job at it.
Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata each had a goal and an assist and Cristiano Ronaldo also scored in the win.
American midfielder Weston McKennie started in the center of the park with Aaron Ramsey and Rodrigo Betancur in the historical match, going the distance.
McKennie had two interceptions and three tackles, completing 83 percent of his 53 passes in the win.
Istanbul Basaksehir 3-4 RB Leipzig
What a nutty game in Turkey.
Desperate Leipzig led 2-0 at halftime and 3-1 after 66 minutes but found itself facing a draw when Irfan Can Kahveci completed his hat trick in the 85th minute.
That’s when Alexander Sorloth delivered the goods in a country he lit aflame with goals last season with Trabzonspor. The 24-year-old scored once against Basaksehir during his 24-goal campaign in Turkey last season, and his nasty stoppage-time winner Wednesday will be worth even more to the Norwegian.
American midfielder Tyler Adams entered at halftime with Leipzig ahead 2-1, completing 20-of-21 passes in the win.
Enjoy all the views of Sorloth’s winner, especially the behind-the-goal angle that shows the swerve.
Manchester United 1-3 Paris Saint Germain — THREE THINGS
We’ve covered the United angle of this at length, as Marcus Rashford scored the lone goal and Fred was sent off to thwart the Red Devils’ bid to qualify for the knockout rounds with a match to spare.
But how about PSG? The reigning UCL champions lost to United at home and away to RB Leipzig.
Thomas Tuchel’s men have been disappointing In Ligue 1 to boot, but Neymar picked up him with a brace sandwiched around Marquinhos’ decisive goal.
He’s excited.
“Amazing result. To arrive in Old Trafford with the pressure to win is one of the hard challenges in world football. We earned our luck today by hard work, by good mentality. We fought back and it’s not the most easy time for us in the moment. We’re not playing at our highest level but I saw our team fighting, not accepting to lose, and it paid out in the end for a big, big win.”
The final match day sees United at Leipzig and PSG home to Istanbul Basaksehir, who can still climb into a Europa League spot with a decisive win at the Parc des Princes.
Neymar, btw…
Follow @NicholasMendola
Champions League: BVB clinches, Leipzig thrills, Frappart makes history originally appeared on NBCSports.com