Chelsea and Barcelona advance to Champions League last 16

Chelsea beat Qarabag 4-0 and Barcelona drew 0-0 with Juventus to reach knockout stage of the Champions League.

Barcelona star Messi surprisingly started on the bench, with Ernesto Valverde electing to rest the Argentinian ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table La Liga clash at Valencia.
Reuters

Barcelona star Messi surprisingly started on the bench, with Ernesto Valverde electing to rest the Argentinian ahead of Sunday's top-of-the-table La Liga clash at Valencia.

Chelsea advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League with a game to spare after beating 10-man Qarabag 4-0 on Wednesday, securing manager Antonio Conte's 50th victory in all competitions with the Blues.

Barcelona needed only a point to reach the Round of 16 and the Spanish superpower got exactly that against Juventus. A 0-0 draw at last year's runner-up was enough to ensure top spot in Group D.

Already through, Paris Saint-Germain conceded the first goal of its European campaign in the first minute - before then unleashing its unstoppable firepower to thrash Celtic 7-1 in Paris.

A goalless draw at Basel would have been enough for Manchester United to top Group A, but the Premier League club slipped to its first group stage loss, going down 1-0 to a goal conceded just a minute from time.

Here is a look at what happened in Wednesday's games:

Group A matches

In group A, Manchester United was deservedly beaten 1-0 by a spirited Basel, leaving all the qualification places open with one game remaining. Basel defender Michael Lang struck in the 89th minute to earn a win for the Swiss champion.

Still, United leads the standings with 12 points, three clear of both Basel and CSKA Moscow, which earlier won 2-0 at home to last-place Benfica.

In the final round on Dec. 5, Basel plays at last-place Benfica, and United hosts CSKA.

Georgy Shchennikov gave CSKA an early lead, despite an apparent offside. Then an own goal from Jardel ensured that Benfica — which is eliminated — suffered its fifth defeat in five Champions League games.

Group B matches

Neymar scored twice and set up another goal as Paris Saint-Germain produced its biggest Champions League win to extend its perfect record in the group stage this season.

PSG leads Group B with 15 points, three more than Bayern Munich, which won 2-1 at Anderlecht. Both PSG and Bayern are guaranteed a spot in the knockout phase and will battle for group supremacy on December 5.

Reuters

First-half goals from Eden Hazard and Willian put Chelsea in control, with Cesc Fabregas adding a third before Willian netted again to cap the rout and knock Qarabag out of the competition.

Group C matches 

Following a humbling 3-0 loss in Rome, Willian led Chelsea's efforts to get its European campaign back on track, scoring a goal in each half and winning a penalty.

Eden Hazard made it 1-0 from the penalty spot in the 21st minute, calmly sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. Home team captain Rashad F Sadygov had received a straight red card for tugging back Willian just inside the area as the Chelsea forward ran onto Eden Hazard's pass.

Hazard then fed Willian with a back-heel pass to make it 2-0 in the 37th.

Qarabag, the first club from Azerbaijan to reach the group stage of the Champions League, had no better luck in the second half. Cesc Fabregas scored from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute and Willian added his second goal, a drive from 20 meters, five minutes from time.

Antoine Griezmann found the net with a stunning overhead kick as Atletico Madrid defeated Roma 2-0 to keep alive its hopes of advancing.

Atletico has six points, two less than Roma, with one match to play.

Group D matches

Juventus will have to wait until the final round to try and qualify for the knockout stages. The Italian side remained second in the group but is only a point above Sporting Lisbon, which beat Olympiakos 3-1.

The Italian side — which reached the final in two of the last three seasons — next visits Olympiakos, while Sporting travels to Barcelona.

Barcelona, which rested Lionel Messi until the 56th minute, went closest to breaking the deadlock when Ivan Rakitic hit the post with a free kick.

In Portugal, Bas Dost scored a goal in each half for Sporting Lisbon. Bruno Cesar added the third while Vadis Odjidja scored the consolation goal for Olympiakos.

Route 6