Sports

Chelsea win group as PSG gain upper hand on Man United

Sports Desk, Dec 2 (efe-epa).- Chelsea won Champions League Group E Wednesday with a 4-0 away triumph over Sevilla, while Paris Saint-Germain defeated Manchester United 3-1 to give themselves an edge in the scramble to advance from hotly contested Group H.

Barcelona stayed perfect by beating Ferencvaros and they look likely to claim the top spot in Group G, though Juventus could steal the crown in a Match Day 6 showdown at Camp Nou.

Borussia Dortmund held Lazio 1-1 to punch their ticket for the knockout stage, but will need to prevail against Zenit St. Petersburg to be sure of finishing first in Group F.

Dortmund joined holders Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Chelsea, Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus, Porto and Liverpool in assuring their presence in the round of 16, which leaves the seven remaining spots to be determined next week.

In Group H, the only certainty is that with PSG, United and RB Leipzig level on points at 9, Istanbul Basaksehir’s European adventure will end next week.

Olivier Giroud staked visiting Chelsea to a lead with a goal in the 4th minute and added three more in the second half – the last on a penalty – to put the Blues top of the group with 13 points, 3 more than Sevilla.

Even if they win their final match and Chelsea lose, Sevilla will have to settle for second place because the Premier League side have been better head-to-head.

Giroud’s magic night was truly one to forget for Sevilla, who suffered their worst-ever home loss in European play.

Krasnodar edged Rennes 1-0 on a goal by Marcus Berg to gain a 3-point advantage over the French squad in the battle for third place in the group and the accompanying berth in the Europa League.

Already eliminated Ferencvaros found themselves trailing 3-0 less than 30 minutes in the contest against Barça on goals by Antoine Griezmann, Martin Braithwaite and Ousmane Dembele.

The Blaugrana are 3 points ahead of Juventus, who cruised 3-0 against Dynamo Kiev, likewise out of contention.

Federico Chiesa opened the scoring in the 21st minute. The 2-0 came as the match approached the hour mark with Cristiano Ronaldo’s 750th career goal and Alvaro Morata added a third in the 66th minute.

Having already lost to Barcelona in Turin, Juve would need to win by 3-1 or better at Camp Nou to snatch first place in the group from the home side.

PSG, who struggled early in the group stage after losing the 2020 final to Bayern, were impressive Wednesday against United at Old Trafford.

Neymar put the hosts on the back foot with a goal in the 6th minute, but Marcus Rashford equalized for United in the 32nd and the teams went to the dressing rooms knotted 1-1.

Marquinhos made it 2-1 for the visitors in the 69th minute and United’s chances of comeback took a hit seconds later with the expulsion of Fred for a second yellow card. Neymar scored again in stoppage time.

In Istanbul, Leipzig eked out a 4-3 victory over Basaksehir to set up a decisive clash with Manchester United next week.

The Red Bulls led on goals by Yussuf Poulsen and Nordi Mukiele before Irfan Kahveci pulled one back for the hosts in first-half stoppage time.

Dani Olmo restored the two-goal advantage in the 66th minute, but Kahveci scored twice in the space of 10 minutes to make it 3-3 only to see Alexander Sorloth get the winner for Leipzig in the 92nd minute.

Of the three clubs vying for the two berths from Group H, PSG control their own destiny, as beating Basaksehir in the final match will assure them of advancing regardless of the outcome between United and Leipzig.

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