Real Madrid - Celtic 5-1
Real Madrid hammered Celtic 5-1 to secure top spot in Group F, while inflicting upon Celtic their sixth consecutive defeat away to Spanish opposition in the process.
Only once before, back in 2016, had Celtic not won a group stage match amongst Europe’s elite, and there was little sign that they would avoid a repeat here in Madrid.
Ange Postecoglou’s first foray into the tournament could scarcely have been worse already, but his men hit a new low after less than six minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Moritz Jenz was the culprit, handling Fede Valverde’s shot inside the area and giving referee Stephanie Frappart no choice but to award a penalty, which Luka Modric dispatched with ease.
Los Blancos were two up before the midway point of the half, again netting from the spot following a VAR intervention, with Vinicius Junior’s shot striking Matt O’Riley’s arm from close range. Rodrygo took advantage of another gift to double his side’s lead.
The 2-0 half-time scoreline only told half the story though, and Thibaut Courtois needed to be alert to save efforts from Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate, while the visitors even had a penalty of their own when Ferland Mendy hauled down Liel Abada in the area.
The subsequent effort, however, saw Courtois guess right to deny Josip Juranovic.
Celtic were made to rue that miss shortly after the interval. On this occasion, there was no need for a Frappart intervention, as Marco Asensio fired beyond Joe Hart from just inside the area.
Shortly after the hour mark, the hosts extended their lead even further, Vinicius tapping Valverde’s cross into the corner. Uruguayan Valverde then swept home from 20 yards to cap off an impressive personal and team performance.
Jota’s marvellous free-kick in the final 10 minutes at least gave the travelling contingent something to celebrate, but it was nothing more than a consolation on a difficult night.
It turned out to be a stroll in the park for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, and they can now look forward to Monday’s Round of 16 draw. Celtic, meanwhile, are now winless in ten trips to Spanish clubs, and will need to wait until 2023/24 for their next European encounter.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Check out the stats with Flashscore.
Shakthar Donetsk - RB Leipzig 0-4
RB Leipzig secured qualification to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 with a dominant 4-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, cementing their second place position in Group F with their fourth straight win in the group after defeat in their first two.
While Shakhtar came into the game needing a win to book their passage to the next round of the competition, it was RB Leipzig who started the game on the front foot and looked for the opening goal.
They were rewarded for their aggressive mindset within 10 minutes when a superb counter-attack was finished off by Christopher Nkunku, who stabbed home a rebounded shot off the hands of the Shakhtar keeper.
Needing two goals to save themselves, the Ukrainian outfit pushed for an equaliser in the opening minutes of the second interval.
However, their situation went from bad to worse only five minutes into the half when Mohamed Simakan’s looping header was tapped in at the back post by Andre Silva, doubling Leipzig’s lead and all but shutting the door on Shakhtar’s qualification to the round of 16.
The final nail was driven into the Shakhtar’s coffin when Dominik Szoboszlai rounded Anatoliy Trubin on the break and slotted home for the German club’s third.
The drubbing continued past the hour mark, as second-half substitute Dani Olmo made his mark on the occasion by curling a shot from the edge of the box into the back of the net, capping off a thoroughly dominant evening for Die Roten Bullen.
While they came into the night with a chance to qualify for the knockout rounds, the Miners may not be too surprised to miss out, having only won once in their last 13 matches in the competition.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
