Spanish giant, Barcelona, missed out on a UCL spot, after coming third in Group E. They will play in the Europa League
By Kehinde Okeowo
European heavyweight, Barcelona have missed out on this year’s UEFA Championships League (UCL) rounds of 16, after losing their last game against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena in Germany.
The La Liga side needed a win against their Germany host or a Benfica loss or draw to guarantee passage into the next round of the competition.
But Barcelona continued their poor form after Lionel Messi’s exit, as they were trashed 3-0 by the defending champion, Bayern Munich.
Goals from Thomas Mueller, Leroy Sane, and Jamal Muslala in the 34th, 43rd, and 62nd minutes respectively, sealed the fate of the Catalan side.
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The visitors never came to the party, as the home side, who did not need the game, dictated the pace of the game throughout the encounter.
Meanwhile, Portuguese side, Benfica, cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over visiting Dynamo Kyiv to guarantee their spot in the UCL rounds of 16, effectively knocking Barcelona out.
Benfica took the lead as early as the 16th minute through Roman Yaremchuk, after an assist from Joao Mario. Gilberto Junior sealed the game with a second goal 6 minutes later.
Bayern Munich topped the group with 18 points, Benfica came second with 8 points, Barcelona got 7 points, while Dynamo Kyiv had a solitary point.
The group standing means Bayern and Benfica qualified for the rounds of 16 of UCL, while Barcelona will play in unchartered territory, the Europa League.
According to BBC, one Spanish newspaper called Barcelonas’ defeat “resignation from the football elite” as their dramatic decline culminated in a generational event – being knocked out of the Champions League before Christmas.