Atalanta blew qualification wide open in Group D after shocking Liverpool 2-0 at Anfield on Wednesday night in the UEFA Champions League.
Liverpool had no answers as the Italians took the game to them, with two goals from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens within the space of four minutes, midway through the first half.
In an attempt to salvage an underwhelming performance where they failed to register a shot on target, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made a quadruple of substitutions with Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino, Andrew Robertson, and Fabinho all introduced, but it didn’t make much of a difference as Atalanta made amends for a 5-0 loss suffered in the reverse fixture.
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The Serie A side are now within touching distance of qualifying for the knockout stages, with a home fixture against Midtjylland up next, before a trip to Amsterdam to take on Ajax in a match that could as well decide who progresses.
The Reds, however – despite suffering their first home defeat inside 90 minutes since September 2018 – remain favorites to qualify top of the group, needing three points from their final two games to qualify.
Stats and facts from the match (Backed by Opta)
- Liverpool lost a competitive home match by a margin of more than one goal for the first time in 137 matches at Anfield under Jürgen Klopp, with this their heaviest such defeat since August 2015 in the Premier League against West Ham under Brendan Rodgers (0-3).
- Atalanta have won each of their last four away games in the UEFA Champions League, scoring 13 goals in the process and keeping a clean sheet in three of those four wins.
- Each of the last three sides to win their first ever away game against Liverpool in all competitions have been Italian clubs (Fiorentina in December 2009, Udinese in October 2012, Atalanta today). Indeed, Atalanta are the first side to win their first ever such visit to Anfield by more than one goal since Spartak Moscow in November 1992 (also 2-0).
- For the first time since Opta began recording shot data in the Champions League in 2003-04, Liverpool failed to attempt a single shot on target in a home game in the competition.
Elsewhere in Group D, Ajax kept their hopes of qualifying for the round of 16 alive by securing a 3-1 victory over Danish Champions FC Midtjylland at the Johan Cruyff Stadium.
Lewandowski, Sane scores as Bayern secure qualification
Bayern Munich have qualified for the Champions League knockout stage with two games to spare after securing maximum points from all four group games so far.
Robert Lewandowski’s 71st goal in the competition, an own goal by Maximilian Wober, and a third from a Leroy Sane header opened up a three-goal advantage for the Bavarians before Mergim Berisha pulled one back in the 73rd minute for Salzburg, but it was too little too late as Bayern held on for all three points to register their 23rd consecutive Champions League win.
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Lewandowski, who opened the scoring, has now equaled Raul Gonzalez’s goals record as the competition’s joint-third top scorer, behind only Lionel Messi (118) and Cristiano Ronaldo (131).
Elsewhere in Group A, Atletico Madrid’s goalless draw with Lokomotiv Moscow saw Bayern go seven points clear atop the Group A standings.
Real Madrid go second with win against Inter
Real Madrid dealt Inter Milan’s hopes of securing a place in the knock out stages after coming away from San Siro with a 2-0 victory.
Eden Hazard opened scoring for Zinedine Zidane’s men as the home team tried to mount a comeback, but their course was dealt a huge blow when Arturo Vidal got sent off after getting booked twice by referee Anthony Taylor for protesting a penalty decision which wasn’t given.
An own goal from former Los Blancos man Achraf Hakimi made it 2-0 as the thirteen-time European champions climbed into second on the log, just one point off leaders Borussia Monchengladbach.
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The defeat means Antonio Conte’s Inter sit rock bottom of Group B with just two points from four games, with any hopes of qualifying very slim.
In the group’s other fixture, Gladbach eased past Shakhtar Donetsk in a 4-0 rout, scoring thrice in the first half to put the Germans in the driver’s seat in Group B.
Phil Foden’s strike shoots City into the knockout stage
It was a matter of fine margins in Piraeus as a lone goal from youngster Phil Foden saw Manchester City beat Greek champions Olympiakos to clinch a spot in the knockout stages with two games to spare.
City came into the game needing just one point to secure passage into the next round but the victory gives their hopes of qualifying top of the group a strong boost.
In the group’s other game, Nigeria’s Zaidu Sanusi opened the scoring as away team FC Porto beat Olympique Marseille 2-0.
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Matchday 4 results (Wednesday, Nov. 25)
- Bayern Munich 3-1 Salzburg
- Atletico Madrid 0-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
- Inter Milan 0-2 Real Madrid
- Borussia M’Gladbach 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
- Olympiakos 0-1 Manchester City
- Marseille 0-2 FC Porto
- Liverpool 0-2 Atalanta
- Ajax 3-1 FC Midtjylland
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