In the early hours of January 29, the final round of the 2025-26 Champions League group stage saw 18 matches played. Key results:
- Ajax 1-2 Olympiacos
- Sporting CP 3-2 Athletic Bilbao
- Arsenal 3-2 Celt
- Bodø/Glimt 2-1 Atlético Madrid
- Barcelona 4-1 Girona
- Real Madrid 2-4 Benfica
- Leverkusen 3-0 Villarreal
- Inter 2-0 Dortmund
- Club Brugge 3-0 Marseille
- Tottenham 2-0 Frankfurt
- Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag
- Juventus 0-0 Monaco
- Man City 2-0 Galatasaray
- Chelsea 3-2 Napoli
- Pafos 4-1 Slavia Prague
- Newcastle 1-1 PSG
- St. Gilloise 1-0 Atalanta
- Bayern 2-1 PSV
Real Madrid, ranked 7th after 7 group matches, only needed a draw against bottom-table Benfica to secure a top-8 spot. Mbappé opened the scoring in the 29th minute with a powerful header, but six minutes later, a defensive error allowed Pavlidis to assist Syiadrup’s header, leveling the match. Benfica ultimately defeated Real 4-2, putting Madrid’s qualification in jeopardy.
Mbappé’s goal equaled Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League record, while Premier League teams dominated overall: 5 of the 8 top group spots are held by EPL clubs.
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