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Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Juventus deal Manchester City huge blow
Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie scored to lead Juventus to a 2-0 Champions League win over Manchester City on Wednesday, a major blow to the English champions' hopes of clinching a top-eight spot in the group stage of Europe's elite competition.
City, who lifted the 2023 Champions League trophy, continued a poor run of form which has brought only one victory in their last 10 games across all competitions.
"(Confidence) is a big part of it, obviously it's a mental issue as well. You can see that. You can see that sometimes one action we miss the ball or lose a duel and you can see that we drop immediately," City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan told Amazon Prime.
"It has such a big effect on us right now. At the crucial moment right now we are doing the wrong things."
Vlahovic scored by the narrowest of margins in the 53rd minute when Kenan Yildiz swung the ball in and City keeper Ederson fumbled the Serb's header from close range and the ball sneaked just across the line, according to the goalline technology.
"The whole team played an excellent match, we prepared well and did everything what we had to do," Vlahovic told Amazon.
"The result is amazing and can give us a great boost for the rest of the season."
City picked up the tempo in a desperate attempt to equalise and sent numbers forward, but Juve capitalised to double their lead against the run of play when McKennie hooked Timothy Weah's cross in with a sumptuous volley in the 75th minute.
Pep Guardiola's team squandered several chances, one of the best falling to Erling Haaland late in first half.
Kevin De Bruyne sent a beautiful through ball to the Norwegian who got in behind the defence before trying to chip goalkeeper Michele di Gregorio who threw up his arm to block the shot.
Gundogan unleashed a blistering strike from long range that Di Gregorio stretched to just push wide.
"We have done it really, really well, we didn't lose many balls that happened in the past, and we arrived in the positions," Guardiola said.
"But the Italian teams that defend so deep and so compact it is not easy, they are masters of these kinds of situations."
With two games remaining in the group phase, Juventus are 14th in the table while City plummeted to 22nd, three places out of automatic elimination from the competition.
Since the start of November, City have conceded more goals (21) across all competitions than any other team in Europe's big five leagues, the worst spell in Guardiola's otherwise sparkling managerial career.
City, who host Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, continue their Champions League campaign at Paris St Germain on January 22.
Juventus travel to Brugge on January 21.
Barcelona snatch late win at Dortmund
Substitute Ferran Torres scored twice including an 85th-minute winner as Barcelona earned a hard-fought 3-2 victory at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday to move to the brink of qualification.
In a pulsating five-goal second half, Torres struck twice in 10 minutes after coming on in the 71st minute to lift Barcelona to 15 points, in second place with two games remaining in the league phase.
Dortmund twice came from a goal down with Serhou Guirassy scoring both goals but they could not do it a third time after Torres grabbed his second after being teed up by Lamine Yamal.
The Germans dropped to ninth in the standings on 12 points, with the top eight earning automatic qualification to the round of 16.
"We can be very happy with what we have done," Barca coach Hansi Flick told reporters. "The first half was wonderful and in the second half, when they scored, we remained calm and solid.
"Dortmund played very well with players who have a high pace but we did it well. We conceded goals because of mistakes we made. We can always improve, but today I have to say congratulations to the team because they did it really well," he said.
Barcelona bossed possession from the start and captain Raphinha and top scorer Robert Lewandowski had early chances.
The hosts responded with an opportunity of their own through Marcel Sabitzer but it was Dortmund keeper Gregor Kobel who was kept busy in a largely one-sided first half as the visitors enjoyed close to 70% possession.
Dortmund looked sharper after the break and Guirassy put the ball in the net in the 50th minute before the effort was ruled out for offside.
There was nothing wrong, however, when Raphinha latched on to a superb Dani Olmo pass to finish off a quick move in the 53rd minute and put Barcelona in the driving seat with his sixth goal of the competition.
The hosts levelled through Guirassy's well-taken penalty on the hour after the Guinea international was brought down in the box before Dortmund's Kobel came to the rescue once more, stopping another Olmo shot.
He was beaten in the 75th when Torres, who had come on four minutes earlier, slotted in on the rebound after Kobel had punched a Frenkie de Jong volley into his path.
Guirassy hit back three minutes later when the Barca defence was caught napping but it was not enough to earn a point as Torres scored again after a superb through ball from Yamal.
There was more bad news for injury-plagued Dortmund after defender Nico Schlotterbeck turned his ankle following a header in the last move of the game and had to be carried off on a stretcher after the final whistle.
Saka double eases Arsenal past Monaco
Bukayo Saka once again proved the catalyst for Arsenal as his double helped secure a relatively smooth 3-0 home victory against AS Monaco that put the Londoners in sight of the Champions League knockout stage on Wednesday.
Mikel Arteta's side began the fixture outside the top eight in the expanded league stage and with plenty of work to do to avoid being dragged into the playoffs.
It was not all plain sailing for the hosts who were guilty of some profligate finishing but England forward Saka took his season tally to nine goals in all competitions as Arsenal moved into third place in the table.
Arsenal, who have Dinamo Zagreb and Girona still to play, have 13 points while Monaco, who began the evening level with them, are 16th with 10 points.
Saka swept in a Gabriel Jesus cross in the 34th minute and just when it looked as though a succession of misses by his teammates could prove costly, Monaco presented him with a gift-wrapped second in the 78th minute.
Substitute Kai Havertz rubber-stamped Arsenal's fourth win from six games in this year's competition in the 88th minute.
"In the first half we should have put the game to bed but we didn't," Arteta said. "In the Champions League you will have difficult moments and we suffered.
"Then with the second goal the game was in control."
With defensive injuries forcing his hand, Arteta gave a first Champions League start to 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly and the left back played a key role in Saka's opener.
Shrugging off a challenge, he showed great vision to pierce Monaco's defensive line with a pinpoint pass to Jesus who slid the ball across the area for Saka to convert.
"A really proud moment," Arteta said of Lewis-Skelly. "He is one of our own and a joy to watch. It's great we can trust him to play in this environment."
A youthful Monaco's initial poise evaporated after the opener and they were fortunate not to be buried before the interval.
A dreadful mistake by Soungoutou Magassa sent Martin Odegaard clear through on goal. The Norwegian looked certain to score but rolled his shot wide of the post.
Jesus, who has scored only once in 19 appearances this season, had earlier spurned a one-on-one and another good chance, both times denied by Monaco keeper Radoslaw Majecki.
His fellow Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli was also guilty as Arsenal arrived at halftime somehow only one goal ahead.
Heartened by those escapes, Monaco threatened to make Arsenal pay in the second half with Thilo Kehrer flashing a header just wide from a swinging free kick and former Liverpool player Takumi Minamino then shooting too close to David Raya when the ball was cut back to him in the area.
Breel Embolo grazed the post with a shot on the turn as Monaco grew in confidence and Arsenal looked jittery but they then shot themselves in the foot.
Defender Mohammed Salisu and his keeper Majecki got in a complete mess under no pressure, Havertz nipped in and the ball squirmed to Saka to score into an empty net.
Monaco have now suffered successive defeats in the competition and with Aston Villa and Inter Milan still to play, their top-eight hopes look slender.
"First of all, a deserved victory for Arsenal. Too many gifts from our side, it's not acceptable at this level," Monaco coach Adi Hutter said. "I was happy with the first 20 minutes and also until the second goal. The second half was really brave, but in the end there were too many big mistakes."
Griezmann brace extends Atletico winning streak
Antoine Griezmann scored twice as Atletico Madrid claimed a 10th win in a row in all competitions with a comfortable 3-1 home victory over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Atletico moved up to 10th with 12 points from six matches, while Slovan are rooted to the bottom of the 36-team table having lost all six games and they cannot make the playoffs.
Griezmann scored for the fifth successive match with a first-half header and a simple finish at the near post in the second period, adding to well-taken opener from his strike partner Julian Alvarez.
Slovan briefly got back into the match at 2-1 when David Strelec earned a penalty and converted himself from 12 yards. Tigran Barseghyan also struck the crossbar in the first half.
Free-scoring Atletico have netted 21 goals in their last five games in all competitions and might have had more in this one too but were wasteful in the final third.
"The Champions League is complicated, goals matter a lot," Griezmann said. "It is a shame about the penalty, in the second half we let them have the ball a lot. These are things to improve as always, but we are on the right track."
Alvarez’s 12th goal of the season gave the hosts the lead inside 16 minutes when Slovan allowed him too much time and space on the edge of the box and he unleashed a pinpoint shot into the top corner.
"He's a great player. It is a joy and a pride to have him with us and to be able to help him (score)," Griezmann said.
The visitors came close to an equaliser with a lightning counter-attack that finished with Barseghyan shooting against the crossbar.
Atletico doubled their advantage with a simple goal three minutes before halftime. Marcos Llorente stretched to direct a deep cross to the back post and Griezmann rose above the static defenders to head the ball into the net.
Slovan were awarded a penalty when Clement Lenglet clipped the heel of Strelec in the box and the latter took the spot-kick himself, scoring his fourth goal of the campaign.
Any thoughts of a comeback diminished, however, as Griezmann netted his second to extend the Atletico lead again. He was slipped into space in the six-yard box and beat Slovan goalkeeper Dominik Takac at his near post.
Last-gasp Abraham goal gives Milan victory over Red Star
A late Tammy Abraham goal earned AC Milan a thrilling 2-1 Champions League win over Red Star Belgrade at the San Siro on Wednesday to make it four wins in a row for the Italian side.
Abraham's 87th-minute winner was a cruel blow to the Serbian visitors, who came back from a goal down and were pushing for a well-deserved winner when the Englishman struck to lift Milan up to 12th spot on 12 points. Red Star are 31st with three points.
With the top eight teams qualifying automatically for the round of 16, Milan were looking to keep in touch with the leading pack but Red Star went close to drawing first blood with an Andrija Maksimovic volley that hit the crossbar in the 18th minute.
That jarred the home side into action but they had to re-jig their plans when Ruben Loftus-Cheek had to be replaced by Samuel Chukwueze due to injury and they were forced into another change when Alvaro Morata was hurt, with Abraham coming on in his place.
Rafael Leao got the opener for the home side in the 42nd minute, superbly controlling a long ball from Youssouf Fofana before using his second touch to clip the ball into the top corner.
Nemanja Radonjic, who scored twice when his side came from behind to beat Stuttgart 5-1, equalised in the 67th minute, collecting the ball outside the box and unleashing a blistering shot that flew past the despairing dive of Mike Maignan.
Red Star almost went ahead when Mirko Ivanic dragged a shot wide before Abraham snatched the winner in the 87th minute, the striker making the most of chaos in the penalty box after a set piece to lash the ball into the net.
Milan coach Paulo Fonseca was pleased with the victory but expressed frustration at how his side played against a team that had lost four of their previous five games in this year's competition.
"I am someone who is not satisfied with the result alone. I am satisfied with this result, that's the most important thing, we won, we are in a good position, but I am tired of fighting against these things. I am not satisfied with the team's performance," he told broadcaster Sky Sports.
“The problem is that our team is a roller coaster. Today we are fine, tomorrow I don't know. It always seems like it's heads or tails (with us)," he added.
Stuttgart condemn Young Boys to sixth defeat in six games
VfB Stuttgart came back from a goal down to win 5-1 and deal Swiss side Young Boys a sixth defeat in six Champions League games on Wednesday.
The last-placed visitors had taken the lead in the sixth minute when Lukasz Lakomy scored a long-range stunner but the hosts equalised in the 25th through Angelo Stiller.
Enzo Millot made it 2-1 in the 53rd with a shot from the centre of the box, with a long VAR check before the goal was given.
Germany midfielder Chris Fuhrich put the game out of reach with a third goal fired in right-footed from outside the box in the 61st and Josha Vagnoman made it 4-1 on the volley.
Second-half substitute Yannik Keitel scored his first goal for Stuttgart from outside the area in the 75th as the hosts made it 5-1.
Stuttgart, who lost their previous match 5-1 to Red Star Belgrade after scoring first, ended the evening in 26th place in the table and increased their Champions League tally to seven points.
Young Boys were without Congolese striker Meschack Elia after the death of his son, announced by the club earlier on Wednesday.
A minute's silence was held before the match kicked off and Lakomy ran to the bench to collect Elia's number 15 shirt, holding it up for the cameras with his teammates around him, after scoring.
Feyenoord start fast to ease past Sparta Prague
Two quickfire early goals laid the foundation for Feyenoord to boost their Champions League hopes with a comfortable 4-2 home win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
Gernot Trauner and Igor Paixao scored within 60 seconds as Feyenoord made a dream start to their home tie at De Kuip with Anis Hadj Moussa and Santiago Gimenez adding goals to keep the Dutch club on course for a spot in the knockout stages.
Feyenoord moved on to 10 points while Slavia, whose consolations came from Albion Rrahmani and a Thomas Beelen own goal, suffered a fourth defeat six group games and have a tough task to avoid elimination.
The Dutch hosts needed only nine minutes to get on the scoresheet from a corner with Trauner’s header downward taking a touch off Sparta defender Markus Solbakken and wrong-footing goalkeeper Peter Vindahl.
The second came when Feyenoord’s pressing stripped Kaan Kairinen of possession and Paixao ran from the halfway line before bending the ball wide of Vindahl.
Hadj Moussa scored a stunner on 30 minutes as he received the ball wide out on the right of the attack, cut inside and fired off a left-footed shot that flew in across the goalkeeper.
Feyenoord failed to clear a long throw that was flicked onto Rrahmani at the back post to make it 3-1 in the 43rd minute but Gimenez restored the comfortable margin when he took advantage of a defensive slip to bundle the ball over from close range.
Sparta’s second goal came from a cross in the 79th minute steered home a sliding Beelen into his own net.
The match was a reunion for Feyenoord coach Brian Priske with the team he took to the double in the Czech Republic last season. When he moved to the Netherlands, his assistant Lars Friis took over at Sparta.
Haraldsson's late goal seals win for Lille over Sturm Graz
Lille secured a 3-2 victory over visitors Sturm Graz in a Champions League thriller on Wednesday, with substitute Hakon Arnar Haraldsson scoring a late winner.
The Icelandic midfielder had been on the pitch for a minute when he found himself unmarked in the box, calmly curling the ball into the top corner with nine minutes remaining.
Lille are sixth in the Champions League table ahead of Wednesday's remaining matches with 13 points, while Sturm Graz are 29th with three points.
After a largely uneventful opening, the match came to life in the final minutes of the first half, with Osame Sahraoui breaking the deadlock for Lille in the 37th minute, before Mitchel Bakker doubled their lead 10 minutes later.
Sturm launched an immediate fightback, with Otar Kiteishvili sending a bouncing ball into the roof of the net with the last kick of the first half.
Mika Biereth levelled for the visitors two minutes after the restart, tapping in a low cross from close range. However, Sturm could not stop Haraldsson from securing all three points for Lille with his late strike.
Benfica held as Skorupski stands tall for Bologna
Wasteful Benfica struggled to a 0-0 home against Bologna in the Champions League on Wednesday as visiting keeper Lukasz Skorupski made crucial saves to keep the hosts out.
Benfica are 15th in the standings with 10 points while Bologna's campaign is on the brink of ending with only two points and a six-point gap to the last playoff spot.
Benfica thought they had got off to a flying start after two minutes when Vangelis Pavlidis scored, but a VAR check ruled out the effort for offside.
Pavlidis was denied from close range by Skorupski with a superb reflex save in the second half and Benfica wasted late chances as the points were shared in the first-ever meeting between the teams.
