Champions League: all teams qualified for the Round of 16, knockout playoff matches

The group stage of the Champions League delivered its verdict on Wednesday evening, following a suspense-filled night marked by 18 matches played simultaneously across Europe’s four corners. Without trembling, Arsenal validated its top place by beating Kairat Almaty 3-2, already eliminated. Bayern Munich also got the job done by defeating PSV, which sees the Bavarian club finish in second place in the overall standings.

Behind the leading duo, six other clubs earn direct entry to the Round of 16: Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting CP and Manchester City. The teams ranked 9th to 24th will, for their part, have to go through the knockout playoffs to continue their European adventure. These include Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Newcastle, Juventus, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, Olympiacos, Club Bruges, Galatasaray, Monaco, Qarabag, Bodø/Glimt and Benfica. The draw for these playoffs is scheduled for Friday.