Champions League round-up: Arsenal win emphatically; Madrid defeat Napoli in thriller; Inter pull off three-goal comeback
Arsenal defeated Lens 6-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to advance to the Champions League knockout stage and finish first in Group B, while Real Madrid, Napoli, Inter Milan, Benfica, Manchester United, and Galatasaray were all involved in six-goal thrillers.
Here's how the action unfolded
Arsenal 6-0 Lens
Scorers: Havertz 13′, Jesus 21′, Saka 23′, Martinelli 27′, Ødegaard 45+1′, Jorginho (P) 86′
Arsenal defeated Lens in emphatic fashion to win Group B.
After a sluggish first ten minutes, Arsenal took the lead when some sloppy defending allowed Kai Havertz in to tap home from close range, the German's second goal in as many games.
After 20 minutes, the Gunners doubled their lead when Bukayo Saka found Gabriel Jesus, who showed off some tricky feet before firing home to light up the Emirates.
Moments later, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka put his name on the score sheet, putting Arsenal three goals ahead and possibly out of sight.
Gabriel Martinelli cut in from the left wing before finding the bottom corner to put Arsenal four up before the half-hour mark.
The icing on the first-half cake came in stoppage time, when Martin Ødegaard volleyed home from inside the box to put the Gunners five up.
Arsenal's sixth and final goal of the night came from a late Jorginho penalty, sending a strong message across Europe for the Gunners.
Sevilla 2-3 PSV
Scorers: Ramos 24′, En-Nesyri 47′ ; Saibari 68′, Vertessen 82′, Pepi 90+2
Ricardo Pepi's added-time header gave PSV a thrilling comeback victory over Sevilla.
Sergio Ramos put the hosts ahead before Youssef En-Nesyri doubled the lead with a deft finish just after halftime.
When Lucas Ocampos was shown two yellow cards in quick succession, the match's momentum shifted dramatically, and Ismael Saibari's fine volley was followed by a Nemanja Gudelj own goal before Pepi sealed a priceless victory.
Real Madrid 4-2 Napoli
Scorers: Rodrygo 11′, Bellingham 21′, Paz 84′, Joselu 90+4′ ; Simeone 10′, Zambo Anguissa 47′
Real Madrid defeated Napoli thanks to goals by substitutes Nicolás Paz and Joselu, as the hosts claimed first place in Group C.
Before that, Napoli stunned the Santiago Bernabéu crowd with a close-range goal from Giovanni Simeone after only nine minutes.
Midway through the first half, Rodrygo's fine curling effort and Jude Bellingham's powerful header turned the tables, before André-Frank Zambo Anguissa leveled things up shortly after the restart. However, the Partenopei were unable to withstand Madrid's late pressure.
Braga 1-1 Union Berlin
Scorers: Djaló 51′ ; Gosens 42′
Braga remain on track for European football in the new year after rallying from a goal down to draw with Union Berlin despite playing more than an hour with ten men after Sikou Niakaté was sent off for a challenge on Kevin Behrens.
Three minutes before the break, Robin Gosens lashed into the corner to break the deadlock, but six minutes later, lvaro Djaló burst through to level the game. Union Berlin's wait for its first Champions League victory continues.
Benfica 3-3 Inter
Scorers: Mário 6′, 13′, 34′ ; Arnautović 53′, Fratessi 58′, Sánchez 72′
Inter staged an incredible comeback, erasing a three-goal deficit to draw with Benfica.
Inter got off to a disastrous start, falling behind 1-0 after just seven minutes thanks to a close-range strike from João Mário.
João Mário scored his and Benfica's second goal just seven minutes later after being left alone at the back post.
The former Inter man did not stop there, tapping home at the back post to complete his hat-trick and put Benfica three goals ahead as the game approached halftime.
Inter pulled one back early in the second half when Marko Arnautović darted in to tap home a deflected pass. While the goal was initially ruled out for offside, a VAR review determined it to be a good strike.
Davide Frattesi's hooked volley from the penalty spot cut Benfica's lead to one with more than 30 minutes remaining.
Ten minutes later, Inter was awarded a penalty kick after Nicolás Otamendi fouled Marcus Thuram in the box.
Alexis Sánchez converted the penalty kick to tie the game at 3-3 with 20 minutes remaining.
Real Sociedad 0-0 Salzburg
Alexander Schlager made a series of spectacular saves to deny Real Sociedad in a game that the Spanish side dominated.
The Salzburg goalkeeper saved second-half goals from Beat Turrientes and Umar Sadiq, as well as a looping Takefusa Kubo free-kick just before the end. That earned his team a point and puts them in a good position to finish third in Group D on Matchday 6.
Galatasaray 3-3 Man United
Scorers: Ziyech 29′, 62′, Aktürkoğlu 71′ ; Garnacho 12′, Fernandes 18′, McTominay 55′
In an end-to-end thriller, the Turkish team twice came back from two goals down to earn a share of the spoils.
United appeared to be on track for a much-needed victory when they raced into a 2-0 lead inside 18 minutes thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes, but the game was opened up when Hakim Ziyech's free-kick found its way through.
Scott McTominay restored the visitors' lead, only for Ziyech to repeat the feat before setting up Kerem Aktürkolu's stunning equalizer.
Bayern 0-0 Copenhagen
Bayern's record 17-match winning streak in the group stage came to an end as Copenhagen increased their chances of finishing second in Group A.
Chances were scarce in Munich, with the majority falling to the visitors as the chilly night progressed, and Mohamed Elyounoussi being denied late on by a brilliant double save from Manuel Neuer.
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