MALMO, Sweden — Chelsea took a step closer to the knockout stage of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Malmo on Tuesday.
Hakim Ziyech’s goal early in the second half was enough for the defending European champion to eliminate host Malmo from the tournament.
The best Malmo can hope for is qualification to the Europa League. The Swedish champion has lost all four of its Group H games and has yet to score so far in the Champions League with two matches remaining.
Ziyech broke the deadlock for Chelsea in the 56th minute, tapping home at the back post after Kai Havertz centered the ball just out of reach of goalkeeper Johan Dahlin.
Chelsea missed the clinical finishing of the injured Romelu Lukaku, though, as both Havertz and substitute Christian Pulisic couldn’t convert from close range. Pulisic, back from an ankle injury, made his first appearance since the Premier League season opener and was in alone on Dahlin on the last play of the match.
Havertz had two good chances created for him by Ruben Loftus-Cheek but both shots were straight at Dahlin.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel credited Havertz for a “huge effort.”
“He is a bit unlucky at the moment but he won a penalty for us at Newcastle,” Tuchel said. “Today he had two chances to score, and yeah it would have been the perfect scenario if it could happen for him.”
Chelsea has nine points from four games. Juventus, also with nine points, hosts Zenit St. Petersburg later Tuesday in the other Group H match.
Ronaldo to the rescue again as United draws at Atalanta
BERGAMO, Italy — Cristiano Ronaldo again came to Manchester United’s rescue with two goals — including a stoppage-time effort — to salvage a 2-2 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Ronaldo had scored a late winner against Atalanta at Old Trafford two weeks ago when United overturned a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 3-2. And the Portuguese forward scored at the end of each half to help his team to what could prove to be a precious point in Bergamo.
It was Ronaldo’s fifth goal in four Champions League matches since his return to United.
Josip Iličić had given Atalanta the lead in the 12th minute with an effort that David de Gea was unable to keep out and Duvan Zapata restored the home team’s lead early in the second half.
United remained atop Group F. It is level on points with Villarreal after the Spanish squad beat Young Boys 2-0 in the other group match. Atalanta is two points further back.
Atalanta’s injury crisis was showing signs of easing but it was still without Rafael Toloi — the captain — and fellow defenders Robin Gosens and Hans Hateboer.
There was a frantic start in Bergamo and United almost took the lead in fortuitous circumstances. Scott McTominay’s effort took a massive deflection off Jose Luis Palomino — completely wrong-footing Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso — and slowly rolled toward the empty net before bouncing off the left post.
Instead it was Atalanta that went in front in the 12th minute when Zapata crossed in from the left and Iličić swept in a first-time shot which was straight at De Gea but nevertheless squirmed under the body of the Spanish goalkeeper.
United almost drew level immediately as Ronaldo tried to latch onto a through ball but Musso was quick off his line and managed to get to it just before the Portugal forward.
But Atalanta was the more dangerous side and Zapata had two great opportunities. First, he sprung the offside trap to beautifully control a long ball over the top and bear down on De Gea’s goal but fired over. Then, in the 32nd minute, only a fine block from Eric Bailly prevented Zapata from doubling his team’s lead after Paul Pogba was again guilty of surrendering possession in a dangerous position.
Matters grew worse for United as Raphael Varane had to go off with an injury, and the defender will likely be a doubt for Saturday’s Premier League match against Manchester City.
However, his replacement Mason Greenwood had a hand in the equalizer as he received the ball from Ronaldo before picking out Bruno Fernandes in the area and he back-heeled it smartly for his compatriot to fire into the far side of the net.
Zapata had been a thorn in United’s side all night and he restored his team’s lead in the 56th after springing the offside trap and dinking the ball over De Gea. There was a lengthy check by video review before the goal was awarded.
De Gea somewhat atoned for his error on Atalanta’s opener with a fine save late on to deny Zapata and that proved crucial as, shortly after, United leveled. Greenwood flicked on the ball to Ronaldo, who volleyed into the bottom left corner.
There was another lengthy VAR check for a possible handball by Greenwood before it was awarded.
Salzburg’s Champions League push stalls in loss to Wolfsburg
WOLFSBURG, Germany — Salzburg was made to wait to secure qualification for the Champions League knockout rounds after losing 2-1 at Wolfsburg on Tuesday.
A win would have made Salzburg the first Austrian club in the last 16 since Sturm Graz in the 2000-01 season but instead Lukas Nmecha scored the winning goal for Wolfsburg to reignite its own bid to qualify from Group G.
The German club needed less than three minutes to take the lead as right-wing-back Ridle Baku arrived late at the far post to meet a low cross from Yannick Gerhardt.
Center back Maximilian Weber showed off his credentials as a set piece specialist to level the score, curling a free kick over the Wolfsburg wall in the 30th minute, with goalkeeper Koen Casteels slow to react.
Wolfsburg had a chance to retake the lead soon after, but Wout Weghorst jabbed a cross over the bar while playing just a day after his return to training following a two-week quarantine period for a positive coronavirus test.
Compared to Weghorst, Nmecha had much more to do when he picked up a lobbed pass in the 60th and was pushed wide by his marker Weber, but showed skill to lash the ball into the net from a tight angle. Salzburg had more shots on goal and pushed Wolfsburg hard in the search for a second equalizer, but the German team held on.
"We executed our game plan and that’s why we’ve won. Tonight came down to our undeniable will to win," Wolfsburg’s Baku said.
It was the first European game for new Wolfsburg coach Florian Kohfeldt, who got the job last month when his predecessor Mark van Bommel was fired following a winless run including a 3-1 loss in the first game at Salzburg.
Lille beat Sevilla 2-1 in the other game in the group Tuesday. That leaves Salzburg still top with seven points, two ahead of Lille and Wolfsburg, with Sevilla last on three points.
Bayern beats Benfica to qualify for Champions League last 16
MUNICH — After two weeks without a coach and falling to a disastrous defeat, Bayern Munich is back to its usual winning ways.
The German champion booked its place in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday as Robert Lewandowski scored a hat trick for a 5-2 victory over Benfica to extend Bayern’s perfect record of four wins from four in the group stage. That took Lewandowski to 81 career goals in his 100th Champions League game.
The game marked the return of Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann after four games away — including the return 4-0 win over Benfica in Portugal — after he tested positive for the coronavirus.
During Nagelsmann’s absence, Bayern’s previously reliable defence collapsed in a 5-0 German Cup loss at Borussia Monchengladbach last week, the club’s worst result in more than 40 years.
Against Benfica there were some signs of that sloppiness as poor marking early on allowed Benfica to score a goal narrowly ruled out for offside. It happened again when Bayern failed to deal with a free kick that led to Benfica defender Morato scoring when Bayern led 2-0.
Up front, it was business as usual as Bayern’s attacking quartet of Lewandowski, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Serge Gnabry combined to dismantle Benfica.
First Coman danced through the Benfica penalty area past two defenders before crossing for Lewandowski to head in the opening goal in the 26th. The Poland striker was the provider six minutes later, squaring the ball for Gnabry to finish in style with a backheel.
Morato’s goal and a missed penalty from Lewandowski — who’d scored his previous seven — slowed Bayern’s progress before halftime. Just after the break, Sane scored Bayern’s third with a powerful volley after Alphonso Davies flicked on a pass from Joshua Kimmich. The fourth came on a counterattack with Sane setting up Lewandowski to finish with a chip over the goalkeeper.
Even with Bayern in control of the game and assured of qualifying with two games remaining, there was time for more nerves in defence. Benfica substitute Darwin Nunez scored a consolation goal in the 74th as Bayern’s defence was slow to react on a counterattack. Lewandowski finally got his hat trick in the 85th with another chip finish.
Barcelona beat Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 in the other game in the group.
Lille edges Sevilla in tight Group G in Champions League
SEVILLE, Spain — Lille earned its first Champions League win of the season, coming from behind to beat Sevilla 2-1 on Tuesday and staying in contention to advance to the knockout rounds from a tight Group G.
Lucas Ocampos put the hosts ahead early in the first half but Jonathan David equalized by converting a penalty kick before halftime.
Jonathan Ikone netted the winner for the French side early in the second half.
The away victory left Lille with five points after four matches, two points behind group leader Salzburg, which lost 2-1 at Wolfsburg earlier. Wolfsburg also has five points, while Sevilla stayed on three points with two games left.
Sevilla, which was also seeking its first win in the European competition this season, next hosts Wolfsburg, while Lille welcomes Salzburg.
Sevilla had drawn 0-0 with Lille in France in their previous Champions League match.
Sevilla struck first with Ocampos scoring from close range in the 15th. The visitors equalized with David converting a 43rd-minute penalty kick after a foul away from the ball by defender Thomas Delaney on forward Jonathan Bamba. The penalty was awarded after video review.
Lille, which had never won in Spain, took the lead in the 51st with a shot by Ikone after the Sevilla defence missed consecutive chances to clear the ball from the box.
Ikone had already come close to giving Lille the lead in a breakaway in first-half injury time, but his shot in front of the goal was blocked by Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bono.
Lille opened its campaign with a scoreless draw at home against Wolfsburg before losing 2-1 at Salzburg. Sevilla had drawn 1-1 at home against Salzburg in a match with four penalty kicks, a record in the Champions League. It drew 1-1 at Wolfsburg.
Barcelona tops Dynamo, boost its chances in Champions League
KYIV, Ukraine — Ansu Fati scored a second-half winner as Barcelona edged Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 to boost its chances of advancing to the knockout rounds of the Champions League on Tuesday.
Fati scored with a powerful one-timer from near the penalty spot to give the Catalan club its second consecutive victory over Dynamo.
The victory left Barcelona with six points in Group E, two more than third-place Benfica, which lost at Bayern Munich in the other group match. Bayern has 12 points after winning all of its matches so far, while Dynamo is last with one point.
Barcelona got the crucial victory despite having an interim coach and being depleted by injuries. It next hosts Benfica, while Bayern visits Dynamo.
Barcelona has advanced to the knockout rounds of the Champions League every time since being eliminated in the group stage in 2000-01.
Fati, making his first Champions League start in nearly a year, scored his third goal of the season with his strike in the 70th minute.
Minutes earlier the Catalan club had a penalty reversed by video review.
Interim coach Sergi Barjuan was on the Barcelona bench as the club was yet to replace Ronald Koeman, who was fired amid the team’s dismal start in its first season without Lionel Messi in nearly two decades.
Barcelona was coming off three setbacks — losses to Real Madrid and Rayo Vallecano and a home draw against Alaves in the Spanish league. Before that, it had beaten Dynamo 1-0 at the Camp Nou Stadium for its first Champions League win this season.
Barcelona was without some key players because of injuries, including striker Sergio Aguero, defender Sergino Dest and veteran defender Gerard Pique, who scored the winner against Dynamo at the Camp Nou. Aguero will be sidelined for at least three months because of a heart issue.
Midfielder Frenkie De Jong was back in Barcelona’s lineup after recovering from a muscle injury sustained in the home loss against Madrid.
Dynamo has lost six straight matches against Barcelona, including twice in last season’s group stage.
This was the first time Dynamo qualified automatically to the group stage since the 2016-17 season.
Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele came off the bench in the 65th for his first appearance in several months.
Barcelona midfielder Nico Gonzalez, 19, made his first start in the European competition.
Juventus secures spot in Champions League knockout phase
TURIN, Italy — Paulo Dybala scored twice and Juventus beat Zenit St. Petersburg 4-2 on Tuesday to secure a spot in the Champions League knockout rounds with two matches to spare.
The victory was a measure of relief for a Juventus squad that has lost two straight in Serie A and is falling out of contention domestically.
Federico Chiesa and Alvaro Morata also scored for the Bianconeri.
Juventus has now won all four of its matches to lead Group H by three points ahead of defending champion Chelsea, which won 1-0 at Malmo earlier.
Juventus has a full 12 points, Chelsea has nine, Zenit has three and Malmo has zero.
With Giorgio Chiellini on the bench, Dybala wore the captain’s armband and he appeared inspired from the start.
Dybala hit the post nine minutes in then put Juve ahead two minutes later, using one touch to redirect a loose ball in the center of the 18-yard box following a corner.
It was all Juventus at the start and Zenit was fortunate to equalize before producing a shot on goal, as Leonardo Bonucci headed into his own net in a failed clearance.
After the break, Chiesa won a penalty and Dybala converted on his second attempt after a retake was ordered due to encroachment after his first shot went wide.
United States midfielder Weston McKennie also hit the crossbar for Juventus before Chiesa dribbled by several defenders — including Zenit captain Dejan Lovren — to fire an angled shot into the far corner.
Morata added another for Juve eight minutes from time, redirecting a ball that came over the top.
Sardar Azmoun pulled one back for Zenit in stoppage time.
