- Wolfsburg, PSV reach last 16
- Ronaldo sets group stage goal record
- Ibrahimovic sets another PSG mark
PARIS — Manchester United crashed out of the Champions League Tuesday after a 3-2 defeat at Wolfsburg, as the Germans punched their ticket to the last 16 along with Group B rival PSV Eindhoven.
Louis van Gaal’s United made a promising start at the Volkswagen Arena as Anthony Martial handed it a 10th-minute lead but the Red Devils’ poor defending at set-pieces cost it dearly with Naldo equalising shortly after.
Julian Draxler set up Vieirinha to round off a sublime team move and put Wolfsburg 2-1 ahead just before the half hour.
But United clawed its way back into the game eight minutes from time when Josuha Guilavogui headed into his own net.
However, Naldo grabbed his second of the night shortly after as he headed home a corner to consign United to a third-place finish and a spot in the last 32 of the Europa League.
In the Netherlands, it had looked for a short time as if CSKA Moscow could spare United’s blushes when Sergey Ignashevich converted a 76th-minute penalty to put CSKA 1-0 up against PSV.
But the Dutch side hit back just two minutes later through Luuk de Jong and completed the turnaround with five minutes to play as Davy Propper earned the home side a 2-1 victory, ensuring it went through as runner-up behind Wolfsburg.
Manchester City wrested away top spot from Juventus in Group D as Manuel Pellegrini’s side claimed a thrilling 4-2 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach, while last year’s finalist succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at Sevilla.
David Silva had given Manuel Pellegrini’s side a 16th-minute lead at the Etihad Stadium but Julian Korb leveled three minutes later before Raffael turned home before the break to put the Germans ahead.
However, two quick-fire goals from England international Raheem Sterling put City back on track with Wilfried Bony sealing the win.
In Seville, Fernando Llorente’s 65th-minute goal guided the Spaniards past Juve and enabled it to pip Gladbach into third, ensuring Unai Emery’s men will have a chance to land a third consecutive Europa League crown.
Cristiano Ronaldo smashed his own pool stage scoring record as he netted four times in a crushing 8-0 victory over Malmo in Group A.
The Portuguese star’s tally of 11 goals in this season’s group campaign surpassed the previous mark of nine he himself set in 2013-14 and Luiz Adriano for Shakhtar Donetsk last season.
Troubled French striker Karim Benzema also scored his first hat trick for five years, while Mateo Kovacic added his first goal for the Spanish giants.
Paris Saint-Germain eased to a 2-0 victory at home to Shakhtar Donetsk with second-half goals from Lucas and Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the Parc des Princes.
Laurent Blanc’s side was already guaranteed to finish second in the group behind Real, exposing the French champion to the possibility of facing European champion Barcelona or Bayern Munich when the draw for the last 16 is made next Monday at UEFA headquarters in Nyon.
The main bonus for Paris was seeing Ibrahimovic break another record, becoming the club’s top goalscorer of all time in European competitions, eclipsing Liberian great George Weah with his 17th strike.
Atletico Madrid wrapped up first place in Group C as it avenged an earlier home loss to Benfica with a 2-1 victory in Lisbon.
Saul Niguez’s first-half strike put Diego Simeone’s men in front before Luciano Vietto netted a second on 55 minutes, with Kostas Mitroglou grabbing a consolation for the host.
Galatasaray denied Astana a famous first group stage win and the chance to continue its continental adventure in the Europa League as Selcuk Inan canceled out Patrick Twumasi’s opener in a 1-1 draw in Turkey.
