dpa
Berlin
Perfect Liverpool secured a last-16 berth in the Champions League as did Barcelona after a classic 5-4 win at Benfica on Tuesday, while Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen lost despite taking leads.
Mo Salah’s cool finish and Harvey Elliott’s deflected goal sealed a 2-1 home victory over 10-man Lille, meaning a seventh win out of seven for Liverpool in Europe this term with just two goals conceded.
Jonathan David had equalized on 62 minutes, shortly after Aïssa Mandi was dismissed.
Salah told Amazon Prime: “They have a really good game plan and they were unbeaten for 21 games so they’re a quite tough team. I’m glad we managed to win that game.”
Barca stay second behind the Reds and are through with one league match left after Raphinha’s injury-time goal in a game of high, high drama. UEFA took its time to confirm Barca’s passage given the complicated maths, but top spot is still up for grabs next Wednesday.
Vangelis Pavlidis scored early for Benfica, only for Robert Lewandowski to soon level from the spot.
But a rush of blood from Barca keeper Wojciech Szcz?sny saw him charge out of goal and collide with his own defender Alejandro Balde, leaving Pavlidis with a near open goal for 2-1.
The night got worse for Szczesny, who came out of retirement for Barca this term, when he conceded a penalty converted by Greek hat-trick hero Pavlidis.
Benfica keeper Anatoliy Trubin then tried to outdo Szczesny when his clearance went in off Raphinha, before Ronald Araujo’s own goal and another Lewandowski penalty. Eric Garcia headed in the Barca equalizer on 86 minutes and Raphinha won it six minutes into stoppage time.
Benfica are 18th when a win would have put them in the top eight, who qualify directly for the last 16 while teams down to 24th spot face play-offs, with those in 9th to 16th seeded.
Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 at Bologna, their fourth straight defeat in all competitions to leave coach Nuri Sahin exposed, especially as they took the lead through Serhou Guirassy’s 15th-minute spot-kick.
A quick-fire double in the second half from Thijs Dallinga and Samuel Iling-Junior turned the tables on the Germans who slip to 13th. The Italians are 27th and cling on just - for now.
German champions Bayer Leverkusen are sixth after a late 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid, who moved third thanks to a late winner from Julian Alvarez.
The Spaniards, who had won 15 in a row before losing to Leganes at the weekend, saw Pablo Barrios sent off for a studs-up challenge in the first period.
Piero Hincapie’s far post header just before the break had Leverkusen ahead, but an excellent goal by Alvarez on 52 minutes and then his winner sealed the victory after Hincapie had received a second yellow.
Stuttgart are 21st following a 3-1 success at already eliminated Slovan Bratislava.
Jamie Leweling slid in his first Champions League goal in the Slovakian capital on 11 minutes and doubled the lead before half-time after the visitors survived a VAR check.
Idjessi Metsoko and Fabian Rieder traded goals late on.
Juventus were held 0-0 at Club Brugge and PSV Eindhoven won 3-2 at Red Star Belgrade, who are now out of last 16 contention in 31st.
Europa League holders Atalanta sit fourth and within sight of the last 16 after a 5-0 home romp over Sturm Graz, who are now eliminated in 32nd.
Wilfried Singo’s eighth-minute goal helped Monaco edge Aston Villa 1-0 at home to lie 10th. Villa are in eighth on 13 points like Monaco in a jam-packed section of the table. Lille in 11th also have 13 while Juve are 14th with 12 and PSV 16th with 11 - the same as 17th-placed Brugge.
