Napoli out as last-gasp Dortmund triumphs, Milan limps into last 16
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Last season’s runner-up Borussia Dortmund was spared a Champions League exit when a dramatic late goal from Kevin Grosskreutz sent the Germans into the last 16 on Wednesday.
Dortmund, which beat Olympique Marseille 2-1, Arsenal and Napoli all finished on 12 points with the Bundesliga team topping Group F and the Italians proving the odd side out on head-to-head superiority despite a 2-0 victory over the English Premier League leader.
AC Milan will be Italy’s only representative in the knockout stage as Galatasaray, Zenit St Petersburg and Schalke 04 secured the remaining last 16 places in Monday’s draw which will feature four representatives each from the English Premier League and the Bundesliga.
Barcelona, which should have Lionel Messi back from injury when the competition resumes in February, signed off from the group phase in style with Brazil striker Neymar scoring a hat-trick, his first Champions League goals, in a 6-1 romp over Celtic at the Nou Camp.
Jose Mourinho can also look forward to the draw as Group E winner Chelsea went through the motions in edging Steaua Bucharest 1-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Napoli, which drops into the Europa League, is only the second team to be eliminated from the group phase with 12 points from six games after Paris St Germain in 1997-98.
In contrast, Russia’s Zenit finished runner-up in Group G by becoming the first team to qualify for the knockout stages with six points.
Injury-hit Dortmund was just minutes away from a trapdoor into Europe’s second-tier competition when Grosskreutz found the back of the net with a deflected shot three minutes from time against 10-man Marseille.
“It was great feeling to score and to score such a goal. We deserved it, it was sensational,” said the match-winner.
Napoli’s victory, secured with late efforts from Gonzalo Higuain and Jose Callejon, the second deep into stoppage-time, could not save Rafa Benitez’s side from an agonizing exit as Arsenal had to lose by three goals in order to miss out on qualification.
It was the 14th season in a row that Arsenal, which had captain Mikel Arteta sent off in the 75th minute, has reached the last 16.
Seven-time European champion AC Milan clung on with 10 men for a point at home against Ajax Amsterdam to finish runner-up behind Barcelona in Group H and earn some respite in a below-par season.
Milan had captain Riccardo Montolivo sent off midway through the first half but Ajax could not take advantage and secure the victory it needed to leapfrog the hosts. Christian Poulsen hit the post for the Dutch side after five minutes and Milan keeper Christian Abbiati was forced into a number of saves.
Zenit went through despite a 1-4 humbling at Austria Vienna, finishing a point ahead of Porto which lost 0-2 at Group G table-topper Atletico Madrid.
Schalke beat Basel 2-0 to deny the Swiss side second spot in Group E.
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