Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr both scored twice as Real Madrid crushed Salzburg 5-1 to allay lingering fears of Champions League elimination.
The defending champions had lost three of their first six matches in the revamped competition and started the evening in 22nd place. But they flexed their muscle in emphatic fashion with two first-half goals from Rodrygo, both assisted by Jude Bellingham, calming their nerves.
Kylian Mbappe added a third three minutes into the second half and two goals from Vinicius Jr put Madrid in complete control well before Mads Bidstrup scored a late consolation.
Man City fall into Champions League playoff zone after losing to PSG 📉 pic.twitter.com/sgLURkV5rB
– Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 22, 2025
There were similar levels of relief in Paris as PSG completed a stunning comeback to beat Manchester City and move back into the playoff places.
The hosts led 2-0 thanks to goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, but Ousmane Dembele inspired a turnaround.
The former Barcelona winger reduced the arrears and then Bradley Barcola made it 2-2 with all four goals scored in the space of 10 frantic minutes.
PSG weren’t finished though and Joao Neves headed them in before Gonzalo Ramos made it 4-2 with the final kick of the game.
PSG have moved up to 22nd place, but City must now beat Club Brugge at the Etihad next week to have any chance of making the top 24.
Bayern beaten in Rotterdam
Bayern Munich will likely have to settle for the playoffs after a surprise 3-0 defeat at Feyenoord.
Santiago Jimenez scored twice, the second from the penalty spot, and Ayase Ueda added a third late in the match for the Rotterdammers.
Celtic were also victorious at home after Loris Benito’s own goal gave the Glasgow side a 1-0 win over Young Boys.
Brendan Rodgers’ men dominated, but it looked like it might not be their night when Marvin Keller saved Arne Engels’ penalty. However, Benito’s late blunder means Celtic are assured of a playoff spot despite Daizen Maeda’s sending off.
The big guns are all but guaranteed to make the top eight
Arsenal and Inter are all but assured of a place in the top eight after tonight’s wins.
Lautaro Martinez’s goal was enough to give Inter victory over Sparta Prague while Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard were on target for Arsenal as they beat Dinamo Zagreb.
AC Milan are also well placed in sixth place after a 1-0 win over Girona thanks to Rafael Leao’s brilliant goal.
Benjamin Sesko was on target as RB Leipzig secured their first win with a 2-1 defeat to Sporting CP while Brest’s hopes of finishing in the top eight were dented by a 2-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk.
