Once again, Europe’s best clubs fought tooth and nail to showcase their dominance against the crème of the crop from other parts of the continent, and once again, they delivered.
The Champions League group stage previewed world-class football, masterful individual performances, prime-time-worthy storylines, and, all in all, a masterpiece to behold. So, in case you missed any of the Champions League action, allow SBOTOP to provide you with a roundup of what was a superb start to the tournament.
Group A
Group A had the most dramatic storylines in this stage of the tournament. Bayern have controlled the group since Matchday 1, but the drama that surrounded the other three teams headlined the Champions League 2023 news.
The suspense was carried out until the last game of the group stages, where all the stars needed to align for Manchester United to qualify for the Europa League and continue their European football campaign.
Unfortunately for the Red Devils and their fans, things didn’t go their way and they ended up in last place in Group A. This would mean that Bayern Munich and Copenhagen would advance to the knockout phase, Galatasaray would qualify for the Europa League group stages, and Manchester United would have to wait until next year to have another crack at the European stage.
Group B
Sevilla ended their long and fruitful relationship with the Europa League after finishing in last place in Group B. The Spanish club garnered just two points in the group stages, giving way for Lens to qualify for the Europa League group stages.
Meanwhile, just like in the Premier League, Arsenal put up strong outings to cement their top spot in Group B. The Gunners finished the group stages with a 4-1-1 record and a goal difference of 12, allowing them to continue to the next stage of the Champions League along with PSV.
Despite winning just two games, PSV managed to clinch their spot in the knockouts by having just one loss, bringing their total points to nine.
Group C
Real Madrid are the undisputed kings of Group C. They finished the group stage with a perfect 6-0 record, thrashing the unfortunate teams that share the same cluster as them. Meanwhile, Napoli also showed their prowess and stood tall above Braga and Union Berlin.
The Italian side finished with a 3-1-2 record, tallying 10 points and securing the second seed in Group C. Recording three wins was enough to reserve their spot in the knockouts, due to Braga and Union Berlin’s uninspiring campaigns.
Braga cling to the third spot and are on their way to the Europa League group stages, even if they managed to tally just four points. Their Matchday 2 win against Union served as a pivotal swing in order for them to fend off Union Berlin in the standings and hang on the third spot.
Group D
Group D surprised fans with competitive Champions League results. Real Sociedad and Inter Milan topped the group with 12 points apiece and aim to continue their strong form going into the knockout phases.
Meanwhile, Benfica and Salzburg had a thrilling end to the group stages, where they clashed for the opportunity to continue their European campaign and compete in the Europa League.
Despite having home field advantage, Salzburg failed to capitalise and suffered a crushing 1-3 defeat in front of their home fans. Benfica went to work early, scoring two goals in the first half. Arthur Cabral delivered the exclamation point and scored Benfica’s third goal to seal their fate.
Group E
Atletico Madrid and Lazio won their first match in the group stages, and they never looked back. Their wins on Matchday 1 propelled them to the top of the standings, and they continued to impress football fans with their stellar performances up to Matchday 6.
Diego Simeone’s team ended the group stage with an unbeaten 4-2-0 record. They topped Group E with 14 points and breezed through their adversaries with dominance.
Even though they lost their last match against Atletico Madrid on Matchday 6, Lazio still cling to the second spot and will continue to the knockout phases. They finished with a 3-1-2 record, which was enough to propel them to the next round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord cling to the third spot despite losing their last three games. With just six points, Feyenoord find themselves continuing their European campaign in the Europa League.
Celtic, on the other hand, pack their bags and will continue their fantastic run in the Scottish Premiership.
Group F
The Group of Death stayed true to its name, giving the most competition and lead changes in the entire tournament. Newcastle, who once were the top seed in Group F, finished at the bottom of the standings, forcing them to concede their bid to be the best in Europe.
Meanwhile, Dortmund emerged as the best team in the Group of Death after six games with 11 total points. They lost their first match in the tournament, but they quickly turned things around by staying undefeated in the next five matches.
PSG and Milan ended the group stage with eight points apiece, but PSG are the ones to advance by goal difference. As for Milan, they will seek vengeance in the Europa League in hopes of having a fruitful European campaign this season.
This group houses the most Champions League 2023 odds favourites, so fans would surely keep a close eye on Dortmund and PSG in the knockouts.
Group G
It was a textbook ending in Group G, where Manchester City and RB Leipzig came out as the top teams in the standings. Arsenal and Manchester City are the only Premier League teams to find success in the Champions League this season, while RB Leipzig join German giants Dortmund and Bayern as Bundesliga’s representatives in the knockouts.
Young Boys continue their campaign in the Europa League after just tallying four total points, while the Serbian standouts will go home and continue their dominance in the Serbian SuperLiga.
Group H
Group H gave fans a thrilling start to the tournament. Barcelona, Porto, and Shakhtar have humbled Antwerp since the start of the competition, making this group a three-horse race.
Barcelona and Porto ended this stage of the tournament with 12 points apiece and are the two teams from Group H to advance to the round of 16.
Shakhtar managed to tally nine total points, which was more than enough to book their tickets to the Europa League. Meanwhile, Antwerp were the runts of the litter with just three points.
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