Champions League, Man United, Chelsea register wins: Records broken
Matchday four of the UEFA Champions League 2020-21 season saw Group H take an interesting turn. Manchester United maintained their top position and raced to nine points, whereas, Paris Saint-Germain eclipsed RB Leipzig to take second place. English giants Chelsea sealed early qualification to the round of 16 in Group E. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Juventus gained victories to seal qualification as well. Here's more.
Manchester United make merry at Old Trafford
Manchester United, who beat Istanbul Basaksehir 4-1, have now won their past seven home games in Europe by an aggregate score of 24-2. The Red Devils have scored nine goals in their two Champions League home games this season. Marcus Rashford has scored five goals in four Champions League games this season (joint-second highest). Basaksehir have now lost four successive away European matches.
Chelsea qualify for the knockout stages
Olivier Giroud's late header handed Chelsea a crucial 2-1 win over Rennes. The Blues have now sealed qualification to the knockout stages for the 16th time out of 17 attempts. Chelsea have won three consecutive Champions League matches for the first time since December 2015. The London giants are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions.
Barcelona register these records after beating Kyiv
In Group G, Barcelona thrashed Dynamo Kyiv 4-0 away from home to earn qualification. Manager Ronald Koeman named Barcelona's youngest Champions League starting XI since 2011. Barcelona have now qualified for the round of 16 in seventeen consecutive UCL campaigns. Sergino Dest (20y 21d) became the youngest defender to score a goal for Barca in Champions League history.
Ronaldo equals Messi's record as Juve qualify
Alvaro Morata scored a stoppage-time winner as Juventus overcame a scare against Ferencvaros to advance to the round of 16. According to Opta, Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 70 goals in Champions League home games: a joint-record for home goals alongside Lionel Messi. Juventus are the second Italian side to reach the UCL last 16 for seven-plus consecutive seasons.
Dortmund script a milestone, Neymar notches record
Borussia Dortmund, who raced to nine points in Group F, became the 13th team in UCL history to score 200-plus goals in the competition. PSG beat Leipzig, with Neymar scoring a penalty. However, PSG registered their worst possession at half-time in the Champions League since September 2017. Neymar registered his 36th Champions League goal. It's the third-highest tally by a South American player.
