United suffer shock loss, as Chelsea cruise in the Champions League

Updated On Dec 14, 2017 by David Nugent

UEFA Champions LeagueWednesday night was a mixed one for British teams in the Champions League, as there were highs and lows for teams involved.

One of the biggest stories of the night involving British clubs was Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat by Swiss side Basel. A late winner from Michael Lang ended the Red Devils hundred percent record in Europe’s elite competition.

Despite the defeat in Switzerland, Jose Mourinho’s team have all-but qualified for the knockout stages of the competition. The Red Devils only have to avoid defeat against CSKA Moscow in their final group game to qualify as group winners.

BT Sport

CSKA Moscow defeated Benfica 2-0 to set up a tense finish in Group A, as the Russian side are now level on points with Basel heading into the final group game.

Reigning English champions Chelsea had a rather more comfortable night, as Antonio Conte’s side sealed qualification for the knockout stages with a 4-0 win over Azerbaijan champions Qarabag.

Qarabag played for more than 70 minutes with ten after the 19th-minute dismissal of captain Rashad Sadygov for fouling Willian in the penalty area. Eden Hazard scored from the resulting spot kick, while Willian added a brace and Cesc Fabregas also got on the scoresheet. The win means that the Blues have not yet sealed top spot. However, realistically they only need a draw from their last group game against Atletico Madrid to win the group.

Elsewhere, Celtic endured a night to forget in Paris, as the Scottish champions were mauled 7-1 at PSG. The Hoops made the perfect start with French striker Moussa Dembele opening the scoring in the first minute.

However, that was as good as it got for Brendan Rodgers side, as the Parisians hammered home their superiority with goals. Neymar and Edinson Cavani scored a brace each, while Kylian Mbappe, Daniel Alves and Marco Verratti also got in on the goalscoring act.

In the process of registering the massive win, PSG broke the record for most goals scored in the group stages of the Champions League. The Parisians have scored 24 times in just five games, bettering the previous record of 21 held by German side Dortmund. The win meant that PSG have sealed qualification and all-but sealed top spot courtesy of their superior goal difference to second place Bayern Munich.

Celtic are in third spot, three points ahead of fourth place Anderlecht with a superior goal difference. If the Hoops stay in third then they will drop down into the knockout stages of the Europa League. The Scottish champions positioned in the group was strengthened by Bayern Munich winning 2-1 against Anderlecht.

Elsewhere in the Champions League, European giants, Juventus and Barcelona drew 0-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Sporting Lisbon recorded a 3-1 win over Olympiakos in Group. The victory could be a crucial one, as it means that the Portuguese side can still make the last-16 of the competition. The result means that the Catalan giants are in pole position to seal top spot in the group, as they are three points ahead of Juventus with a superior goal difference.

Atletico Madrid kept their hopes of making the knockout stages of the competition alive by beating Roma 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano. The win means that Los Rojiblancos are now just a point behind the second place Italians in the race for qualification.

David Nugent Author

First off, I want to say hi and wish a warm welcome to all gambling aficionados out there! My name is David Nugent and I am editor-in-chief of LegalGamblingAndTheLaw.com. I have always enjoyed various sports, primarily soccer, as I am a die-hard Everton fan.

Over time, I learned more about sports betting and discovered the fascinating online gambling industry. Eventually,...

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