Eight teams advance to the knockout round, with Arsenal making a surprise appearance.

The final matchday (8) in the qualifying phase of the 2024-2025 Champions League has officially concluded. Liverpool, despite losing 2-3 away to PSV, still maintained the top spot, because in the same match Barcelona only managed a 2-2 draw at home against Atalanta.

Kết quả Champions League: 8 đội vào vòng knock-out, bất ngờ với Arsenal- Ảnh 1. — Liverpool (right) lost their final match but still maintained their top spot.

Liverpool finished the group stage with 21 points from 8 matches, securing first place in the standings, 2 points ahead of the three teams behind them. Their top position in the classification phase earned them direct qualification to the round of 16.

Two other English teams, Arsenal and Aston Villa, also reached the knockout round. Although Arsenal had already secured their place and fielded a reserve team, they dominated their opponents from the start. Trossard nearly opened the scoring in the 8th minute, while Calafiori was offside in the situation where the Gunners found the net in the 12th minute. A surprise occurred in the 28th minute when goalkeeper Neto misjudged his position, gifting Danjuma an easy goal.

Kết quả Champions League: 8 đội vào vòng knock-out, bất ngờ với Arsenal- Ảnh 2. — Ethan Nwaneri (center) scored the winning goal in Arsenal's 2-1 victory.

This goal boosted the home team's morale, but their joy was short-lived. In the 37th minute, the referee awarded Arsenal a penalty, and Jorginho converted from the spot to equalize 1-1. Not stopping there, young talent Nwaneri put Arsenal ahead with a superb effort in the 42nd minute. Two minutes later, Trossard's shot hit the crossbar.

In the second half, Arsenal deliberately slowed down the pace, and the game had relatively few dangerous situations. In the final minutes, Arsenal were awarded a second penalty, but Sterling failed to beat goalkeeper Lopez. Nevertheless, the 2-1 victory was enough for Arsenal to finish in the top eight after the group stage.

Aston Villa, after their 4-2 home win against Celtic, finished in 8th place with 16 points. Meanwhile, Man City defeated Club Brugge 3-1, finishing the classification phase in 21st place, securing a spot in the play-offs for one of the 8 places in the round of 16.

Kết quả Champions League: 8 đội vào vòng knock-out, bất ngờ với Arsenal- Ảnh 3. — Man City staged a comeback to secure their place in the play-offs for the round of 16.

Pep Guardiola's team will find out which team they will face at the draw on January 31st. If they get through the play-offs, Man City will meet Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen in the round of 16.