As the final whistle blew across 18 simultaneous matches on the final day of the UEFA champions league leagues phase it portrayed another successful ending to the new format introduced by UEFA, Arsenal came out on top after going unbeaten claiming all 24 points while big hitters like Real Madrid, inter and PSG have to play to extra games at the play off to grab a place at the round of 16.
The Gunners set a new record by going unbeaten and winning all their games, beating the likes of Inter Milan and Bayern Munich on their way. This gives them an advantage in playing their second-leg knockout matches at home, similar to Bayern, Liverpool and Tottenham, who finished in the top 4. Chelsea, Manchester City and a high-flying Sporting claimed their place in the round of 16.
While other top clubs finished in the top 8, the 15-time champions finished 9th after a dramatic 4-2 loss to Benfica, who needed a 2-goal caution to qualify for the playoffs. Anatoily Trubin, the Benfica goalkeeper, scored the goal to ensure they are not knocked out, making the Spanish giants miss out on the top 8. The current reigning champions, PSG, also missed out on the automatic qualifications after a 1-1 draw with Newcastle.
The February Schedule just got tighter for the club who have to play each other in the two-legged playoffs, teams (9th-16th) play teams (17th-24th) for a place in the next round and the draw has served up a rematch featuring Benfica vs Real Madrid and an all Ligue 1 clash between Monaco vs PSG.
The new Format has shown that anything is possible Sporting being the biggest winner finishing above giants like the both Madrid’s, Inter and The current champions PSG, there also have been upsets like the Italian Champions Napoli being knocked out after losing a 2-1 lead at home to Chelsea thanks to a Joao Pedro brace in the second half to make it 3-2.
The Road to Budapest continues as the playoffs start, with football fans waiting to see who will be drawn against the final 8.
