Rodrigo and Vinicius Junior both scored twice as Real Madrid crushed Salzburg 5-1 to ease Champions League exit fears.
The defending champions had lost three of their first six games in the revamped competition and started the night in 22nd place. But they flexed their muscles in emphatic fashion with two first-half goals from Rodrygo, both assisted by Jude Bellingham, settling their nerves.
Kylian Mbappe added a third three minutes into the second half and two goals from Vinicius Jr put Madrid in complete control long before Mads Bidstrup scored a late consolation.
Manchester City slip into Champions League relegation zone after PSG defeat 📉 pic.twitter.com/sgLURkV5rB
— Soccer on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) January 22, 2025
There were similar levels of relief in Paris as PSG staged a stunning comeback to beat Manchester City and move back into the play-off places.
The hosts fell 2-0 behind thanks to goals from Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland, but Ousmane Dembele inspired a comeback.
The former Barcelona winger reduced the deficit and then Bradley Barkola made it 2-2 with all four goals coming in the space of 10 frantic minutes.
PSG weren’t finished though and Joao Neves headed them in front before Gonzalo Ramos made it 4-2 with the last strike of the game.
PSG have moved up to 22nd, but City must now beat Club Brugge at the Etihad next week to have any chance of making the top 24.
Bayern were beaten in Rotterdam
Bayern Munich may have to settle for the play-offs after a shock 3-0 defeat by Feyenoord.
Santiago Jimenez scored twice, the second from the penalty spot, and Ayase Ueda added a final third for Rotterdam.
Celtic were also home winners after Loris Benito’s late own goal gave the Glasgow side a 1-0 win over Young Boys.
Brendan Rodgers’ men dominated but it looked as if it wasn’t going to be their night when Arne Engels’ penalty was saved by Marvin Keller. However, Benito’s blunder in recent years means Celtic are assured of a play-off spot despite Daisen Maeda’s dismissal.
The big guns virtually guarantee the top eight spots
Arsenal and Inter have secured a place in the top eight after wins tonight.
Lautaro Martinez’s goal was enough to give Inter Milan victory over Sparta Prague, while Declan Rice, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard were on target for Arsenal as they beat Dinamo Zagreb.
Milan are also well into sixth place after a 1-0 win over Girona thanks to a superb goal from Rafael Leao.
Benjamin Cesko was on target as RB Leipzig secured their first win with a 2-1 defeat at Sporting CP, while Brest’s hopes of a top-eight finish were dented by a 2-0 defeat at Shakhtar Donetsk.
