Arsenal maintain Champions League streak in Brugge, while holders PSG held

Noni Madueke scored 2 goals, and Gabriel Martinelli netted different arsenic Arsenal kept up their 100 percent tally successful the Champions League to enactment apical of the standings with a comfy 3-0 triumph astatine Belgium’s Club Brugge.

Arsenal’s sixth triumph successful arsenic galore games each but confirms a top-eight finish, meaning they volition skip the knockout signifier playoffs successful February and determination consecutive into the circular of 16 successful March. Brugge stay connected 4 points and successful stark information of missing retired connected the knockouts.

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It was a satisfying nighttime connected Wednesday astatine the Jan Breydelstadion for the under-strength Gunners, who mislaid astatine Aston Villa astatine the play and made 5 changes to freshen up an injury-stricken squad, including a archetypal run-out successful astir a twelvemonth for Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus, who got fractional an hr of enactment arsenic a second-half substitute.

Madueke got matters going with a thunderous onslaught successful the 25th minute, collecting possession connected the halfway enactment and swiftly weaving his mode upfield earlier unleashing a almighty effort that flew into the apical corner.

The location broadside went adjacent to an equaliser successful the 39th minute, erstwhile immoderate swift passing saw Aleksandar Stankovic curl a changeable narrowly wide, and continued to probe up to half-time with David Raya making 2 cardinal saves, from Christos Tzolis and Stankovic.

But that momentum looked to person been near successful the changing country astatine half-time arsenic they were caught 2 minutes into the 2nd fractional erstwhile Madueke headed location his 2nd goal.

A transverse from the near from Martin Zubimendi recovered Madueke unmarked astatine the backmost post, with the location defence caught shot watching and hopelessly retired of position.

“I consciousness similar we tin triumph this contention and triumph the league,” said an elated Madueke.

Arsenal’s Noni Madueke scores their archetypal extremity with a thunderbolt into the apical country [Yves Herman/Reuters]

Martinelli keeps up Champions League scoring streak

Nine minutes later, Martinelli added the third, cutting successful disconnected the near helping and hammering a right-footed changeable into the nett for a 5th extremity successful arsenic galore Champions League appearances this season, having missed 1 of Arsenal’s matches.

Jesus struck the crossbar successful the 79th minute, inches distant from a imagination instrumentality aft his lengthy layoff owed to a genu injury, and Arsenal inactive had clip to springiness 16-year-old Marli Salmon a debut astatine close backmost successful the past 7 minutes. He is the 4th youngest subordinate to diagnostic for the Gunners.

Brugge went into the lucifer successful immoderate turmoil aft Monday’s astonishment sacking of manager Nicky Hayen, with his replacement, Ivan Leko, successful complaint connected his instrumentality for a 2nd spell astatine the club.

PSG held successful Bilbao, portion Napoli shocked successful Benfica

Paris St Germain played retired their archetypal goalless gully of the play astatine Athletic Bilbao but stayed successful the driving spot for nonstop qualification for the Champions League last-16 aft a drawstring of good saves by location goalkeeper Unai Simon denied the defending champions.

Luis Enrique’s broadside had the clearest chances aft being nether unit successful the archetypal half, but Simon produced respective superb saves, and Ousmane Dembele’s lack was erstwhile again felt up beforehand by the visitors.

The effect near PSG successful 3rd spot successful the 36-team league with 13 points from six games, portion Bilbao are 28th connected 5 points, 2 points from the playoff places.

PSG adjacent question to Sporting, and Bilbao sojourn Atalanta.

“We person to bash more. We were not astatine our maximum to permission present with a win. Sometimes we’re not astatine our level – we person to support working,” PSG fullback Nuno Mendes said.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Warren Zaire-Emery, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves and Fabian Ruiz applaud fans aft the lucifer [Albert Gea/Reuters]

Bilbao threatened archetypal erstwhile Alex Berenguer curled a right-footed escaped footwear towards the acold station successful the 31st minute, forcing PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to fingertip the shot down for a corner.

The Basque broadside enjoyed their champion spell astir the half-hour mark, pressing precocious and investigating PSG’s antiaircraft organisation without uncovering a breakthrough.

PSG, who had to woody with the lack of Dembele aft the France guardant fell ill, had their champion opening earlier connected a swift counterattack successful the 19th infinitesimal erstwhile Fabian Ruiz, aft controlling good connected his chest, fired his effort implicit the crossbar.

The Ligue 1 broadside emerged with renewed strength aft the interruption and went adjacent successful the 49th infinitesimal erstwhile Simon denied them doubly successful speedy succession.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia burst down the close connected a accelerated antagonistic and delivered a debased transverse that evaded Joao Neves earlier Senny Mayulu pounced, lone for Simon to respond brilliantly and propulsion the close-range effort away.

The unit continued from a country connected 53 minutes arsenic Warren Zaire-Emery collected a clearance connected the borderline of the country and unleashed a almighty half-volley towards the acold corner, forcing different crisp prevention from the Bilbao keeper.

The clearest accidental came successful the 65th infinitesimal erstwhile Bradley Barcola raced into the country for a one-on-one with Simon and saw his almighty effort rattle the crossbar.

Newcastle United’s Lewis Miley scores their 2nd extremity astatine Leverkusen [Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters]

Leverkusen combat backmost to contradict Newcastle

Bayer Leverkusen’s Alex Grimaldo bagged an 88th-minute extremity to rescue a 2-2 gully for the hosts against Newcastle United successful the Champions League connected Wednesday.

Newcastle, who besides deed the woodwork twice, thought they had done capable to get backmost into the apical 8 aft coming from a extremity down to pb 2-1 with a beardown second-half show and goals from Anthony Gordon and Lewis Miley, earlier Spain planetary Grimaldo charged into the container to level with 2 minutes left.

The effect near Newcastle successful 12th connected 10 points, portion Leverkusen dropped to 20th connected nine. The apical 8 teams suffice straight for the knockout stage. Teams who decorativeness ninth to 24th volition participate a playoff circular to scope the past 16.

Alex Grimaldo of Bayer 04 Leverkusen scores his team’s 2nd extremity past Aaron Ramsdale of Newcastle United [Lars Baron/Getty Images]

The hosts went successful beforehand erstwhile Robert Andrich headed connected astatine the acold post, and the shot bounced disconnected Newcastle skipper Bruno Guimaraes for an ain extremity successful the 13th minute, with the visitors struggling with the German defence for overmuch of the archetypal half.

Newcastle equalised with a Gordon punishment successful the 51st aft Leverkusen keeper Mark Flekken dallied connected the ball, allowing Nick Woltemade to snatch it earlier being brought down.

They kept up the pressure, and Gordon, who had rattled the station with a fierce debased changeable successful the 63rd, turned supplier successful the 74th, floating a transverse successful the container for substitute Miley to caput successful his maiden Champions League goal.

With Leverkusen present firmly connected the backmost foot, Eddie Howe’s squad created respective much scoring chances, with Flekken coming to the rescue with a superb prevention to halt Malick Thiaw’s point-blank header.

Flekken was beaten by substitute Jacob Murphy’s changeable a small later, but the shot bounced disconnected the station erstwhile more. Instead, it was Leverkusen who scored again, with Grimaldo popping up successful the container to hide the equaliser, scoring for the 2nd consecutive Champions League game.

Napoli shocked successful Benfica, portion Dortmund jeered

Italian champion Napoli mislaid 2-0 astatine Benfica, portion Weston McKennie was connected people for Juventus successful a 2-0 triumph astatine Pafos.

Jeers rang retired astatine afloat clip astatine Borussia Dortmund aft Norway’s Bodo/Glimt sealed a 2-2 draw, equalising doubly aft Julian Brandt’s goals for Dortmund.

The effect helps neither team, with Dortmund’s chances of nonstop qualification for the circular of 16 taking a dent. Bodo/Glimt has 3 draws but nary wins successful its debut Champions League season.

Ajax scored 3 goals precocious successful the crippled to contradict Qarabag a astonishment triumph successful 1 of the aboriginal kickoffs.

Four-time European champion Ajax doubly trailed against its Azerbaijani opponent, but fought backmost to triumph 4-2 successful Baku.

Copenhagen besides scored precocious to triumph 3-2 astatine Villarreal.