Tottenham Hotspur made it into the last 16 of the Champions League by coming from behind to grab a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on Tuesday which saw them finish second in Group B at the expense of Inter Milan.
Spurs were facing a much-changed Barca side who had already qualified as Group B winners and started without talisman Lionel Messi but they fell behind to an astonishing run and strike from Ousmane Dembele in the seventh minute.
Tottenham dominated much of the game but were repeatedly denied by outstanding saves from Barca’s reserve goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen before pulling level when Lucas Moura turned in a Harry Kane cross from close range in the 85th minute.
Danny Rose spurned a glorious chance to give Spurs the win but they squeezed through to the knockout stages thanks to Inter Milan drawing 1-1 at home to already-eliminated PSV Eindhoven.
It meant both teams finished with eight points but Spurs qualified due to their superior head-to-head record.
Elsewhere, Mohamed Salah’s first-half strike gave Liverpool the 1-0 win over Napoli they needed at Anfield to qualify for the Champions League’s last 16 on Tuesday, sending the Italian side crashing out.
Liverpool knew that a 1-0 win, or a victory by two goals or more, would be enough to seal a top two spot in Group C, and Salah was again the hero for the hosts, scoring what proved to be the winner in the 34th minute.
Napoli pressed for a leveller in the second half, with Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson denying Arkadiusz Milik in stoppage time, but the home side’s resolute defence — which has conceded just six Premier League goals all season so far — stood firm.
Paris St Germain’s victory at Red Star Belgrade meant they finished top while Napoli, who started the day leading the way, exited the competition as Liverpool snatched second spot on goals scored.
Scores in the night’s other matches were
Inter Milan 1
PSV Eindhoven 1
Red Star Belgrade 1
PSG 4
Club Brugge 0
Atletico Madrid 0
Monaco 0
Borussia Dortmund 2
Schalke 1
Lokomotiv Moscow 0
Galatasaray 2
Porto 3
