Energized by a change of coach and the opportunism of Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Another newly appointed manager, however, has work to do to bring Barcelona into the last 16. Manchester United were first led by Michael Carrick after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s sacking over the weekend and, like his predecessor, the interim coach had to thank the Champions League top scorer.
Ronaldo gave United the advantage against Villarreal with a lob over the keeper and a 90-time strikee Jadon Sancho’s minute – his first goal since joining Manchester United – sealed a 2-0 victory to ensure the Reds Devils take control of Group F.
Ronaldo has scored in all five of the group stage games so far, and he is the top scorer in the competition’s history with 140 career goals.
Another English side, defending champion Chelsea, also advanced with a 4-0 win over already-qualified Juventus. With Liverpool also qualified and Manchester City likely to join them, the Premier League will once again be well represented in the knockout stage.
Barcelona, now coached by former star midfielder Xavi Hernandez, have qualified in their squad every season for almost two decades, but a 0-0 home draw against Benfica means the Spanish club may need to beat Bayern Munich in the last round of games to advance.
The four teams in Group G could still qualify before their final games after Lille and Sevilla wins against Salzburg and Wolfsburg, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bayern claimed a fifth victory in five games, beating Dynamo Kyiv, 2-1.