Victor Osimhen’s hopes for a memorable night at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu were dashed on Wednesday as he and his Napoli teammates were humbled 4-2 by Real Madrid.
Though Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli fought valiantly, Real Madrid proved to be a step ahead of Partenopei with the comeback victory that has seen them extend their perfect run in this season’s Champions League with five wins in five games played.
Despite an early lead, courtesy of Giovanni Simeone, Napoli were unable to withstand Real Madrid’s firepower, succumbing to goals from Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, and Nicolas Paz. Joselu added a fourth in stoppage time, sealing Napoli’s fate.
Fortunately for Osimhen and his Napoli teammates, SC Braga’s 1-1 draw with Union Berlin means that a victory in their final match against the Portuguese side will secure their passage to the last 16.
Arsenal cruises to victory
In emphatic fashion, Arsenal secured their place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage, thrashing Lens 6-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners put on a masterclass in attacking football, scoring five goals in a remarkable first half. Kai Havertz opened the scoring, followed by Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka. Gabriel Martinelli then scored the pick of the bunch with a beautiful curling strike, and Martin Ødegaard rounded off the scoring.
A late Jorginho penalty added further gloss to the scoreline, securing the top spot in Group B with a game to spare.
Other games
Elsewhere, Manchester United squandered a two-goal lead to settle for a disappointing 3-3 draw against Galatasaray, which now puts their chances of progressing from the group phase in danger.
Alejandro Garnacho opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a brilliant goal and Bruno Fernandes got on the score sheet shortly after that with an incredible strike from distance.
But Galatasaray hit back through a Hakim Ziyech free-kick before the half-hour mark and Scott McTominay extended United’s lead in the second half after good work from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Galatasaray responded with two goals after that, which meant the game ended in a 3-3 draw.
READ ALSO: Serie A: Osimhen returns from Injury, bags assist as Napoli beat Lookmans Atalanta
The game between Benfica and Inter Milan also ended in an identical 3-3 draw.
Three other fixtures between Bayern Munich and FC Copenhagen, Real Sociedad and FC Salzburg as well as SC Braga and Union Berlin all ended in stalemates.
While the first two games ended in barren draws the latter finished 1-1 apiece.
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