Gabriel Jesus scored the winning goal in the 76th minute, leading Manchester City to a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, ensuring their advancement to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League at the top of Group A. Paris Saint-Germain also secured their spot in the round of 16 after RB Leipzig defeated Club Brugge. Kylian Mbappe put the Parisian team ahead in the 50th minute, scoring after Lionel Messi's cross deflected off defender Kyle Walker and fell to the French forward. City equalized when Raheem Sterling touched the ball into the net from the far post after a lovely pass from Rodri to Walker, who delivered a low cross. Riyad Mahrez assisted the winning goal, chipping the ball over the defense to Bernardo Silva at the far post, who skillfully touched it to Jesus for an easy finish. With one match remaining in the group stage, City tops Group A with 12 points, while Paris Saint-Germain has eight points. Leipzig and Brugge, each with four points, will compete for a place in the Europa League.
Real Madrid Reaches the Round of 16 with Win Over Sheriff
Real Madrid secured their place in the Champions League round of 16 before the final round of the group stage, following a 3-0 victory against hosts Sheriff Tiraspol, the Moldovan champions, on Wednesday. Real Madrid leads Group D with 12 points from five matches, two points ahead of second-placed Inter Milan, which also secured its advancement to the round of 16 after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0. Sheriff, who had previously beaten Real Madrid 2-1 in the first match in September, occupies third place with six points and has guaranteed qualification to the Europa League. Shakhtar sits at the bottom of the group with one point. David Alaba gave Real Madrid the lead with a deflected free-kick in the 30th minute, and Toni Kroos doubled the advantage for the visiting team just before the break with a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and went in. Karim Benzema made it 3-0 from the edge of the penalty area after a pass from Ferland Mendy in the 55th minute. Thibaut Courtois saved a low shot from Adama Traore, while the post denied a header from Sebastian Thill. Georgios Athanasiadis, Sheriff’s goalkeeper, denied a late opportunity from Marco Asensio. Real Madrid will conclude their matches by hosting Inter on December 7, while Sheriff will visit Shakhtar.
Inter Milan Defeats Shakhtar
Inter Milan increased the pressure on Real Madrid in their group in the Champions League with a crucial victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday night. Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko netted two goals within six minutes in the second half, granting Inter a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at San Siro, bringing the team close to qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time in a decade. Dzeko put the ball in the net in the 61st minute, deservedly giving Inter the lead after having two goals disallowed earlier and missing a series of opportunities. Dzeko quickly doubled the lead with a header from close range after a cross from Ivan Perisic, marking his 50th goal in European competitions. The result temporarily placed Simone Inzaghi's team at the top of Group D with 10 points, one point ahead of Spanish giants Real Madrid. The "Royal" team will need to defeat Sheriff Tiraspol to maintain their lead before the showdown with Inter in the last round.
