Veterans Pepe and Giroud Shine as Manchester City and Leipzig Secure Knockout Stage Spots

 


Manchester City and Leipzig have both advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League, securing their spots with two matches remaining in the group stage. Meanwhile, veteran players Pepe and Olivier Giroud had standout performances in Europe's premier club competition.

Pepe, the 40-year-old Porto defender, made history by becoming the oldest player to score in the Champions League. He achieved this feat when he headed in a goal during stoppage time in Porto's 2-0 victory over Antwerp. Brazilian striker Evanilson had earlier opened the scoring for Porto with a first-half strike.

In Group H, Porto's win drew them level on points with leaders Barcelona, who suffered a surprising 1-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk. Danylo Sikan scored the winning goal for Shakhtar with a header in the 40th minute. The match was relocated to Germany due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

AC Milan secured their first win and goals in the Champions League this season with a 2-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain at San Siro. Olivier Giroud, aged 37 years and 38 days, broke a record by becoming the oldest French goalscorer in the competition's history, surpassing Laurent Blanc. Rafael Leao also found the net for Milan after conceding an early goal to Milan Skriniar.

Erling Haaland's two goals propelled Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Young Boys, maintaining their perfect record in Group G. Phil Foden also added to the scoreline as City extended their unbeaten run at home in the elite European club tournament to 28 matches.

Leipzig secured their place in the knockout stages with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade. Goals from Xavi Simons and Loïs Openda in each half marked back-to-back wins for Leipzig against the Serbian champions.

In Group E, Ciro Immobile reached a milestone, scoring his 200th goal for Lazio in their 1-0 win over Feyenoord. The Lazio captain found the net from a sharp angle late in the first half, boosting Lazio's hopes of advancing as they moved into second place in the group with seven points. Meanwhile, group leaders Atletico Madrid dominated Celtic with a 6-0 victory in the other match.Manchester City

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