Story highlights
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores on Malmo return
PSG cruise into knockout phase with 5-0 win
Juventus, Atletico and Benfica also through
Real Madrid win 4-3 at Shakhtar Donetsk
Zlatan Ibrahimovic enjoyed a memorable return to his first club Malmo as he scored his first Champions League goal in nearly a year and Paris Saint-Germain eased into the knock-out phase with a 5-0 win – all while a packed local square was watching.
The Sweden captain had hired out the city’s main square to enable those without a match ticket to watch his return, on a big screen, to the side he joined in 1999 and left in 2001.
After having a hand in the first two goals, scored by Adrien Rabiot and Angel Di Maria, Ibrahimovic curled home early in the second half – but played down any celebrations.
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The tall striker was substituted late on to a standing ovation from all corners of the ground, with Di Maria and Lucas Moura adding the goals.
“I lived a dream tonight, coming back,” Ibrahimovic told Uefa.com. “On top of that I scored. I’m very happy.”
“Since the beginning, there’s a great relationship between Malmo’s fans and me.”
PSG, whose club jerseys were bearing the words ‘Je suis Paris’ in response to the terror attack on the French capital earlier this month, were in rampant mood but will have to settle for second place in Group A.
Champions League: Matchday Five results
That’s after Real Madrid secured top spot when responding to their 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona at the weekend by racking up a four-goal lead away to Ukraine’s Shakhtar Donetsk, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice and Luka Modric and Dani Carvajal also netting.
The scoreline after 77 minutes was impressive, but Shakhtar scored the first goal against Real in this year’s tournament through an Alex Teixeira penalty before Dentinho and Teixeira again ensured a nervy finish for the 10-time European champions, who held on for a 4-3 win.
Although they failed to score nearly as many, Juventus were big winners as they not only qualified for the next round but also leapfrogged Manchester City when beating the English side 1-0 in Italy.
Last season’s runners-up, Juve’s winner came through Mario Mandzukic and they will qualify in first place from Group D with a point away to Seville, who lost 4-2 at Borussia Moenchengladbach, in their final match.
City will rue the opportunities they spurned, with Raheem Sterling guilty of a glaring miss late on.
“We’re quite disappointed,” City’s Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure said. “It was a 50-50 game, but we had chances too. We were not clinical enough.”
Mandzukic’s former side Atletico Madrid were one of four teams to reach the last 16 on Wednesday as Antoine Griezmann scored a goal in each half to defeat Turkey’s Galatasaray 2-0.
The result was also good enough to take Portuguese side Benfica, who drew 2-2 at Kazakhstan’s Astana in an early kick-off, through.
Benfica will host their Spanish counterparts in their final group game next month, with both teams level on 10 points and top spot in Group C up for grabs.
In Group B, Manchester United ceded pole position to VfL Wolfsburg after the Germans won 2-0 away to CSKA Moscow.
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Wolfsburg substitute Andre Schurrle played a key role, making the first as goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev deflected into his own net before the German international scored the second himself.
On a night when their fans paid tribute to George Best, who died exactly ten years ago, three-time European champions United were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by a visiting PSV Eindhoven side.
