Man City suffer another UCL defeat

Manchester City’s struggles continued with a 2-0 defeat to Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Barcelona secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund to seal their place in the knockout stage of Europe’s elite competition.

Elsewhere, Arsenal, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Lille, Feyenoord, and Stuttgart also claimed victories, but the spotlight remained on City’s ongoing slump.

Juventus moved closer to the knockouts, courtesy of goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie. Vlahovic broke the deadlock early in the second half, heading past City goalkeeper Ederson, while McKennie sealed the win with a stunning acrobatic strike in the 75th minute.

The result leaves Juventus with 11 points, likely enough to secure at least a playoff berth, while City have won just once in their last 10 matches across all competitions. With eight points, City sit precariously in 22nd place, with the top 24 teams advancing. A crucial clash against Paris Saint-Germain awaits next.

“We need points,” said Pep Guardiola. “We’ll go to Paris and try to secure them, as well as in the final home match against Club Brugge.”

Barcelona climbed to second in the standings, tied on 15 points with leaders Liverpool, following their dramatic win in Germany. Raphinha opened the scoring early in the second half, while Ferran Torres emerged as the hero with two late goals.

Despite Serhou Guirassy’s double for Dortmund, Torres’ decisive strike in the 85th minute handed Barcelona the win, leaving them well-positioned to advance directly to the last 16.

Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka delivered a standout performance in their 3-0 victory over Monaco at the Emirates Stadium. Saka scored twice before setting up Kai Havertz for the third goal, lifting Arsenal to 13 points and third place in the standings.

Lille secured a late 3-2 win over Sturm Graz, with Hakon Haraldsson netting a dramatic winner after the Austrian side had leveled from 2-0 down.

Atletico Madrid eased past Slovan Bratislava 3-1, thanks to a brace from Antoine Griezmann. Milan edged Red Star Belgrade 2-1, with Tammy Abraham’s late strike sealing the win.

Feyenoord maintained their progress with a 4-2 victory over Sparta Prague, while Stuttgart kept their hopes alive by thrashing Young Boys 5-1. Benfica, meanwhile, played out a goalless draw with Bologna, further complicating their playoff aspirations.

The league phase concludes in late January, with the next round of matches set for January 21 and 22.