Benfica's Jorge Jesus says in his 30 years as a coach he has never seen anything like Haris Seferovic's glaring late miss in Tuesday's 0-0 Champions League draw at Barcelona.

The Portuguese outfit could have moved above Barcelona in Group E ahead of the final matchday with victory but Seferovic put wide a golden opportunity on the break having got past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Darwin Nunez broke clear in a two-on-one situation in a last-gasp counter, squaring to Seferovic who dinked past Ter Stegen before poking wide from less than 12 yards with Eric Garcia scrambling to cover an empty net.

"At the end, there wasn't even a goalkeeper in goal for our final chance," Jorge Jesus told Eleven Sports.

"I've been a coach for 30 years and I've never seen anything like that in my life, but unfortunately it happened to me and Benfica."

He added: "It was a strong defensive display. It's true that during the 94 minutes Barcelona had one or two chances to score."

Barcelona had 66 percent possession with nearly double the number of passes (643-347) while they generated 14 shots compared to Benfica's seven, with both sides having three on target.

The draw means the Blaugrana remain second with seven points ahead of Benfica on five. Barca go to Bayern Munich, who are already confirmed as group winners, in the final matchday while Benfica host eliminated Dynamo Kiev.

"I want to congratulate the team for their defensive organisation," Jorge Jesus said. "We left here with a result that still leaves us dreaming but we are not dependent on our results.

"I keep saying the same thing: Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world and we are competing for qualification with them.

"This should make the fans, players and coach proud – today we were at the level of a great team."

Benfica defender Nicolas Otamendi, who made a key late block to deny Ousmane Dembele, refused to blame Seferovic.

"In the end we could have won, but it didn't happen," Otamendi said. "Seferovic tried, it didn't go in – it's football. We now have a final at home – we'll try to play to win and try to qualify.

"We have to keep the mentality of today and be organised. We tried not to let Barcelona build and we tried to get out fast, so now we want to repeat that in the next game."

Ajax head coach and rumoured Manchester United target Erik ten Hag said "it's always nice when you are linked to clubs with this status", though the Dutchman stressed his commitment to the Eredivisie champions.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly the favourite to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was sacked on Sunday following a humiliating 4-1 Premier League rout at Watford.

However, Ten Hag is believed to be United's second choice to fill the United vacancy should the Red Devils miss out on Pochettino.

Ajax's Ten Hag has impressed in his time in Amsterdam, where he has delivered two Eredivisie titles and embarked on a memorable run to the 2018-19 Champions League semi-finals.

Ten Hag's men have been the entertainers of Europe this term, dazzling their way into the Champions League round of 16, while topping the Eredivisie ahead of rivals PSV on goal difference.

Having fielded questions about United's reported interest after Sunday's 5-0 demolition of RKC Waalwijk, Ten Hag was again quizzed by reporters on the eve of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Besiktas.

"It's always nice when you are linked to clubs with this status," the 51-year-old Ten Hag – previously linked to Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United – said during a news conference in Istanbul.

Ten Hag added: "I am busy with Ajax. No one contacted me, I can confirm this. I want to win titles here.

"If we approach this game like you do [the media], we will have a very difficult night," he said.

Ajax will be looking to become only the second Dutch outfit to win their opening five games of a European Cup/Champions League campaign, after Feyenoord in 1971-72.

The Amsterdam club have produced more shots from high turnovers (11) – sequences that start within 40 metres of the opponent's goal – than any other team in the 2021-22 Champions League.

Ten Hag's high-pressing side have also scored two goals following high turnovers; one of only two teams to have netted more than once from these situations (along with Real Madrid, two).

Thomas Tuchel hailed an "amazing" performance from Chelsea after they put Juventus to the sword in a 4-0 victory to qualify for the Champions League last 16.

Chelsea cruised through with a game to spare and replaced Juve at the top of Group H with an emphatic win at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Trevoh Chalobah marked his first start in the competition by scoring a contentious opening goal after Antonio Rudiger appeared to have handled the ball in the penalty area and the outstanding Reece James doubled Chelsea's lead with a rasping drive.

Callum Hudson-Odoi added a third and the fit-again Timo Werner put the icing on the cake by coming off the bench to complete the scoring with the last kick of the game, consigning Juve to their heaviest Champions League defeat.

Champions League holders Chelsea outclassed the Bianconeri as they extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches since losing to the Serie A side in September and head coach Tuchel was full of praise for his players.

"We wanted to stay patient but at the same time not fall asleep," Tuchel told BT Sport. "We wanted to increase the rhythm and intensity. It's so tough to create and score but we created so much. An amazing performance and a fantastic result.

"We were sharper than in Turin, we took more risks, something we lacked in Turin. We had control, but by pure control you cannot hurt Juventus – you need to penetrate, you need runs off the ball. We were very good and scored nice goals."

The Premier League leaders' resounding win appeared to come at a cost, though, as Ben Chilwell and N'Golo Kante sustained knee injuries.

Tuchel said of the duo: "Ben has a sharp pain in the knee. N'Golo twisted his knee a little bit. They will both be examined tomorrow [Wednesday].

"They are very sad things because N'Golo was very good before he went off and Chilly has been in a fantastic moment."

Mason Mount dropped to the bench as Hakim Ziyech came into the team, while Werner had to settle for a substitute role with Christian Pulisic making only his second start.

Tuchel did not have to call upon Romelu Lukaku from the bench as Chelsea gave another demonstration of their strength in depth and the Blues boss says it is much easier keeping his squad happy when they are in such great form.

"The best thing to keep them happy is to win and everyone has to fight for their place," he said. "We still have some tough decisions.

"I feel like they are disappointed [when left out] but they will never let the team down and show it for too long and it doesn't affect their work ethic.

"We are in a good place. Sometimes you take tough decisions - it's like this in football. The best thing is to win and we want to keep on winning."

This was Tuchel's 50th match in charge of Chelsea in all competitions, and 32nd win (D11 L7). The Blues have kept 31 clean sheets in those 50 games, more than any other side in Europe's big-five leagues since his first game in charge in January, conceding just 24 goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo insisted Manchester United "will never stop fighting" after the superstar sent the embattled giants through to the Champions League knockouts following another record-breaking performance.

Ronaldo became the first player to score in the first five matches of a European Cup/Champions League campaign for an English team as United qualified for the last 16 courtesy of Tuesday's 2-0 Group F win over Villarreal.

In the first match of the post-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era, with interim boss Michael Carrick on the sidelines, Ronaldo broke the deadlock 12 minutes from the end for his 799th career goal before team-mate Jadon Sancho sealed the victory at the death away from home.

It has been a turbulent time for United, who had only won two of their previous eight games heading into the matchday five fixture, and Ronaldo revelled in the display.

"Always great to play in Spain, amazing to win in Spain, satisfying to score in Spain, a country where I always felt special," Ronaldo wrote via social media, with United reportedly targeting Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino as Solskjaer's permanent replacement.

"Congrats to the lads for a great victory that puts us where we belong!

"We are Man. United and we will never stop fighting for this club! Let's go, Devils!"

Ronaldo's strike against Villarreal was the third time he has scored the match-winning goal in the final 15 minutes of a Champions League match this season – the most a single player has ever done so in a single season in the competition (excluding extra time).

The 36-year-old has also scored six goals for United in this season's Champions League; only Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2004-05 (eight) has ever scored more for an English club in a single group phase of the competition.

United captain Harry Maguire told BT Sport: "It's massive for our season. It was tough and edgy in the first half.

"It was important to stay in the game and I thought the lads who came off the bench really helped us push on and the second-half performance was really good. The emphasis was getting a result.

"Coming away from home in Europe you have to be solid. We got what we deserved in the end because of the chances we created. We want to be on the front foot and aggressive and in the first half maybe we played with too much fear.

"But we spoke about that and the first goal came from pressure. Ronaldo has been brilliant. We need to get back to being solid because if we do that we have every chance to win games when we have him up front."

Lucas Hernandez sustained an injury in Bayern Munich's win over Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday, further depleting a squad Julian Nagelsmann described as "on a knife-edge".

Bayern headed to Dynamo for their fifth Champions League group game of the season without five first-team players who were forced into quarantine following close contact with a person who tested positive for coronavirus.

A vaccine debate has raged around Bayern in recent weeks, but Nagelsmann's side were able to maintain their 100 per cent European record this term – just the third time they have made such a start since 2003-04 – with a 2-1 success that secured their place at the top of Group E.

Robert Lewandowski broke the deadlock with a sensational overhead kick, extending his scoring run in the Champions League to nine straight matches – making him the first player to enjoy such a sequence twice (also in 2019-20).

That goal was also Lewandowski's 25th of the season already in all competitions, nine more than any other player across Europe's big five leagues.

Kingsley Coman added a second – Bayern's 19th goal through matchday five, the third-most in a Champions League group stage – before Denys Harmash replied for Dynamo after half-time.

Bayern were on the back foot for much of the second period, but they were playing without Hernandez, who was replaced by right-back Bouna Sarr at the break.

"In the end, we gritted our teeth well, and it was an important victory," Nagelsmann said.

"In general, it wasn't an easy game, also considering the circumstances. Not just the pitch conditions, but also our squad situation, which was already on a knife-edge before the game.

"During the interval, we had to change what we were doing because Luci [Hernandez] had to come off injured and we didn't have a third centre-back. We took a while to readjust to the change and we were a bit too passive.

"However, we had two or three good opportunities to transition into counters, but our final ball wasn't right. The third goal would have finished the game off.

"The goal we conceded was a bit annoying. We still have a long way to go. We have to be more stable, especially against opposition like today's."

Wojciech Szczesny said Juventus' performance in a 4-0 Champions League thrashing at the hands of titleholders Chelsea was "unacceptable".

Chelsea cruised into the round of 16 and replaced Juve, who had already qualified, at the top of Group H by hammering Massimiliano Allegri's side at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Trevoh Chalobah opened the scoring in the first half with a controversial goal after Antonio Rudiger appeared to handle the ball in the penalty area.

The Premier League leaders ran riot after the break, the outstanding Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner consigning the Bianconeri to their heaviest Champions League defeat.

Juve had not lost by a four-goal margin in any competition since they were subjected to a 4-0 drubbing by Serie A rivals Roma in February 2004.

It was a busy night for Juve goalkeeper Szczesny, who stressed the Turin giants must not dwell on a painful evening in London.

"We were low and passive, it's a defeat that is difficult to explain, unacceptable, but we must forget [about it and] go on. Saturday is a difficult match against Atalanta," he told Mediaset.

"It is very important to have a match right away [after the Chelsea loss], so we have the opportunity to respond. After tonight there will be a lot of deserved criticism and on Saturday we will have to respond on the pitch.

"We saw a clear difference between us and Chelsea. We did very well in the first game [against Chelsea], but today we played below our level, they were at their level and we saw the difference."

Leonardo Bonucci said Juve must learn from being outplayed by Thomas Tuchel's in-form Chelsea.

"It's a heavy defeat, certainly, we have to take the lesson that against these teams you must always go at 1,000 kilometres per hour, because the moment you slow it down, they punish you," the stand-in captain told Sky Sport Italia and Sport Mediaset.

"It is important we learn the lessons from this game, which is that against these teams, you cannot lower the intensity or concentration for a moment.

"We conceded the first goal from a corner, it might've been handball. We should've controlled it better in the second half, as they caused us so many problems."

Trevoh Chalobah marked his first Champions League start with a goal as Chelsea stormed into the round of 16 with an emphatic 4-0 win over Juventus.

The holders only needed to a point to qualify and they outclassed Juve at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday to replace them at the top of Group H with one game to play.

Chalobah controversially opened the scoring after Antonio Rudiger appeared to have handled in the penalty area and the Premier League leaders were a class apart in the second half, with goals from the outstanding Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi putting them in command.

Thomas Tuchel's side were in cruise control as they made it 10 games without defeat and Timo Werner rounded off a ruthless win when he added a fourth with the last kick of the game, although they lost Ben Chilwell to a knee injury after N'Golo Kante was also forced off. 

Chelsea started like a side brimming with confidence and the dangerous James forced a save from Wojciech Szczesny with a free-kick from a tight angle.

Chalobah opened the scoring in contentious fashion 25 minutes in, firing in on the half-volley with his right foot from eight yards out after it seemed the ball had struck Rudiger's arm when Hakim Ziyech whipped in a corner.

Thiago Silva showed great awareness to race back and keep the Blues in front with a desperate last-ditch clearance to deny former Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, who had dinked the ball over the advancing Edouard Mendy.

Kante was withdrawn eight minutes before the break, Ruben Loftus-Cheek replacing him, but they continued to dominate following the interval and took complete control with two goals in the space of three minutes.

James controlled the ball on his chest before beating Szczesny with a rasping right-foot drive after Leonardo Bonucci headed Chilwell's cross into his path.

Hudson-Odoi then applied the finish with his left foot from close range, with Loftus-Cheek having shown great footwork before setting the winger up.

Szczesny thwarted Ziyech with a fine reflex save, but James was involved again as fit-again substitute Werner put the icing on the cake when he finished from close range as Juve lost their perfect Champions League record this season.

Barcelona missed the opportunity to secure their place in the Champions League last 16 after they were held to a goalless draw by Benfica, meaning they may now have to win at Bayern Munich.

Despite dominating possession for large periods of the Group E clash at Camp Nou, Xavi’s side were unable to find a way past their stubborn opponents, who might have stolen victory at the last.

Yusuf Demir struck the woodwork, while Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos produced smart saves to keep out Jordi Alba and Frenkie de Jong before an offside flag denied Ronald Araujo.

Haris Seferovic then somehow missed with the goal gaping in stoppage time, but Barca remain second in the pool – two points ahead of their opponents – albeit with Bayern to play in two weeks' time, when Benfica are at home to already-eliminated Dynamo Kiev.

Requiring a win to qualify from their group in a 20th consecutive Champions League appearance, Barcelona established early control of proceedings and Alba stung the palms of Vlachodimos.

However, Marc-Andre ter Stegen did brilliantly to keep out Roman Yaremchuk's thumping header at the other end, before Benfica thought they had the lead when Nicolas Otamendi powered in off the underside of the crossbar, but his strike was ruled out after the initial corner curled out of play.

Demir then went close for the hosts before the break, his curling shot clipping the bar with Vlachodimos beaten.

Xavi introduced Ousmane Dembele as Barca continued to threaten following the restart, but De Jong's powerful header from his cross was brilliantly saved.

Araujo thought he had netted a dramatic winner seven minutes from time, only to have a late flag confirmed by the VAR, before Seferovic almost snatched victory on the counter, beating Ter Stegen but improbably poking wide.

Manchester United caretaker manager Michael Carrick was thrilled for Jadon Sancho after the winger ended his long wait for a goal in the win over Villarreal.

In their first match since the departure of manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Red Devils secured a 2-0 victory in Spain on Tuesday that sealed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo broke the deadlock after Fred had applied pressure following a goal kick, and Sancho made certain of the win with an emphatic finish at the end of a flowing counter-attack in the 90th minute.

Sancho had previously gone 14 appearances and 10 shots without finding the net for United since his move from Borussia Dortmund in the transfer window.

The result meant Carrick became the first English manager to win his first game in charge of the club since Walter Crickmer back in 1931, and the former midfielder was delighted with the manner in which his players battled for victory.

"In some ways, it was the best way to win for me," he told BT Sport. "We had to show some character, we had to dig in, had to fight.

"The game looked at times like it was drifting away from us, after half-time, and we got back together again and the subs made a massive impact.

"That's all I could hope for: the boys gave everything.

"Fred's done fantastic. He won that ball back, which we want him to, we look for that. When Ronaldo gets that chance, he puts it away.

"To finish it off with Jadon was brilliant. I know how much Jadon loves the ball at his feet and trying to make things happen, it's where he's happiest, but I thought the other side of the game, he put in a real effort defensively when we needed it. It was a big night for him."

Villarreal enjoyed the better of the chances in the first hour and David de Gea had to make a handful of saves, including a brilliant one-handed stop to deny Manu Trigueros.

Carrick felt it was always likely his side would have to adopt a more cautious approach given the game was just three days on from the chastening 4-1 Premier League loss to Watford that spelled the end of Solskjaer's time in charge.

"We came here to win the game. I believed we would, I believed we were ready for it," Carrick said.

"It wasn't an easy game, by the way. It was a tough game, they're a good team, and for those who don't watch them that much and don't see it, they're a good team, they make you work.

"I thought the boys had to dig in at times and show a little bit of everything, so I was delighted with the way it ended up.

"Let's be honest: I don't think we could have come out and hoped to play pretty football from the word go. When you've suffered results-wise and you're not in a great vein of form individually and as a team, it's not easy to come out and let everything click."

It remains unclear how long Carrick will take charge of the first team, with United exploring interim appointments until the end of the season as well as longer-term targets that reportedly include Mauricio Pochettino.

Carrick was keen to pay tribute to Solskjaer after a troubled few days at Old Trafford.

"I have enjoyed it, I must admit. I enjoyed the whole thing. It's not been an easy couple of days at the club," he added.

"That result almost feels like it was for Ole. I can't get away from that. But we had a job to do, and when I was there, and things needed to be taken care of, I was happy to do it. Thankfully, it all went to plan in the end."

Sergio Ramos has taken "a massive step" in his Paris Saint-Germain career by putting himself in contention to face Manchester City, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

Although former Real Madrid captain Ramos appears only likely to make the bench for Wednesday's heavyweight battle at the Etihad Stadium, he is closer than ever to a long-awaited debut.

Rumours had circulated that PSG were considering getting rid of close-season recruit Ramos before he reached this point, as he battled back from a calf problem.

Yet Pochettino is now planning to include him as a key figure in his team, as soon as the Spain legend is fully fit.

He was physically ready enough to travel to England and give Pochettino an option, with the PSG head coach saying ahead of the game: "Sergio is doing well in the last week.

"It was a joy for him and for the team to be involved in the training session, and then he needs to build his fitness step by step. I think a very good step, a massive step, is to be involved here in the game. That is very important.

"Not only is it a first step, but it's a massive step for him to be involved. Then we will think to give, when the opportunity arrives, maybe the possibility to play."

Pochettino said watching Ramos progress from this point would be key, as he attempts to match his team-mates pace for pace.

PSG midfielder Marco Verratti enthused about the prospect of lining up in the same team as the 35-year-old Champions League great, who has won this competition four times.

As PSG hunt down a first triumph at the highest level in Europe, having a sharp Ramos at the heart of their defence later in the tournament could make all the difference.

"Sergio Ramos is a player who needs no introduction," said Verratti. "He achieved so much at Real Madrid over many years, and he is always a difficult player to face. He has so much personality. He understands the game and what he needs to do.

"He is great in attack and a fantastic defender. He has shown how good he is throughout his career. We are pleased he is in the squad, and the fact he has been training with us has already been fantastic. He is now in better shape, and he can really help this team."

Ramos only made 15 LaLiga appearances in his final season at Madrid, and last played in May when Los Blancos went down to Chelsea in the Champions League.

However, he stands joint ninth on the list of players with the most Champions League appearances, having played in the competition 129 times. He has won 79 of those games, the most by a defender.

His 15 goals have only been beaten by Roberto Carlos and Gerard Pique (both 16) among defenders, and Barcelona stalwart Pique is the only defender to have made more headed clearances than Ramos (313 to 293).

Kylian Mbappe missed training with PSG on Monday, but the forward was back on the pitch with his team-mates in Manchester on Tuesday evening.

Pochettino said: "Kylian Mbappe is doing well today. Yesterday, he could not train. But we hope it is a small issue."

The Argentine coach said he hoped Mbappe would be "in the best condition possible" for the game.

PSG are close to securing a place in the last-16 stage, and a win on Wednesday would assure them of a top-two finish in Group A.

Should Mbappe feature, as seems likely, it would be his 50th appearance in the Champions League. That would make him the second-youngest outfield player to reach 50 games in the Champions League at 22 years and 339 days, behind only Cesc Fabregas (22y 331d).

Manchester United qualified for the Champions League last 16 by beating Villarreal 2-0 in the first match of the post-Ole Gunnar Solskjaer era on Tuesday.

With Solskjaer having departed as manager after the 4-1 embarrassment at Watford last weekend, Michael Carrick was tasked with leading the Red Devils in their fifth Champions League group game of the season.

After a largely uneventful 77 minutes at Estadio de la Ceramica, in which Manu Trigueros and Jadon Sancho had the best of the chances, Cristiano Ronaldo lofted in his 799th senior career goal to put his side in front.

Sancho, who failed to score under Solskjaer, made certain of United's place in the knockouts with an emphatic finish at the end of a flowing counter-attack.

United fans sang boisterously in support of Solskjaer and Carrick as kick-off was delayed due to an apparent problem with the referee's communication system.

Scott McTominay headed into the side-netting but the best of the early chances fell to the home side, David de Gea saving from Moi Gomez and Yeremi Pino hitting the wrong side of the net from a loose ball.

De Gea saved superbly one-handed to tip away Trigueros' first-time shot before Ronaldo's first sight of goal saw him head straight at Geronimo Rulli from an Alex Telles cross.

Neither side seemed eager to force the issue but De Gea was called upon to make another brilliant save from Trigueros after a loose ball deflected to him in the United box.

Rulli saved well from Sancho as United began to look the more likely to find a winner, but the Villarreal keeper turned villain when his lazy pass was pounced upon by Fred, allowing Ronaldo to spin and lob the ball into the unguarded net.

Fred was again instrumental for the second, winning back possession to trigger a swift break involving Ronaldo, McTominay and Rashford, with Sancho applying a powerful finish.

 

Robert Lewandowski extended his latest Champions League scoring streak in stunning style as Bayern Munich clinched top spot in Group E with a 2-1 win at Dynamo Kiev.

Lewandowski netted for the ninth game running in Europe's elite club competition – becoming the only player to achieve such a streak twice – with a sensational overhead kick in the Olympic Stadium snow.

Bayern, needing only a point to secure first place, were far from comfortable, but Kingsley Coman doubled their lead before half-time to ensure Denys Harmash's belated response counted for little.

Difficult conditions under foot hindered the quality of the contest with one obvious exception. Lewandowski had plenty to do after the ball looped up off Illia Zabarnyi in the area, but his acrobatic finish was emphatic.

That goal was almost cancelled out in farcical fashion, however, as Leon Goretzka prodded towards Manuel Neuer and was grateful to see the post come to his rescue when the goalkeeper failed to make any contact at all with an attempted clearance.

Instead, shortly after Lucas Hernandez survived a tangle with Vitaliy Buyalskiy inside his own area, Thomas Muller dummied Corentin Tolisso's pass and Coman fired in Bayern's second.

Again Dynamo might have responded as Neuer scrambled to save Mykola Shaparenko's deflected effort early in the second half, but the same man could not turn in the rebound.

The home side finally found a way to goal for the first time in this campaign as substitute Harmash nutmegged Neuer, although they lacked the class to then add an equaliser that was perhaps merited, even if Viktor Tsygankov's speculative late strike clipped the post.

What does it mean? Bayern back at it

This win was not of the standard of Bayern's previous Champions League triumphs this season, their narrowest victory of the group stage so far seeing them pass up the opportunity to become the first team to net four in four consecutive matches in the competition since the European Cup was formed.

But with only a draw required, Julian Nagelsmann would have been delighted to avoid a repeat of Friday's slip-up at the hands of Augsburg in the Bundesliga.

Lewandowski adds to his legend

The last time Lewandowski scored in nine straight Champions League matches, his goals took Bayern to the 2019-20 final. That first sequence made him only the third player to net in at least nine in a row even once (also Ruud van Nistelrooy, nine, and Cristiano Ronaldo, 11).

Lewandowski now has a competition-leading nine goals this season, a tally only he has ever topped through matchday five (10, again in 2019-20).

Neuer still not quite convincing

This was Neuer's 124th Champions League appearance, moving level with Gianluigi Buffon behind only Iker Casillas (177) among goalkeepers. But that experience was never really on show, instead continuing his shaky Bundesliga form.

Only one of Neuer's four saves was truly convincing, while he was extremely fortunate to escape after his wild swipe at Goretzka's lunging pass, and Harmash eventually forced the ball beneath him.

What's next?

With European business taken care of, Bayern can return their focus to the Bundesliga, where they will hope to get back on track against Arminia Bielefeld. That fixture is on Saturday, when Dynamo are also in action at Mynai.

Carlo Ancelotti backed Thibaut Courtois by insisting he would not swap the Belgian for anyone after the Real Madrid star was snubbed for The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper award.

World football's governing body announced its list of nominees for the end-of-year awards on Monday, and Courtois was curiously absent.

Alisson, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Edouard Mendy, Manuel Neuer and Kasper Schmeichel were those confirmed to be in the running for the goalkeeper award.

Courtois, who won the award in 2018, does not believe he has been overlooked because of his performances, rather recent comments he made.

The 29-year-old criticised UEFA and FIFA in October, accusing the institutions of treating players like "robots" amid fixture congestion, claiming those in charge only "care about their pockets" and not those playing the sport.

Speaking on Tuesday ahead of Madrid's Champions League clash with Sheriff, Courtois told reporters: "I'm not going to comment on why I'm not nominated for The Best.

"I think it's because of something I commented on a month ago, but that's it. Whoever gets it wins. The individual awards are not important."

Madrid certainly are not shy about publicly backing their own players for individual awards, with such campaigns frequently seen during Cristiano Ronaldo's time at the club.

More recently, the club has backed Karim Benzema to win the Ballon d'or with social media posts.

But Ancelotti highlighted the greater importance for Courtois to win titles with Madrid, with the Italian adamant he would not change goalkeepers despite FIFA seemingly not rating him among the five best in 2021.

"There are many good goalkeepers in Europe," Ancelotti said. "Others are going to choose [who wins the award], what are we going to do about it?

"We wouldn't want to change him for anyone and I think he doesn't want to change this club for any other. It's a marriage that is fine.

"For him, it is more important to win LaLiga or the Champions League than an individual trophy."

Manchester United should move to appoint Mauricio Pochettino as their new manager immediately rather than wait until the end of the season if he is their first choice, according to former Old Trafford hero Mark Hughes.

United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Sunday in the wake of a humiliating 4-1 defeat to promoted Watford a day earlier, but the writing was already on the wall.

After an inconsistent start to the 2021-22 campaign, the beginning of the end for Solskjaer was arguably the 5-0 home loss to Liverpool on October 24.

That thrashing by Jurgen Klopp's side set several unwanted records, including United's largest margin of defeat against their fierce rivals at home and the first time the Red Devils had trailed by four goals at half-time in the Premier League.

Michael Carrick has been installed in temporary charge until United can hire an interim manager to guide them through to the end of the season, a somewhat peculiar and convoluted process that in itself has attracted criticism.

Numerous coaches have been credited with interest in the role, with Paris Saint-Germain boss Pochettino – strongly linked to United in the past – seemingly chief among them, and Hughes thinks the club need to have the courage of their convictions if the Argentinian is the man they want.

"In terms of resources, to be able to get a top manager out of a top club, clearly United are one of the few clubs that are able to do that," Hughes told talkSPORT. "I think for a long time United have coveted Pochettino.

"I think they've wined and dined him [in the past], I think he's been out with Sir Alex [Ferguson]. I think that was well documented a few years ago.

"I think he's well thought of within the corridors of United, so it wouldn't surprise me if he's the one they really want. Whether or not he's able to come to the club quickly, that's an issue for them.

"I think if he's the man, they should just go out and go get him. This interim-to-interim position doesn't seem to be the right way to go about it.

"But clearly, if they have to wait, they seem prepared to do that. I just feel it's Pochettino that they really, really want."

Former Tottenham head coach Pochettino has only been in charge at PSG since January, though there have been rumours of friction between him and sporting director Leonardo.

Speculation has suggested that PSG would be willing for Pochettino to leave, assuming a compensation package can be agreed and they have a replacement lined up.

Zinedine Zidane, also linked to United but said to have little interest in moving to England, has been mentioned as a likely candidate to replace Pochettino at PSG.

Pochettino is in Manchester this week as PSG face Manchester City on Wednesday in the Champions League – United begin the post-Solskjaer era away to Villarreal on Tuesday.

Stefano Pioli sees Milan's clash with Atletico Madrid as "a great opportunity" as they fight to stay in European competition this season.

The Rossoneri sit bottom of Group B with just one point from four matches against Atleti, Liverpool and Porto.

They must beat the LaLiga champions on Wednesday to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 or claiming the Europa League place, although they will be unable to finish in the top two regardless if Porto defeat Liverpool.

A controversial last-minute penalty from Luis Suarez saw Atleti beat 10-man Milan in the reverse fixture in September, a third-straight defeat for the Italian side against these opponents.

Indeed, Milan have only managed one victory in their past 16 Champions League meetings with Spanish sides and have lost all of the most recent four.

Despite history and the odds being against them, Pioli is looking at the game at the Wanda Metropolitano as a chance to prove themselves.

"It's a great opportunity, perhaps our last to stay in this competition against strong opponents whose style of play we have studied carefully, and that we know well having played them a few weeks ago," he said on Tuesday.

"We didn't need the ending [against Atleti] to know the qualities of our opponents, especially their great quality of staying in the game until the end. I think they're among the best in Europe to recover at the death.

"We must always play to believe until the 95th minute."

Milan are level at the top of Serie A with Napoli, having won 10 and lost just one of their opening 13 games of the season, but their Champions League campaign has been marked by narrow defeats.

They let a 2-1 lead slip to lose 3-2 at Anfield prior to their home defeat to Atletico before a 1-0 loss in Porto on matchday three.

Pioli insists his inexperienced side are not far from matching their more experienced opponents in Europe.

"We're built for this, to be competitive in both competitions," he said. "For many, it's their first time in the Champions League, we've faced opponents of the highest level, but we have shown we're not too far away from them.

"We're aware we've always lacked a certain something. In terms of intensity, quality and concentration, we'll have to perform at 100 per cent tomorrow."

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