LONDON: Barcelona’s 17-year streak of advancing to the Champions League knockout rounds each season ended on Wednesday with an exit from the group stage that failed to finish on time because of snow in Italy.

Barcelona fell to a 3-0 loss at Bayern Munich that dumped the five-time European champions into a dismal and deserved third place in Group ‘E’.

“We start a new era, from zero, from here,” Barca coach Xavi Hernandez, who rejoined a club in crisis last month, told broadcaster DAZN.

Bayern’s perfect six straight wins started with a 3-0 win at Camp Nou in September, and a repeat result at home let Benfica rise above Barca and into the round-of-16 draw on Monday by beating Dynamo Kiev 2-0 in Lisbon with first-half goals by Roman Yaremchuk and Gilberto.

Only 15 of the 16-team lineup in the knockout stage were known on Wednesday night.

The Atalanta-Villarreal game to decide who will finish runner-up in Group ‘F’ was postponed by heavy snow in the northern Italian city of Bergamo. The group was already won by Manchester United before they drew 1-1 on Wednesday with last-place Young Boys at Old Trafford. Mason Greenwood’s acrobatic effort putting Ralf Rangnick’s side ahead before Fabian Rieder equalised.

UEFA later asked Atalanta and Villarreal to try again on Thursday evening.

A grim evening for Spanish sides saw Sevilla join Barcelona in being eliminated, failing to advance from the wide-open Group ‘G’ where all four teams kicked off in contention.

Lille, the team lowest-ranked by UEFA in the group stage, seized top spot by beating VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 in Germany. Salzburg beat Sevilla 1-0 to advance to the round of 16 as runners-up. The consolation for third-placed Sevilla is a switch across to the second-tier Europa League where they are the record six-time title-holders.

Defending champions Chelsea and Juventus had already sealed their round-of-16 places from Group ‘H’ but first place in the group was in play on Wednesday.

Chelsea were stunned by Zenit St. Petersburg’s leveller deep into stoppage time for a 3-3 draw in Russia that let Juve secure top spot with a 1-0 win at home to Malmo.

Juve will be in the pot of seeded teams with the other group winners in Monday’s draw, where the unseeded pot now includes Chelsea and Paris St Germain.

Before Lionel Messi left for PSG, in all 17 years of his first-team career at Barca the club took its place among the elite in the round of 16 each February. They won four Champions League titles in that era.

In the club’s first post-Messi season, the Europa League playoffs now beckon after a group-stage campaign that brought more 3-0 losses (three) than goals scored (two).

The decline also extends at home and to the club’s finances. A current seventh place in La Liga is outside the European qualification spots and years of big spending on wages mean there is no quick fix for the prodigal son who returned last month to coach the club.

“We need to work hard, many things that put Barcelona in this situation. But this is our reality. I cannot say anything else,” Xavi said.

Bayern won the group with a 22-goal tally that was more than twice as many as the other three teams combined.

Goals from Thomas Mueller, Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala against Barca ensured Bayern matched Ajax and Liverpool who completed their six straight wins on Tuesday.

SALZBURG, LILLE ADVANCE

Bayern were joined by Salzburg in playing in empty stadiums — just like 2020 in European football — during the first waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Salzburg’s first entry into the knockout rounds, with Noah Okafor scoring the only goal before Sevilla had Joan Jordan sent off, follows several years as junior partner to fellow Red Bull affiliate Leipzig, who placed third in their group on Tuesday and will switch to the Europa League.

Lille are through to the knockout stages for the first time in 15 years after their win in Germany.

Burak Yilmaz gave Lille an early lead and Canadian striker Jonathan David made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute before Angel Gomes got their third. Renato Steffen got a late consolation.

Chelsea were on course to top their group as they led 3-2 away to Zenit going into injury time.

But then Magomed Ozdoev’s stunning strike earned Zenit a 3-3 draw, allowing Juventus to snatch first place as Moise Kean’s goal gave them victory against Malmo.

Timo Werner had tapped in to put Chelsea ahead in the second minute, but Claudinho and Sardar Azmoun both scored before the break for Zenit.

Romelu Lukaku’s first goal in nearly three months made it 2-2, and Werner’s second of the night looked to have won it for Chelsea before Ozdoev struck.

“My analysis is very clear: our behavior changes when we have a lead and this is something we never did and we should never do,” said Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2021