Benfica’s Richard Ríos scored one goal and set up another to seal a vital 2-0 victory against Napoli on Wednesday, boosting the Portuguese side’s hopes of reaching the Champions League knockout stage.
The result reignited Benfica’s European campaign, clinching a second consecutive win after a poor start and lifting them to six points and up to 25th place, just one point outside the playoff spots. Napoli slipped to 23rd on seven points.
Benfica dominated the early exchanges, as Nicolás Otamendi headed over inside six minutes before the Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was called into action, pulling off a superb one-handed save to deny the hosts on 11 minutes. The pressure kept building up and Milinkovic-Savic’s poor clearance handed Fredrik Aursnes a golden chance but the midfielder fired into the side netting.
The breakthrough arrived on 20 minutes when a floated cross dropped into a crowded area, with Franjo Ivanovic’s knockdown triggering a scramble to which Ríos reacted fastest, steering in from close range.
Benfica doubled their lead five minutes into the second half when Ríos rolled an inch-perfect ball across the box for Leandro Barreiro, who darted in front of his marker and flicked a smart finish inside the near post.
José Mourinho’s side pressed for a third goal, but Milinkovic-Savic kept the score down with two smart saves to deny Vangelis Pavlidis. Napoli looked for a way back through David Neres and Scott McTominay but their attacks rarely troubled the Benfica backline as the visitors slumped to a third defeat in the competition.
Paris Saint-Germain played out their first goalless draw of the season at Athletic Bilbao but stayed in the driving seat for direct qualification for the last 16 after a string of fine saves by the home goalkeeper Unai Simón denied the French champions.
Luis Enrique’s side had the clearest chances after being under pressure in the first half, but Simón produced several superb saves and Ousmane Dembélé’s absence was once again felt up front by the visitors. The result left PSG in third place in the 36-team league with 13 points from six games, while Athletic are 28th on five points, two points from the playoff places.
Julian Brandt scored two goals for Borussia Dortmund but they had to settle for a point as the visitors Bodø/Glimt twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw.
Brandt gave Dortmund the lead following a poor pass from Haitam Aleesami, but the latter made amends when he equalised just before half-time. The home side applied plenty of pressure after the break and were rewarded early as Brandt scored his second with a tap-in from a rebound, before Jens Petter Hauge restored parity again for the visitors 15 minutes from the end.
The draw leaves Dortmund 10th in the table with 11 points from their six games, while Bodø/Glimt remain winless and in 32nd.
Juventus registered their first home win of this season’s Champions League but were made to battle before overcoming Pafos 2-0 at home thanks to second-half goals from Weston McKennie and Jonathan David.
The sides were level on points going into the game and Pafos proved more than a match for their more illustrious Italian opponents for long periods, but Juventus secured a second successive win to boost their European hopes.
Juventus are 17th in the standings on nine points while Pafos are 26th on six points, with the top eight teams qualifying for the knockout stage and the next 16 going into the playoffs for the other eight spots.
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Ajax claimed their first Champions League points this season as they scored three late goals to secure a 4-2 win at Qarabag, while Villarreal stayed winless as they lost 3-2 at home against Copenhagen.
Qarabag took the lead in the 10th minute when Camilo Dúran chased down a long pass and from distance lobbed the advancing Ajax keeper Vitezslav Jaros. Ajax equalised six minutes before the break with Kasper Dolberg cutting inside and rifling a shot from distance into the bottom corner.
The hosts retook the lead two minutes after half-time in Azerbaijan when Matheus Silva’s shot took a deflection off the defender Lucas Rosa. With five defeats from their first five league phase games, Ajax were effectively facing elimination with another defeat – but the visitors produced a dramatic late fightback.
Oscar Gloukh drew Ajax level again 11 minutes from time with a drilled low shot into the bottom corner. Four minutes later, the visitors went ahead as Anton Gaaei finished a counterattack with a fine finish into the top corner. Gloukh made sure of the win with his second goal in the last minute.
In Spain, Copenhagen took a second-minute lead after Mohamed Elyounoussi volleyed home from Marcos López’s floated cross. Villarreal, who had taken just one point from five matches so far, equalised two minutes after the break when Santi Comesaña bundled the ball home at the back post.
Copenhagen were back in front just one minute later through Elias Achouri’s first-time finish from Yoram Zague’s cross, but the hosts levelled again in the 56th minute as Tani Oluwaseyi poked a shot through the legs of the defender Junnosuke Suzuki and past the visiting keeper, Dominik Kotarski.
With the game heading for a draw that would suit neither side, Copenhagen struck in the 90th minute to boost their own playoff hopes. Andreas Cornelius reacted quickest to a blocked effort from Elyounoussi, pouncing to leave Villarreal, who are third in La Liga, on the brink of early elimination.
