Belgian side Club Brugge reached the Champions League knockouts after a 0-0 draw against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday guaranteed them a top-two spot in Group B.
After becoming the first Belgian side to win their opening three group games last week, Brugge reached the round of 16 in Europe's elite club competition for the first time since 1990-91, when it was known as the European Cup.
Atletico squandered a string of chances as they extended their winless streak in the competition to three games.
The Spanish side are second on four points, six behind the Belgians and one ahead Porto and Bayer Leverkusen, who have a game in hand and will play each other later on Wednesday.
Atletico now will face two must-win games against Leverkusen and Porto to stay alive in the competition.
Brugge were lively in the first half but ran out of steam after the break and then held on in the closing stages as Atletico tried in vain to open up the visitors, who had Kamal Sowah sent-off late on.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet was named player of the match after he made a series of stops in the second half, including two close-range saves in added time to deny Alvaro Morata.
"This is a dream! We fought until the end and we finally did it," Mignolet told UEFA's website.
"In previous years, it just didn't work out for us. We felt this year would be different – and now qualification is ours.
"But our story doesn’t end here: let’s see how far we can go."
Atletico manager Diego Simeone left star Portuguese forward Joao Felix on the bench for the entire 90 minutes.
The Argentinian manager instead opted to start Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa up-front, bringing Morata and Matheus Cunha on from the bench later on.
But Brugge attacked Simeone’s defensive block and constantly broke their lines with dangerous through balls and quick counters in the first half.
Sowah, Andreas Skov Olsen and Ferran Jutgla all missed chances to score early on.
Atletico were slowly building up momentum, with Griezmann missing several chances.
The hosts almost scored in the 20th minute after a one-touch passing combination between Griezmann and Correa, with the Argentinian's low strike going narrowly wide.
The Frenchman was denied by Mignolet in the 26th minute, having a low shot blocked by the goalkeeper's right foot.
Saul Niguez had a goal ruled out for offside in the build up a few minutes later.
With Atletico in control, Brugge were awarded a penalty but the decision was overturned by the VAR as Tajon Buchanan stepped on Nahuel Molina’s ankle before the Argentinian tripped him inside the area.
Atletico had another goal ruled out right after the break when Angel Correa was adjudged offside.
The hosts dominated possession late on and applied relentless pressure after Sowah was shown his second yellow card for kicking the ball into the stands after play had stopped.
Yet Mignolet made several saves to keep the game goalless and seal Brugge's qualification.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the team’s sixth goal against Rangers in the Champions League match in Glasgow | Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters
Salah rediscovers scoring touch
By his own astronomically high standards, this season has been disappointing for Mohamed Salah as he and Liverpool have struggled, but in one rampant showing at Rangers on Tuesday both player and club rediscovered their spark.
Tipped to be Manchester City's main Premier League title challengers again this term, Liverpool have suffered their worst start to a domestic season in a decade, having amassed just 10 points from their opening eight fixtures.
Salah's lack of goals has perhaps been one of the reasons for their slump.
Two from eight starts is not form you would usually associate with a player who averages 0.61 goals in the Premier League, but the Egyptian's struggles have matched his team's woes.
Form, however, is only temporary. Salah and Liverpool were in dire need of a lift with champions Manchester City next up at Anfield on Sunday. The quickest hat-trick in Champions League history from substitute Salah in a 7-1 success was just what the doctor ordered.
"We usually drink a beer after away games, it's that long since I drank we'll probably be drunk after one," a buoyant Juergen Klopp joked after the match.
"The relief is big. All the effort is paying off. We all know when it is running for Mo (Salah) he is exceptional, absolutely exceptional. Obviously it was a different position for him tonight, coming on.
"I hope for him everything works for him from now on, like I hope it does for us."
With Salah left on the bench for the first time this term, Klopp went for a more youthful Liverpool lineup as he looked to put his side on the verge of the last 16 against Rangers, and forget their domestic struggles.
It looked like the gamble had backfired as Liverpool conceded first for the eighth time this season in the first half at a bouncing Ibrox, before a double from Roberto Firmino turned the match on its head.
Even after close-season signing Darwin Nunez did his confidence a world of good with a fine finish to make it 3-1, Liverpool did not look overly convincing, until Salah entered the fray.
The defending left much to be desired from Rangers, but the way Salah stroked the ball into the net, especially for his treble-clinching third, was reminiscent of the Egyptian at his best.
It will take a special performance for Liverpool to end City's unbeaten start to the season on Sunday, but the chances of Salah making another telling contribution in this blockbuster clash look more promising now.
Published - October 13, 2022 08:53 am IST
