Arsenal are demolishing French side Lens while Real Madrid host Napoli in a thrilling morning of Champions League action (7am AEDT), after Manchester United slumped to a disastrous draw in Turkey.
Arsenal need just a draw to ensure progression to the knockout stages, while a win over Lens will see them confirmed as Group B winners with a game in hand.
And the Gunners romped to a five-goal lead by halftime in a scorching attacking display.
After naming a strong team, Arsenal started in ideal fashion when a cross from Japanese defender Takehiro Tomiyasu was poorly dealt with by the Lens defence.
Gabriel Jesus prodded the rebound into the path of Kai Havertz, who reacted quickest to slot home the goal. It was the German attacker’s second goal in as many games.
VAR checked the 13th-minute goal after Jesus was on the brink of off-side, but the strike stood.
In the 21st minute, Jesus dummied a pair of defenders and swept home form the centre of the box.
MORE NEWS
Aussie 17yo ‘freak’ is off to a Euro giant and could be next star — but there’s a big if
‘Absolutely bonkers’ six goal mayhem as Man Utd on brink of CL exit after GK howlers
Youngster Bukayo Saka – having assisted Jesus two minutes earlier – then got on the scoresheet as he bundled home the ball after a Martinelli shot was well saved.
The fourth goal was the pick of the bunch as Gabriel Martinelli went on a sensational solo run to beat multiple defenders before finishing coolly.
His 27th-minute goal meant Arsenal had scored four in the space of 14 minutes.
Lens had a bright period and had a penalty shout when the ball hit Havertz’s hand – but it was deflected off his knee and was waved away.
But Arsenal’s counter-attack again pulled Lens apart as the Gunners added another on the brink of halftime. Saka fed Tomiyasu on an overlapping run down the right, and he floated the ball across to Martin Odegaard at the back post, who lashed a volley into the net in the first minute of stoppage time.
It meant that all five Arsenal goals came from different players, something that had never happened in the first half of a Champions League game before (excluding own goals).
Follow the action in our live blog below!
Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. Join now and start streaming instantly >
LIVE BLOG
Follow all the action in our live blog below. If you can’t see the blog, click here.
INTER’S EPIC COMEBACK AFTER HAT-TRICK
Benfica took a 3-0 lead at halftime over Inter Milan after Joao Mario scored a hat-trick for the Portuguese team. Mario struck in the fifth, 13th and 34th minutes against his former team.
But Inter struck twice in 13 minutes after the interval before equalising later in the second half.
Marko Arnautovic scored the first when a corner was flicked on to the back post for him to poke home. It was initially deemed offside, but VAR overturned the decision and awarded the goal.
In the 58th minute, Davide Frattesi slammed home a volley into the top corner after a cross from 35-year-old Francesco Acerbi on the left flank.
And substitute striker Marcus Thuram earned a penalty in the 70th minute when he was tripped by Nicolas Otamendi (previously of Manchester City), with former Arsenal attacker Alexis Sanchez converting from the spot.
BELLINGHAM DOES IT AGAIN BUT MADRID LOCKED IN THRILLER
And Real Madrid lead Napoli 2-1 in a wild clash in the Bernabeu. Giovanni Simeone struck in the ninth minute for the Italians after a cross to the back post was popped across the face of goal
Rodrygo needed just two minutes to equalise after cutting inside from the left flank and curling it to the back post.
And England star Jude Bellingham continued his staggering start to life in Madrid by scoring in the 22nd minute, running behind the defence to head home a lofted through ball.
SEVILLA DUMPED OUT AFTER EPIC COMEBACK
Earlier, Sevilla crashed out of the Champions League, throwing away a two-goal lead in a 3-2 defeat by PSV Eindhoven.
Leading through goals from Sergio Ramos and Youssef En-Nesyri, Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos was sent off for two bookings in four minutes and it opened the door for PSV’s fightback.
The Dutch side silenced Sevilla’s Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium as Ismael Saibari volleyed home for the visitors and then Nemanja Gudelj bundled into his own net.
United States forward Ricardo Pepi headed home the winner in stoppage time to end Sevilla’s hopes of reaching the last 16.
PSV’s win leaves them second, a point behind Group B leaders Arsenal, who face Lens, third, later Wednesday.
Seven-time Europa League winners Sevilla could still qualify for that competition, if Arsenal beat Lens and then Sevilla do the same in the final group match.
Sevilla have not won a single game under coach Diego Alonso in the Champions League or La Liga — they have suffered four defeats and four draws since he took over in October.
Discussion about this post