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City edge past PSG 2-1; Sporting join Euro powers in knockouts

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LONDON, Nov 25: The parade of European powers advancing to the Champions League knockout stage Wednesday was disrupted by Sporting Lisbon completing a stunning turnaround to join them.
Manchester City and Real Madrid are back in the round of 16 after beating teams they lost to in September. Paris Saint-Germain also goes through despite its 2-1 loss at City after leading when Kylian Mbappé scored early in the second half.
Madrid’s 3-0 win at Sheriff – avenging a 2-1 home defeat to the champion of Moldova two months ago – included a goal for Karim Benzema on a day of legal trouble for the forward and ensured Inter Milan also advanced from Group D by beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0.
Three-time European champion Inter returns to the round of 16 after a 10-year absence, though Sporting ended a 13-year wait by beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1. Pedro Gonçalves scored twice.
Sporting seemed overmatched in September when routed at home by Ajax then beaten in Dortmund, but three straight wins lifted the surprise Portuguese title-winner to advance with a game to spare.
Ajax and Liverpool extended their dominating group-stage campaigns with fifth straight wins.
Liverpool cruised to a 2-0 win over Porto and moved an astonishing 10 points clear of the Portuguese team in second place in Group B that promises a tense final round on Dec. 7.
AC Milan is still in contention after finding an 87th-minute goal from a 30-year-old Champions League debutant to win 1-0 at Atlético Madrid.
Leipzig was missing American coach Jesse Marsch, who tested positive for COVID-19, yet overwhelmed Club Brugge 5-0 in Belgium in their battle to finish third in Group A behind Man City and PSG.
Third-place teams in Champions League groups earn a ticket to the second-tier Europa League knockout playoffs in February. Dortmund and Sheriff will be among them.
Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar. PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino was able to pick his superstar forward line to face Pep Guardiola’s Man City without a typical center forward or Kevin De Bruyne because of a COVID-19 infection.
City still had enough despite failing to turn first-half dominance into goals and falling behind to Mbappé’s goal in the 50th.
Raheem Sterling struck with a classic City tap-in goal in the 63rd and, after Neymar wasted a clear chance, Gabriel Jesus won it in the 77th with a scuffed shot that beat PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
Inter Milan is heading to the Champions League knockout stage for the first time in 10 years. AC Milan can still join its city rival by extending its first CL campaign in eight years.
The late goal from Milan’s on-loan Brazilian journeyman Junior Messias was “the biggest success of my life,” he said.
Inter had an easier time at San Siro against Shakhtar, with veteran forward Edin Džeko scoring twice in a six-minute spell midway through the second half.
Sébastien Haller, in his first season in the elite competition at age 27, joined Robert Lewandowski on nine by scoring both Ajax goals at Beşiktaş.
The forward is now the fastest ever to score nine goals at the start of his Champions League career. Haller has taken just five games.
Christopher Nkunku also scored twice Wednesday and now has seven this season for Leipzig, one more than Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally for Manchester United and Mohamed Salah for Liverpool. (AP)

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