GENEVA, Oct 13: Barcelona was twice dragged back from the precipice of a humiliating Champions League elimination by Robert Lewandowski’s late goals.
An instant classic at Camp Nou on Wednesday saw Barcelona draw 3-3 with Inter Milan and barely cling to a slim hope of advancing to the round of 16.
Atlético Madrid is also on the brink after failing to score for a third straight game.
No such worries for Bayern Munich and unheralded Club Brugge who each advanced to the knockout stage with two rounds to spare as leaders of groups where Spanish powers are slumping in third place.
Free-scoring Napoli also progressed with a 4-2 win over Ajax.
Mohamed Salah set a competition record with a hat trick in 6 minutes, 12 seconds – as a substitute midway through the second half – in Liverpool’s 7-1 blitz at Rangers.
Though it may just have been a stay of execution for Barcelona, the five-time European champion was grateful to be alive after a thrilling final few minutes against Inter.
Barcelona trailed 2-1 in the 82nd minute and was going out until Lewandowski’s shot was deflected into the Inter net.
The Italians led again in the 89th, when Robin Gosens finished a fast break, but Lewandowski rose again two minutes into stoppage time to head another leveller.
There was still time for Inter to waste chances to win, Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen to make two more saves, and Inter coach Simone Inzaghi to be shown a red card.
Inter holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Barcelona and will join Bayern advancing from Group C by beating over-matched Viktoria Plzen.
Bayern had a four-goal lead after just 35 minutes at Plzen but let its perfect defensive record slip in the second half of a 4-2 win.
Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet ran his clean sheet streak to four games in a 0-0 draw at Atlético, to move four points clear of Porto and six clear of Atlético with the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Porto’s 3-0 win at Bayer Leverkusen included two penalties scored by Iran striker Mehdi Taremi.
Tottenham leads Group D for the first time after beating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-2, with first goals from Son Heung-min either side of a Harry Kane penalty.
Marseille rose to second place by winning 2-0 against Sporting Lisbon.
Barcelona never failed to advance to the Champions League knockout round in the 17 years Lionel Messi was on the team. Without him, back-to-back failures beckon in two weeks’ time with a game to spare.
Barcelona will be eliminated if it loses at home to Lewandowski’s former club Bayern on October 26. Even a win will not be enough if Inter wins a game.
Brugge was out of its depth on a long-awaited return to the Champions League groups in 2016-17, losing all six games. Six years and five campaigns later, Brugge has broken through in a group where it was the lowest-ranked team.
Porto’s 3-0 win at Leverkusen lifted the two-time European champion into second place two points clear of Atlético.
When Liverpool trailed after 17 minutes at Rangers, it shaped to be another tough night in this stuttering start to the season.
Seven minutes later Roberto Firmino levelled and the Brazil forward added a second in the 55th. Darwin Nunez, Salah and finally Harvey Elliott padded the lead.
Liverpool moved six points clear of third-placed Ajax in Group A and needs just a draw from their game in Amsterdam in two weeks. (AP)
