Bayern advances to round of 16 amid surprises in the Champions League

(AFP) Bayern Munich, six-time Champions League winners, fought to earn a dramatic 1-1 tie gainst Celtic, securing their place in the round of 16. This stage will also include unexpected teams like Feyenoord and Brugge, who eliminated AC Milan and Atalanta, respectively.

The eliminations of AC Milan and Atalanta created a nightmare night for Italian soccer, potentially affecting the additional fifth place in the Champions League that UEFA awards to the league with the best results in European competitions.

Italian debacle

The Italian debacle began with AC Milan's 1-1 tie in their first match of the day against Feyenoord from the Netherlands. San Siro was dressed to impress, anticipating a night of celebration following a hopeful narrow defeat in Rotterdam.

Mexican forward Santiago Giménez put the Italian side ahead in the opening seconds of the game, but an equalizer from Argentine Julián Carranza in the 73rd minute leveled the score and shifted the advantage to the Dutch. Feyenoord could return to the same venue in the round of 16 to face Inter, with the other potential opponent being English side Aston Villa.

Equally painful and unexpected was the elimination of Atalanta, who had come off a narrow defeat in Flanders (2-1). However, Brugge completed the comeback in Bergamo with a 3-1 victory, knocking out the reigning Europa League champions.

Two goals from Belgian Chemsdine Talbi and another from Spaniard Ferran Jutgla put Atalanta at a disadvantage. However, they pulled one back just 34 seconds into the second half with a goal from Ademola Lookman.

Relief at the Allianz

There were no surprises at the Allianz Arena, although Bayern had a scare after they didn’t secure the final 1-1 tie against Celtic until stoppage time.

As the 75,000 spectators at the Allianz Arena held their breath on a chilly Munich night, preparing for at least another half hour of play, Canadian Alphonso Davies seized the opportunity from a rebound off goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after Leon Goretzka’s header, scoring to tie the game in the final moments of stoppage time.

Kompany's team will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atletico de Madrid for a spot in the quarterfinals of Europe's top competition, with the tiebreaker scheduled for Friday.

There were no surprises in Lisbon either, as Benfica, who had won narrowly in the first leg, played to a 3-3 tie with Monaco. The Portuguese side could potentially face FC Barcelona in the round of 16.