UEFA Champions League: Bayern oust Barca; Liverpool, Porto, Inter advance

PARIS: First-half goals from Daichi Kamada and Randel Kolo Muani helped Eintracht Frankfurt beat Marseille 2-1 in the fifth round of UEFA Champions League Group D even as Liverpool, Inter and Porto marched into the Round of 16 in impressive style as early exits were confirmed for Ajax, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Goals by Sadio Mane, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Pavard earned Bayern Munich a 3-0 win at already-eliminated Barcelona as the German giants clinched a spot in the Champions League Round of 16 as group winners.

Bayern top Group C on 15 points, five ahead of Inter Milan, who also reached the knock-out stage after a 4-0 win at Viktoria Plzen earlier on Wednesday, a result that eliminated Barcelona in the group stage for the second year in a row.

Liverpool overcame a slow start to beat hosts Ajax Amsterdam 3-0, ensuring a top-two finish in Group A.

Mohamed Salah put Liverpool ahead against the run of play three minutes before half-time and they then took command after the break with two quick goals from Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott to claim a convincing triumph.

The victory kept them three points behind leaders Napoli, who won 3-0 at home to Rangers to make it maximum points from their five group games.

Argentine striker Giovanni Simeone scored twice in the first half to put Napoli in charge at the Stadio Diego Maradona while Norwegian defender Leo Ostigard extended the lead with a thumping header from a corner in the 80th minute.

The result saw Serie A leaders Napoli surpass their previous longest run of consecutive wins stretching back to 1986, when Argentina great Maradona was their talisman.

Porto advanced to the knock-out phase when they got a 4-0 win at Group B leaders Club Brugge and group rivals Atletico Madrid failed to beat Bayer Leverkusen.

Atletico Madrid missed a stoppage-time penalty in a 2-2 draw at home to Bayer Leverkusen which ended their hopes of reaching the knock-out stage.

Atletico spurned the chance to win the match when Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky saved Yannick Carrasco's spot-kick before Saul Niguez's follow up strike hit the crossbar.

Atletico, without a win and goalless in their previous three Champions League outings, exit the competition at the group stage for only the second time in the past 10 years.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur's late header salvaged a 1-1 draw against Sporting to keep the London side in control of Group D but it could have been even better as Harry Kane's late effort was disallowed.

Victory for Spurs would have booked their place in the last 16 with a game to spare and they thought they had sealed it with almost the last kick of the game when Kane fired in from close range after Emerson Royal's header across goal.

Eintracht Frankfurt muscled their way to a 2-1 win over Olympique de Marseille to leave Champions League Group D wide open and boost their chances of advancing on the final matchday next week.

The win lifted the Europa League winners to seven points, one ahead of Marseille and level with second-placed Sporting.

Frankfurt travel to Sporting on Tuesday when Marseille host Tottenham.

Wins for Marseille and Frankfurt would put them in the last 16 while Spurs and Sporting will qualify if they avoid defeat. Agencies

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