Barcelona was sent tumbling to the Europa League knockout stage, confirming its competitive decline and costing the club prize money it can ill-afford to squander.
Despite three straight losses in group play, Atlético Madrid found a way to reach the Champions League knockout stage—by going back to what it does best.
The inability to cash in on chances and the susceptibility to being beaten on the counter did Man City in again in the first of two group meetings between big-spending powers.