Copenhagen on Wednesday grabbed a crucial UEFA Champions League point in a 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich as more Video Assistant Referee (VAR) handball controversy erupted in the tournament.
The German champions had already qualified for the last-16, but the stalemate at Allianz Arena helped keep alive Copenhagen’s hopes of joining them.
Coupled with Manchester United drawing against Galatasaray, the Denmark-based team sit second in Group A with a match remaining and will have their fate in their own hands when they host the Turkey-based club in two weeks.
Photo: AP
Copenhagen had a major let-off in stoppage-time at the end of the game when referee Stephanie Frappart awarded Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern a penalty for handball against Peter Ankersen.
However, VAR showed contact with the upper arm and shoulder, and Frappart withdrew the penalty after consulting the pitch-side monitor, to protests from striker Harry Kane and Tuchel.
It came a night after Paris Saint-Germain salvaged a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle United thanks to a late Kylian Mbappe penalty, awarded for a dubious handball against Tino Livramento after VAR intervened.
Photo: AFP
Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller said that the decision against his side laid bare VAR’s inconsistencies.
“I’m no friend of the rule, but when you compare it to yesterday, it’s pretty weird,” he told DAZN. “I think the rulemakers want to try and make handball calls objective, but you can’t do that.”
Despite Bayern dropping points in the Champions League group stages at home for the first time since 2018, the German champions qualify for the last-16 in first place.
Photo: AFP
It is the 16th straight year that they have reached the knockouts.
Tuchel said his side “can do better and we’ve done better recently, but we can check that box and move past it.”
“We weren’t fluid enough and we didn’t take enough risks,” he said.
Photo: AFP
After making no substitutions in the weekend’s win over Cologne despite complaints about player strain, Tuchel shuffled his deck, benching Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry, but keeping Harry Kane up front.
A hip complaint ruled out defender Kim Min-jae, pushing midfield stalwart Leon Goretzka into central defense, while Mueller was given a first Champions League start of the campaign.
Despite 22 goals in 17 matches for Bayern before kick-off, England skipper Kane was quiet.
Photo: EPA-EFE
However, the home side had several early chances through veteran Mueller and French teenager Mathys Tel.
Mueller created an early chance for Tel only for the 18-year-old to blast over, scuffing his shot with his shin.
Tel then found Mueller directly in front of goal, but the 2014 FIFA World Cup winner’s attempt was kept out by a desperate save from Kamil Grabara in the Copenhagen goal.
Grabara was on the spot again midway through the second half, keeping a Kane shot out of goal with his fist.
Mueller, playing 90 minutes for just the second time this season in all competitions, went down in the box late under attention of the visiting defense, but Frappart ignored his claims of a penalty.
“From the images it doesn’t look so wild ... it’s a small push, but an obvious one at the right moment. You can give it,” Mueller said.
Elsewhere, Arsenal scored six goals to advance as a group winner.
Arsenal’s 6-0 rout of RC Lens ensured that second-placed PSV Eindhoven also advanced from Group B to the round of 16.
PSV’s second-half rally to win 3-2 against Sevilla was clinched by US forward Ricardo Pepi in stoppage-time.
There are now 12 confirmed teams in the round of 16 draw on Dec. 18.
Real Madrid scored a 4-2 win over second-placed SSC Napoli, ensuring that the record 14-time champions would finish atop Group C.
Teams that top their standings are seeded in the round of 16 draw on Dec. 18 and avoid other group winners, such as defending champions Manchester City.
Teams also cannot be drawn against an opponent from their own country.
Real Sociedad were held 0-0 by RB Salzburg to set up a last-game showdown with second-placed Inter at the San Siro for the top spot in Group D.
Real Sociedad and Inter already advanced three weeks ago.
Inter produced a second-half fightback in a 3-3 draw against SL Benfica, who wasted a three-goal lead at halftime earned by Joao Mario’s hat-trick against his former club.
SC Braga drew 1-1 against Union Berlin and could still advance by beating Napoli on Dec. 12.
Jude Bellingham was a standout again for Real Madrid in what is becoming the 20-year-old England star’s routine excellence this season.
Bellingham scored Madrid’s second goal against Napoli to make it four goals in four Champions League games for his new club and provided an assist for Joselu in stoppage-time.
“Bellingham is a gift to football, not just this club,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “The world’s delighted to see a guy with this talent, potential, promise and hopefully he’ll just continue as he is.”
Bellingham now has scored 15 goals in his first 16 matches with Madrid wearing the No. 5 shirt of France great Zinedine Zidane.
“Bellingham has surprised everyone. No one could have expected this,” Ancelotti said. “He’s got to improve his Spanish, but as I always say — nobody’s perfect.”
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