PARIS: Barcelona failed for the first time in over 20 years in the group stage with a 3-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on Wednesday when Benfica, French champions Lille and Red Bull Salzburg qualified for the round of 16.
Chelsea, meanwhile, missed first place in their group against Juventus after conceding a late equalizer at Zenit St Petersburg while snow in northern Italy forced Atalanta’s crucial game against Villarreal to be postponed.
Barcelona started the day second in Group E, but had to win away at Bayern Munich to be safe, otherwise they risked being overtaken by Benfica.

Xavi Hernandez’s team was duly outclassed by the already qualified Bayern, who scored six out of six wins in the group.
Due to the coronavirus restrictions in Bavaria, the game was played behind closed doors in the Allianz Arena, but this did not hinder Bayern.
The Catalans were eliminated when Benfica Dynamo defeated Kiev 2-0 in Lisbon.
“We didn’t take part. This is the Champions League, but it’s our reality and we have to face it,” Xavi told Spanish media.
“We are starting a new era from scratch. Our goal is the Champions League, not the Europa League.”

Barcelona, ​​who only scored two goals in the group stage, have made the Champions League knockout stages in each of their last 17 seasons, most recently in 2003/04 when they finished sixth in the UEFA Cup in La Liga the previous year.
The last time they left the Champions League was in the 2000/01 group stage, when a team with 20-year-old Xavi finished third in their group behind AC Milan and Leeds United.
The five-time European champion will now move into the knockout round of the Europa League in February.
In contrast, Lille is in the knockout round of the Champions League in Group G for the first time in 15 years after beating Wolfsburg 3-1 in Germany.
Burak Yilmaz gave Lille an early lead and Canadian striker Jonathan David made it 2-0 in the 72nd minute before Angel Gomes scored the third goal. Renato Steffen received late consolation.

Salzburg, Austria’s champions for each of the last eight seasons, moved on thanks to a 1-0 win over Sevilla, with Noah Okafor scoring the only goal before the Spaniards sent Joan Jordan off.
It is the first time that Salzburg have reached the knockout stage, while Sevilla have come together in the Europa League with players like Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund – they may like that as they have won this trophy or its predecessor, the UEFA Cup, six times since 2006.
Last season’s winners, Chelsea, had already qualified for the round of 16 and were on course to top Group H leaders 3-2 away at Zenit in stoppage time.
But then Magomed Ozdoev drew a 3-3 draw with Zenit with his staggering strike, allowing Juventus to secure first place when Moise Kean scored a 1-0 win over Malmö.
Timo Werner had given Chelsea the lead in the second minute, but Claudinho and Sardar Azmoun both scored before the break for Zenit.

Romelu Lukaku’s first goal in almost three months led to the 2-2, and Werner’s second goal of the evening seemed to have won for Chelsea before Ozdoev scored.
“My analysis is very clear: our behavior changes when we are in the lead, and we never have and should never,” said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel, whose team has gambled away an advantage twice to play at West Ham United lost 3-2 last weekend.
Atalanta’s Group F game against Villarreal was postponed due to snow in Bergamo and postponed until 1800 GMT Thursday as the Italians had to win to push their guests to second in the group.
Group winners Manchester United drew 1-1 at home against Young Boys, with Mason Greenwood’s acrobatic performance putting Ralf Rangnick’s team in the lead before Fabian Rieder equalized.