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Barca finish top of Champions League group table as English trio pick up away victories

Katie McCabe punches the air after Arsenal's second goal
Katie McCabe punches the air after Arsenal's second goal

Barcelona finished top of the Champions League group table after winning their final match 2-0 against Paris FC.

Vicky Lopez gave last year's beaten finalists Barca a half-time lead in Paris and Caroline Graham Hansen struck early in the second period to seal the Spanish club’s fifth win in six group matches.

Paris slipped to their second group phase defeat, but are in the hat for Friday’s 12pm play-off draw after finishing 10th.

English trio Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all picked up away wins.

Republic of Ireland's Katie McCabe helped the Gunners to a 3-0 victory over Belgian club OH Leuven but they still missed out on a top-four finish.

Olivia Smith and Beth Mead were on target in the first half before an own goal from Saar Janssen wrapped up all three points with both clubs securing play-off places.

Jess Park fired a first-half winner as Manchester United beat Juventus 1-0 in Turin to finish sixth in the table.

Marc Skinner's side were already assured a play-off place for the knockout round and Park’s first goal in Europe sealed them a more favourable tie.

Caroline Graham Hansen of FC Barcelona scores her team's second goal during the UEFA Women's Champions League 2025/26 league phase match between Paris FC and FC Barcelona at Stade Jean Bouin on December 17, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Caroline Graham Hansen fires home Barcelona's second goal against Paris FC

Lucy Bronze and Sam Kerr were on target as Chelsea came from behind to qualify for the quarter-finals with a 2-1 victory at Wolfsburg.

Sonia Bompastor's side started and finished the night in third place after becoming the first English club to win at AOK Stadion.

Eight-time winners Lyon finished second, level on points with Barca, after a comfortable 4-0 home win against 10-player Atletico Madrid.

Atletico midfielder Vilde Boe Risa’s own goal put Lyon ahead at the break before Wendie Renard’s penalty and further efforts from Kadidiatou Diani and Korbin Shrader eased the French club into the quarter-finals.

Brazil midfielder Luany’s straight red card left Atletico a player down for over 55 minutes, but despite the heavy defeat they still comfortably finished in a play-off place.

Bayern Munich secured a top-four finish and an automatic place in the last eight as they won 3-0 at home against eliminated Valerenga.

Early goals from Momoko Tanikawa and Stine Ballisager and Pernille Harder’s second-half header ensured they joined Barca, Lyon and Chelsea in the quarter-finals.

Sara Dabritz’s stoppage-time goal snatched Real Madrid a 1-1 draw at already-eliminated Twente as the Spanish side secured a play-off seeding by finishing seventh.

Both Benfica and Paris St Germain went into the final round of group games with no chance of reaching the play-offs and they drew 1-1 in Lisbon.

Roma and St Polten were also already eliminated, but the Italian club went out on a high as Canada forward Evelyne Viens scored a hat-trick in 6-1 home win against the Austrian club.

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