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Barcelona`s thrilling comeback against Benfica and Liverpool`s continued dominance highlight key Champions League developments.

Barcelona delivered a stunning performance in the UEFA Champions League, overcoming Benfica 5-4 in a breathtaking nine-goal encounter. After falling behind to Vangelis Pavlidis`s first-half hat-trick, which included two goals from errors by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, Barcelona rallied late in the match. Robert Lewandowski converted two penalties, while Eric Garcia and Raphinha, who netted a brace including the dramatic winner in stoppage time, secured the vital victory. This triumph positions Barcelona favorably for direct qualification to the last 16, trailing leaders Liverpool by just three points.

Liverpool continued their perfect run in the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Lille at Anfield. Mohamed Salah opened the scoring, but Lille`s Jonathan David equalized before Harvey Elliott`s deflected strike clinched the win. This marks Liverpool`s seventh consecutive Champions League victory, ensuring their automatic qualification for the knockout stage. Lille`s defeat ends their impressive 22-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, leaving them languishing in 11th place.

In another thrilling match, Bologna achieved their first Champions League win of the season, coming from behind to defeat Borussia Dortmund 2-1. Dortmund initially took the lead through a Serhou Guirassy penalty but failed to maintain their momentum in the second half. Bologna capitalized on this, leveling the score with a goal from Thijs Dallinga and then taking the lead with Samuel Iling-Junior`s strike just a minute later. This result puts immense pressure on Dortmund, who have now lost all their matches in 2025, dropping them to 13th in the standings.

The current standings see Liverpool leading with 21 points from seven wins, followed by Barcelona with 18 points. The top eight teams, including Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Arsenal, Bayer Leverkusen, Internazionale, and Aston Villa, are on track for direct qualification to the Round of 16. The competition format has shifted, with all 32 teams playing eight games each, and the top eight teams qualifying automatically for the knockout stage, while those finishing 9-24 will enter a knockout round. For more details, check out the Champions League standings and the match highlights.

#ChampionsLeague,#Barcelona,#Liverpool,#Bologna,#UEFA