Barcelona beat Slavia Prague 4–2; Bayern reach Champions League last 16 - english.makalukhabar.com

KATHMANDU: Barcelona secured a crucial 4–2 victory over Slavia Prague in the UEFA Champions League, keeping their hopes of direct qualification for the last 16 alive. Fermín López starred for the Catalan side with two goals, while Robert Lewandowski scored once and was also involved in an unfortunate own goal. Barcelona made a shaky start to the match. After López missed an early chance in the 10th minute, Slavia Prague took the lead through Vasil Kušej, silencing the home crowd. However, López redeemed himself by scoring twice in quick succession in the 34th and 42nd minutes to give Barcelona a 2–1 lead. Just before halftime, a corner kick struck Lewandowski and went into the net for an own goal, leveling the score at 2–2. It was the first own goal of Lewandowski’s Champions League career. Barcelona increased the pressure after the break. Dani Olmo, who came on for the injured Pedri, restored the lead in the 63rd minute. In the 70th minute, Lewandowski sealed the win by finishing from close range after a cross from Marcus Rashford. With this victory, Barcelona climbed from 15th to ninth place in the league standings and remain in contention for direct qualification to the round of 16. They will face Copenhagen at home in their final league-phase match. Bayern Munich Qualify for Champions League Last 16 Bayern Munich booked their place in the Champions League last 16 with a 2–0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise. Both goals were scored by Harry Kane, although he also missed a late penalty. Kane struck twice early in the second half, scoring within a three-minute span. Bayern were reduced to 10 men for the final half hour after Kim Min-jae received a red card. Bayern nearly took the lead inside the opening two minutes, but Union goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen denied Kane. Despite Bayern topping the Bundesliga, they were under pressure for much of the first half. Union had a major opportunity 15 minutes before halftime, but Manuel Neuer made an excellent save to deny Promise David’s header. Bayern finally broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half when Kane headed in from close range following a corner by Michael Olise. Three minutes later, Kane doubled the lead from the penalty spot after Scherpen fouled him inside the box. Kim Min-jae was later sent off for pulling Raúl Florucz outside the field of play, earning a second yellow card. Bayern had a chance to extend their lead in the 80th minute after Union were penalized for handball, but Kane’s penalty struck the crossbar. Arsenal had already confirmed their place in the Champions League last 16 earlier.