Inter Milan secured their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League and sent Barcelona into the Europa League with victory over Viktoria Plzen.
Barcelona’s fate was already sealed before Xavi’s side lost 3-0 to Group C winners Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp.
Substitute Romelu Lukaku marked his return from injury with a late goal as Inter secured a comfortable win that sent them into the last 16.
Edin Dzeko scored twice after Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opener in a 4-0 win.
This means Barcelona are guaranteed to finish third and compete in Europe’s second-tier competition for the second season in a row.
The Spaniards failed to improve the mood among the home support in their final home group game as first-half goals from Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Chopin put Bayern on course to maintain their best record in this season’s Champions League. gave
Barcelona thought they had been handed a lifeline before half-time but referee Anthony Taylor overturned his early penalty decision after being sent on to review Matthijs de Ligt’s challenge on former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski on the pitchside monitor. Reversed.
Serge Gnabry’s curled finish was ruled out for offside after the restart, but the German registered three assists on the night as substitute Benjamin Pavard added to Barcelona’s woes in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Although many of the home supporters had started to leave long before the final whistle, a group of fans stayed behind and applauded as their players returned to the field at the end of a disappointing night for the club.
Lukaku Scores On Return as Inter Progress
After holding their fate in their own hands with a 3-3 draw at Barcelona a fortnight ago, Simone Inzaghi’s Inter finished with five wins from six games in all competitions, as well as a clean sheet.
With Inzaghi serving a touchline ban, Federico Dimarco was denied at close range by Plzen goalkeeper Jindrich Stanek as Inter dominated from the start at the San Siro.
Midfielder Mkhitaryan headed in Alessandro Bastoni’s cross from the left as Inter broke the deadlock with their 10th try after 35 minutes.
Dzeko scored from Demarco’s pass to double the Czech champions’ lead before the break.
Mkhitaryan hit the post 10 minutes into the second half, but Dzeko’s second, assisted by Lautaro Martinez, put the result beyond doubt.
Lukaku added the fourth within four minutes of coming off the bench in his first appearance since August due to a hamstring injury.
