Inter Milan’s win against Viktoria Plzen secured them a spot in the Champions League knockout round and advanced Barcelona into the Europa League.
Before Xavi’s team’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Group C champions Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp, Barcelona’s destiny had already been decided.
Romelu Lukaku, a substitute, celebrated his injury comeback with a late goal for Inter as they easily won and advanced to the round of 16.
In the 4-0 victory, Edin Dzeko scored twice following Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s first goal.
Barcelona will play in Europe’s second-tier tournament for the second straight season and will be guaranteed to finish third.
In their last home group match, the Spanish giants could not lift the crowd’s spirits as goals from Sadio Mane, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the first half kept Bayern on track to retain their flawless record this season’s Champions League.
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When referee Anthony Taylor reviewed Matthijs de Ligt’s tackle on former Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski on the pitchside monitor, Taylor reversed his earlier penalty judgment, giving Barcelona what they felt was a lifeline.
After the break, Serge Gnabry’s curling goal was disallowed for offside, but the German still finished the game with three assists, and in the fifth minute of stoppage time, replacement Benjamin Pavard made things much worse for Barcelona.
Even though many home supporters left well before the final whistle, some did remain and cheered as their players returned to the field after a miserable night for the team.