LONDON: While Cristiano Ronaldo is keeping up his record-setting Champions League level to the end, Barcelona have become barely recognisable as a European power.

Ronaldo struck deep into stoppage time to lift Manchester United to a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Villarreal his record-extending 136th goal in a new competition-best 178th game.

That goal moved United off the bottom of Group ‘F’ as five-time European champion Barcelona stayed dead last in Group ‘E’ with another 3-0 loss.

Barcelona finished with 10 men in a humbling defeat at Benfica two weeks after being swatted aside at home by Bayern Munich.

Bayern eased clear atop the group by routing Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice in the first half for the 2020 champions.

Title holders Chelsea lost 1-0 at Juventus after being caught cold with a goal about 12 seconds into the second half.

Atalanta also won 1-0 at home in Italy, against Young Boys with a Matteo Pessina goal, and also lead their group, one point ahead of United before they meet next at Old Trafford on Oct 20.

United were having another tough evening in this Champions League campaign where underdogs are thriving.

Villarreal led in the 53rd minute from Paco Alcacer’s goal in a rematch of the Europa league final in May won by the Spanish club.

United got a spectacular leveller in the 60th when defender Alex Telles struck a volleyed shot from a Bruno Fernandes pass for his first goal for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

It was a goal after five minutes of stoppage time that sent United to a 2-1 loss at Young Boys two weeks ago. This time, the goal went their way.

Ronaldo got the ball back from substitute Jesse Lingard in the penalty area and fired it in before running off to celebrate shirtless with a frenetic crowd that included longtime fan Usain Bolt.

It was Ronaldo’s fifth goal in five games back at the club he left after losing the 2009 final to Barcelona.

“We had to throw caution to the wind and got lucky in the end,” said Solskjaer. “When you’ve got Cristiano on the pitch there is always a chance.”

Barca has lost the aura they had before letting Lionel Messi leave to join Paris St Germain last month.

“There’s no point in comparing this with Barcelona teams of years gone by,” said coach Ronald Koeman, who scored the goal that won the club its first European title in 1992. “That’s as clear as water.”

Uruguayan forward Darwin Nunez starred for Benfica, opening the scoring early on and then hitting the post early in the second half. He later completed the rout from the penalty spot following a Sergino Dest handball, while in between Rafa Silva also netted for the Portuguese former European Cup winners.

Eric Garcia was sent off for Barca, who have now conceded 11 goals in their last two visits to the Estadio da Luz, the scene of their 8-2 annihilation at the hands of Bayern in the 2020 quarter-finals.

Barca’s defeat leaves Koeman — who took Benfica to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2006 — in an even more fragile position. They have made it to the knockout rounds in each of the last 17 seasons.

“I can’t say anything because I don’t know what the club feels about this,” said Koeman about his future. “We’ll see.”

JUVENTUS IMPRESS

Chelsea will still be expected to qualify for the last 16 despite losing 1-0 to Juventus in Turin with Federico Chiesa scoring the only goal of the game 10 seconds into the second half.

The star of Italy’s Euro 2020-winning side latched onto Federico Bernardeschi’s assist to beat Edouard Mendy and give Massimiliano Allegri’s team a second straight win in Group ‘H’.

Juve are still adapting to life since the return of Allegri as coach and the departure of Ronaldo but this could be a formative result for them against the holders.

“We gave a cheap goal away and that made things more complicated for ourselves,” said Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel.

Juve’s win built a three-point lead over Zenit St. Petersburg, who beat Malmo 4-0 in one of the early kickoffs.

Group ‘G’ has been all about the penalty kicks awarded. Lots of them.

Red Bull Salzburg are top after Karim Adeyemi scored both of his spot kicks in a 2-1 win at home against French champions Lille.

Adeyemi, the 19-year-old Germany forward, had missed one of Salzburg’s three penalties given against Sevilla two weeks ago in a game that finished 1-1.

Sevilla again drew 1-1 on Wednesday, at VfL Wolfsburg, and again relied on a penalty converted by Croatian veteran Ivan Rakitic.

Rakitic scored in the 86th after Wolfsburg midfielder Joshua Guilavogui was sent off for the foul to level a 49th-minute opener from Renato Steffen.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2021