UEFA Youth League Results 2016: Wednesday Group Scores, Latest Tables, Fixtures
Barcelona’s under-19 team made it five wins in succession in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday, as they secured a 4-1 triumph at Celtic.
A brace from Jordi Mboula as well as strikes from Jeremy Guillemenot and Dani Garcia preserved the Blaugrana’s immaculate record in the competition. Elsewhere in the group, Manchester City’s youngsters secured their safe passage into the knockout stages with a 2-1 win over Borussia Monchengladbach.
In Group A, Arsenal’s under-19s face an uphill task to qualify, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Paris Saint-Germain. It means the Gunners must beat Basel on the road if they’re to finish in the top two, although the Swiss still have a chance of topping the group and will not be taking their foot off the gas.
Here are the results in full from another absorbing day in the Youth League, the revised standings and a closer examination of how European football’s next generation fared in their respective outings.
| A | Arsenal | 2-2 | PSG |
| A | Ludogorets | 0-4 | Basel |
| B | Napoli | 0-2 | Dynamo Kiev |
| B | Besiktas | 0-3 | Benfica |
| C | Celtic | 1-4 | Barcelona |
| C | Borussia Monchengladbach | 1-2 | Manchester City |
| D | FK Rostov | 0-1 | Bayern Munich |
| D | Atletico Madrid | 2-0 | PSV Eindhoven |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 6 | 11 | 11 |
| FC Basel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 9 |
| Arsenal | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 6 |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 1 |
| Dynamo Kiev | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| SL Benfica | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Napoli | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 | -5 | 4 |
| Besiktas | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9 | -4 | 3 |
| FC Barcelona | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 15 |
| Manchester City | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Borussia Monchengladbach | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 11 | -3 | 4 |
| Celtic | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 15 | -11 | 1 |
| PSV Eindhoven | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 8 | 10 |
| Atletico Madrid | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| Bayern Munich | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 9 |
| Rostov | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 0 |
Wednesday Recap
Celtic’s youngsters have found it tough to build momentum in this tournament and were always set for a stern test against La Masia’s finest prospects. And from the off, the attacking talent of the Blaugrana caused problems for the hosts.
Mboula, in particular, was in fine form, grabbing his third and fourth goals of the tournament before the 36th minute. Guillemenot added a third before the break, while Mboula was again involved as Garcia notched a fourth.
Per the team’s Twitter feed, here are the players celebrating their fourth goal of the day:
After the fourth, the young Barca side did shut down a little and allowed Celtic to secure a late consolation through Jack Aitchison.
In the group's other game, Paulo Fernandes gave City an early lead in Germany, as the English side flew out of the traps.
The City Academy Twitter feed commented on where Borussia were struggling to cope in defence:
However, Tilmann Jahn netted against the run of play to give the hosts parity, and the two teams went in level at half-time.
City always looked to carry a greater attacking threat, though, and it was no surprise when they retook the lead. Brahim Diaz, excellent throughout, was the man on hand to add the finishing touches after a neat passing exchange between Lukas Nmecha and Javairo Dilrosun.
The visitors did have to withstand a flurry of late pressure from Borussia, although they eventually clung on to book their spot in the last-16.
For Arsenal, this campaign has been one of frustration, and that trend continued for Andries Jonker's team on Wednesday.
While Stephy Mavididi struck the second of his two goals in stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw, the Gunners needed to win this one and had the chances to do so against a strong PSG outfit. If they are to win in Switzerland and secure a spot in the last-16, then they’ll need to show a more ruthless streak in front of goal.
The moment of the day undoubtedly came in Benfica’s win over Besiktas earlier on. The Portuguese side were a class apart in the 3-0 win, illustrated emphatically by this stunning strike from halfway by Gedson Fernandes, per Benfica’s official Twitter feed:
That win moved Benfica on to seven points for the competition, although they're still six back on Group B leaders Dynamo Kiev.
The Ukrainian's have been magnificent in the Youth League so far and turned in another outstanding performance away from home to get the better of Napoli 2-0. Barring a remarkable swing in goal difference in the final round of fixtures, that loss means the Partenopei are out of the running for the title.
In the day’s first game, Bayern Munich secured a 1-0 win over Rostov to preserve their hopes of qualification in Group D. The Germans sit in third spot in a testing pool that also contains Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven.
Atletico got the better of the Dutch side to move up into second place in the group thanks to goals either side of half-time from Giovanni Navarro and Toni Moya; they were the first goals conceded by PSV in the competition.
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