Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 3-0 on Wednesday night at the Camp Nou to win their group and proceed to the Champions League round of 16.
After Internazionale defeated Viktoria Plzen 4-0 in the early window on Wednesday, Xavi Hernandez’s team knew they had no chance of advancing to the knockout stage for the second year in a row going into the game.
Goals from Sadio Mane and Eric Maxim Choupo in the first half -Moting and a goal in stoppage time from Benjamin Pavard helped Bayern secure first place in Group C with one game remaining. Inter Milan came in second. Barcelona will advance to the Europa League regardless of the outcome of the last matchday.
The Catalan club’s performance on Wednesday is yet another setback and could wind up costing more than it did last year because the team embarked on a spending binge in the summer to strengthen their squad in the hopes of recouping some of that money with a strong performance in European competition.