Upsets, fairy-tale qualifications highlight end of Champions League group stage

16 teams from eight groups move into knockout stages of European spectacle

MADRID/ BERN/ KIEV: Real Madrid head coach Santiago Solari said that his team's efforts to rediscover their best form would not be a "path of roses", after the club's heaviest-ever European home defeat against CSKA Moscow on Tuesday.

The Champions League holders crashed to a 3-0 loss to the Russians at the Santiago Bernabeu, although they had already qualified as Group G winners before kick-off.

"I played a team with a lot of young players," said Solari, who made seven changes to the starting XI which beat Huesca 1-0 in La Liga at the weekend. "The match was used to give many players time who needed it, some because they started and others because they returned from injury, and to give rest to others to try and stay alive in all competitions."

Real have struggled for much of this campaign after seeing coach Zinedine Zidane and star player Cristiano Ronaldo leave in the close-season, with Julen Lopetegui sacked as boss in October.

But a revival has started under Solari, with four wins in five games closing the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to five points.

"I know it's not a path of roses, and besides, every rose has its thorns," Solari said. "We don't like this result, we wanted to finish with a victory."

Juve take top spot despite defeat

Guillaume Hoarau scored in either half as Young Boys inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Juventus in their final Champions League group game on Wednesday in Switzerland but the Italians still took top spot in Group H after Manchester United lost by the same scoreline to Valencia.

The Swiss champions proved too hot to handle for the Cristiano Ronaldo-led Italians whose 26-man unbeaten run away going back to November 2016 ended in freezing temperatures in Bern.

France forward Hoarau slotted in the first after half an hour from the spot at the Stade de Suisse blasting in the second after 68 minutes to lift spirits of his already eliminated side who finish bottom of the group.

Paulo Dybala — who scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 home game in Turin — came off the bench just after the second goal and pulled one back for Massimiliano Allegri's side ten minutes from time and had a second disallowed in injury time.

Juventus finish top of Group H on 12 points with United on ten, Valencia on eight and Young Boys with four.

"We achieved our objective by winning the group, even on a night where everything seemed to go wrong, maybe we weren't focused enough," said Allegri. "We missed so many opportunities and gifted a penalty, so at the end of the day it was only right that we lost."

Lyon in winter wonderland after entering last-16

Nabil Fekir fired Lyon into the Champions League last 16 after bagging the crucial equaliser in a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the driving snow in Kiev.

Fekir struck for the away side in the 65th minute to cancel out Junior Moraes' 22nd-minute opener for Shakhtar, who had to win at their temporary home some 700 kilometres (435 miles) from Donetsk to leapfrog Lyon into second place in Group F.

"There's a lot of emotion, joy, pride and relief as it was difficult this evening. We deserved the result and qualification," Lyon coach Bruno Genesio told RMC Sport. "I'm very proud of the players because we came here to play and didn't come away from home to play for a draw. I'm really pleased that Nabil scored the goal as people have been questioning him of late."