Spanish side Barcelona have been relegated to the Europa League after a 2-0 defeat to German champions, Bayern Munich, in Turin on Wednesday.
Xavi Hernandez’s side needed a crucial victory to progress into the knockout stages and uphill task against a high-flying Bayern side who have been unbeaten so far in the tournament.
The Catalans put up a strong fight, denying the Bavarians through the half-hour mark until the 34th minute when Thomas Müller broke the deadlock just as he did in the first leg (34′) at the Nou Camp in September.
Leroy Sané doubled the lead, sinking the Spaniards further in the 43rd minute before Jamal Musiala (62′) wrapped up the victory to give the Germans a repeat of their first-leg victory over Barca.
Bayern finished top of Group E with a perfect record while Benfica clinched the second spot with one point ahead of Barca by defeating Dynamo Kyiv 2-0 on Wednesday.
Xavi’s side will move straight into the Europa League after finishing third in the group with seven points.
This will be the first time that Barcelona would be eliminated from the UCL group stages for the first time since 2000-01 when they finished third behind AC Milan and Leeds United in the first group stage.
After falling into the UEFA Cup that season, they would go on to be eliminated by eventual winners Liverpool in the semi-finals, thanks to a Gary McAllister winner, Pool via Google.
