Meanwhile, Bayern Munich eased past Slovan Bratislava 3-1 in the but the Germans missed out on a top eight finish and automatic qualification and will go into a playoff for a spot in the Round of 16

The victory relieves the pressure on PSG coach Luis Enrique and sets the French giants up for a two-legged knockout tie in February to progress to the last 16. The loss means Stuttgart are eliminated from the Champions League on their return to the competition after 15 years.

Ousmane Dembele on Wednesday scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at VfB Stuttgart and qualified for the UEFA Champions League knockout stages.

Ousmane Dembele scored a hattrick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at Stuttgart, qualifying themselves for the Champions League playoffs.

STUTTGART: Ousmane Dembele scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain romped to a 4-1 win at Stuttgart on Wednesday and qualified for the Champions League knockout stages. PSG were at risk of elimination after a disappointing group stage,

Dembélé’s hat trick in a 4-1 victory over Stuttgart on Wednesday took him to 16 goals overall, which is already a career best. He has taken 25 games to reach that mark, a far better ratio than his previous best of 14 in 42 for Barcelona in 2018-19.

Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week (3-4-3): Courtois (Real Madrid); Llorente (Atletico), Kimmich (Bayern), Stones (Man City); Wirtz (Leverkusen), Rogers (Villa), Baturina (Dinamo), Sahraoui (Lille); Rodrygo (Real Madrid), L Martinez (Inter), Dembele (PSG)

For the final time in the league phase, it’s our Champions League Team of the Week. Here are our top performers from matchday eight.Goalkeeper: Anatoliy Trubin – BenficaBenfica beat Juventus on

Paris Saint-Germain striker Ousmane Dembélé completed the second hat trick of his career, and it was good timing for his team.

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique on Wednesday praised his side for making the Champions League knockout stages despite having the "worst draw of the 36 teams involved".

Manchester beat Club Brugge to advance to the playoffs of the Champions League 2024-25 while Liverpool and Barcelona were the only teams already guaranteed a place in the top eight and automatic progress to the round of 16 as they stayed first and second.

While Manchester City managed to reach the Champions League playoffs, AC Milan and Atalanta missed out on a direct progress to last 16. Arsenal secured an automatic spot to next round.