Chelsea fight back to hold nine-man Ajax
On a night of big comebacks in the Champions League, Borussia Dortmund came from two goals down to beat Inter Milan 3-2 while Chelsea erased a three-goal deficit to draw 4-4 against nine-man Ajax.
Napoli fluffed a chance to qualify for the knockout stage after drawing 1-1 home at home to Salzburg, while defending champions Liverpool held on for a 2-1 win against Belgian side Genk at Anfield.
Five-time champions Barcelona couldn’t score at all, with star striker Lionel Messi hitting the crossbar and having a late shot saved by standout goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar in a 0-0 draw with visiting Slavia Prague.
Barcelona remain top of Group F with eight points and Dortmund are only one behind. But Inter have only four and are facing elimination.
While Messi failed to add to his whopping total of 113 goals in Europe’s top club competition, Salzburg’s 19-year-old rising star Erling Haaland made it seven in four games with an early penalty only for Hirving Lozano to equalise for Napoli just before halftime.
Chelsea fell behind after two minutes, then trailed 4-1 after 55, yet almost won on a wild night at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s comeback charge was helped by Ajax – last season’s semifinalists – playing the final 20 minutes with nine men after defender Daley Blind and Joel
Veltman were sent off in quick succession.
Substitute Reece James made it 4-4 with a 74th-minute equaliser for coach Frank Lampard’s side.
After scoring twice in a 4-1 win away to Genk two weeks ago, midfielder Alex OxladeChamberlain scored the winner for group leaders Liverpool.
Fellow midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum grabbed Liverpool’s first goal in the 14th and, after Ally Mbwana Samatta levelled with a header shortly before halftime, Oxlade-Chamberlain struck in the 53rd.