Barcelona's 2-5 win against Sporting in Lisbon last night leaves them four points clear at the top of Group C with one game to play.

With two of their goals being scored by the home side and a third from a penalty, the victory was not quite as overwhelming as the final scoreline suggests, however, and Pep Guardiola's men survived a mid-match scare when Veloso and Ledson scored two within the space of a minute to reduce the deficit to 2-3.

On his return to the side, Lionel Messi played a key role before his surprise early substitution, creating the first for Thierry Henry and netting the third himself shortly after the interval.

Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid also booked their place in the knockout stages with a 2-1 win behind closed doors at the Vicente Calderón, but remain tied on points with fellow group leaders, Liverpool, albeit with a slightly better goal difference.

Group C, points after five games
1 Barcelona  13
2 Sporting  9
3 Shakhtar  6
4 Basel  1

Wednesday, November 26th
Shakhtar 5-0 Basel
Sporting 2-5 Barcelona

Tuesday, December 9th
Basel v Sporting
Barcelona v Shakhtar

Group D, points after five games (goal difference)
1 Atlético de Madrid 11 (+5)
2 Liverpool  11 (+4)
3 Marseille  3
4 PSV Eindhoven  3
 
Wednesday, November 26th
Atlético de Madrid 2-1 PSV Eindhoven  
Liverpool 1-0 Marseille  

Tuesday, December 9th
PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool  
Marseille v Atlético de Madrid