UEFA Champions League: Benfica finish top. PSG step back to the 2nd spot

Paris Saint Germain have successfully emerged victorious at the Allianz Stadium in Turino by beating the hosts, Juventus, by two goals to one.

The Parisians become the 1st French club to win at an Italian club in UEFA Champions League since Lyon win in Florence against Fiorentina on November 25, 2008.

PSG have already been qualified to the last 16 but this game meant a lot for the Parisians as they knew that a win would secure the top spot of group H for them, but this wasn’t the case.

In the other match of the group, Benfica have thrashed their hosts, Maccabi Haifa, by six goals to one, such victory guaranteed the top spot for the Portugueses side at the expense of the French side due to the regulations of the competition.

for the first time ever in the group stage of UEFA Champions League, two teams finish with the same number of points and the same goal difference, that led to review the full regulations in order to determine the team on top spot.

the regulations are:

1- points obtained in group matches played among teams in question (both 14)
2- superior goal difference from group matches played among teams in question (zero, as they drawn both encounter, 1-1 in each game)
3- goals scored in group matches played among teams in question (both 2)
4- superior goal difference in all group matches (both 9)
5- goals scored in all group matches (both 16)
6- away goals scored in all group matches (and this was the rule that differentiated between both teams, Benfica scored 9 away goals, while PSG scored 6 away goals).