Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as holders Real Madrid thrashed APOEL 6-0 in Cyprus to reach the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday, while Liverpool blew a three-goal lead in a thriller at Sevilla.
Zinedine Zidane’s Real bounced back from their 3-1 loss at Tottenham Hotspur last time out by crushing APOEL, with four of the goals coming before half-time.
The record 12-time winners had to wait until the 23rd minute to take the lead through Luka Modric, but a run of five goals in 15 minutes either side of half-time sent them through in style.
Karim Benzema put worries about his recent form to bed with a double either side of a Nacho effort, before Ronaldo got in on the act after the break.
The Portuguese climbed highest to power a header into the corner from an inviting Marcelo cross.
And the 32-year-old, who has only scored once in eight La Liga appearances this season, scored his eighth Champions League goal this term with an excellent left-footed finish from a tight angle.
Tottenham sealed top spot in Group H with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang put the hosts ahead, but with Real’s thumping win sending Dortmund out, Spurs levelled through Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min curled in a 76th-minute winner.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur won Champions League Group H after goals from Son Heung-min and Harry Kane brought Spurs back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.
Kane and Son struck in 49th and the 76th minutes to take already-qualified Tottenham to 13 points and the Group H summit, after Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had broken his five-game goal drought to give Dortmund the lead in the 31st minute.
Spurs are three points ahead of second-place Real Madrid and are guaranteed to top Group H with a game to spare despite Real’s 6-0 drubbing of APOEL in Nicosia.
Their win in Germany ends Dortmund’s thin hopes of reaching the last 16 and piles pressure on Dortmund’s head coach Peter Bosz, whose team are winless in their last five games.
Dortmund, third but level on two points with bottom club APOEL, must now hope to hold onto a place in the Europa League knock-out stages, when they face Real away in a fortnight while Spurs host APOEL.
Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino made four changes from the side that lost 2-0 to Arsenal at the weekend.
England internationals, Danny Rose and Harry Winks started alongside South Korea forward Son while Serge Aurier slotted in at right-back.
Dortmund boss Bosz brought in French teenager Dan-Axel Zagadou at centre-back, replacing Sokratis, who is out with a rib injury.
Aubameyang returned from a club suspension for coming late to training and an unauthorised video shoot.
Both teams had half chances in the opening 20 minutes, with Dortmund winger Andriy Yarmolenko firing weakly at Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris before Zagadou snuffed out a cross aimed for Kane, who was bursting into Dortmund’s area.
Aubameyang broke his drought when he tucked away the first clear chance after Yarmolenko’s superb backheel put him in behind the defence.
The Gabon hotshot coolly rolled his shot past Lloris on for his first goal since October 14.
Only a superb reflex save by Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki blocked Kane’s volley with half-time approaching, but the England star showed his class when he netted the equaliser four minutes into the second half, pouncing on a mistake after Dortmund right-back Jeremy Toljan lost the ball and tucking his shot past Burki.
Spurs’ tails were up and they took a deserved lead with 14 minutes left when Dele Alli laid the ball into the path of Son, whose side-footed effort hit the top corner of the net.
Only a brave save from Burki denied Tottenham substitute Fernando Llorente from scoring Spurs’ third with time almost up.