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The Match Day 6 action in the UEFA Champions League 2018-19 season saw Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich battle it out for the top spot in Group E against Eredivisie outfit Ajax Amsterdam.
With both sides having already booked their passage into the last 16, Benfica were looking for some momentum in their European campaign against AEK Athens as they will be competing in the Europa League next year.
Let's look at the 3 major talking points from Match Day 6 of the UEFA Champions League Group E matches:
#1 Bayern Munich win Group E after drawing with Ajax in a thriller
In the final fixture of the Champions League Group Stage, German champions Bayern Munich were up against a resilient and young Ajax side. Ajax needed a win in order to top the group whereas for Bayern a draw would have been enough.
Lewandowski put Bayern ahead with a clinical 13th-minute strike before Dusan Tadic equalised just past the hour mark. Both Ajax's Maximilian Wober and Bayern's Thomas Muller were shown straight red cards as both sides were reduced to 10 men. A late second-half error from Jerome Boateng resulted in a penalty for Ajax which Tadic converted again.
However, Lewandowski levelled for Bayern again from the 12-yard spot kick after Nicolas Tagliafico fouled Thiago Alcantara in the penalty box. Kingsley Coman added a third from Bayern before a second-half stoppage time equaliser from Tagliafico meant that the Dutch side did enough to frustrate the Bavarians and hold on to a draw.
Bayern coach Kovac reflected on the match: "The referee did well, except in the case of the goal that made it 3-3. I'm not a referee but I think it was offside." "I think we were part of an amazing football game. Both teams played at a high level and played with a pressing style," he said.
#2 Ajax narrowly miss out on the top spot to Bayern
Ajax drew a very close game with last year's semi-finalists and Bundesliga champions Bayern to secure the second spot in Group E ahead of Benfica. With an extremely spirited display throughout their European campaign, Ajax are definitely a threat for any team facing them in the last 16.
Tadic scored a brace and Tagliafico added an extra time equaliser for Ajax as the Dutch side played a high-intensity match against a struggling Bayern side. The Ajax attack created multiple difficult situations through their ball possession against Kovac's men and took full advantage of their inconsistent display.
Bayern's Polish star striker Lewandowski praised the Ajax side for their display. "That was a very offensive game," the Poland international said. "But what we showed in the possession game wasn't good. That was missing. "Ajax had more ball possession. We still had a lot of opportunities, but we didn't use them. "Their goalkeeper, Andre Onana, also did a great job. We have a lot more potential.
#3 Benfica head into Europa League with a victory over AEK:
Benfica were already assured of a Europa League spot heading into the final group stage match as AEK were already out of contention. Alejandro Grimaldo scored a great free kick from 25 yards to finish Benfica's Champions League campaign with all three points.
The Greek side had lost all of their five matches coming into this match and nearly had secured a point until Grimaldo's late 88th-minute strike. Rui Vitoria would certainly be disappointed with another less than stellar display in Europe but insisted his side were still motivated for the match.
In the Primeira Liga, Benfica are in fourth place and four points behind leaders Porto and can now focus on their domestic campaign as they look to rejuvenate and return to winning ways in the Europa League next year.
