Celtic reached the Champions League last 16 despite a 1-0 defeat at already-qualified Milan yesterday thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk's loss to Benfica.

Holders Milan finished top of Group D while Celtic came second on nine points after Filippo Inzaghi turned in Cafu's cutback midway through the second half for the winner.

Ukraine's Shakhtar, needing to beat Benfica at home while hoping for a Milan victory, lost 2-1 to the Portuguese side, whose goals were cheered by Celtic fans inside the San Siro.

Benfica's win puts them in the UEFA Cup after the last round of matches in the group was brought forward by a week because Milan will shortly travel to the Club World Cup in Japan.

Shakhtar had entertained hopes of still qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time but needed a victory, coupled with a Celtic defeat against Milan at the San Siro to go through.

Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo pounced on a poor backpass to smash in Benfica's first after six minutes and powerfully headed in a second midway through the first half.

Shakhtar got a lifeline when David Luiz conceded a penalty on 30 minutes for a push on Cristiano Lucarelli and the Italian striker drilled a low spot-kick past keeper Quim.

Benfica finish third in the group on seven points and will continue their European adventure in the UEFA Cup. Shakhtar finished bottom with six points.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.