European champions Real Madrid have qualified for the first knockout stage after they recovered from their Matchday 4 defeat to Tottenham by thrashing lowly Cypriot outfit APOEL Nicosia 6-0 in front of their home fans in Group H.

The Los Merengues took a 4-0 lead in the first half courtesy goals from Luka Modric, Karim Benzema (2) and Nacho Fernandez before Cristiano Ronaldo added his brace to make the scoreline a whitewash.

Tottenham will finish Group H at the top after they came from behind to beat their hosts Borussia Dortmund as second half goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min overturned returning striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s first half opener.

In Group E, Liverpool showed their defensive frailties again after they surrender a three-goal first half lead in their game against Sevilla at the Ramon Pizjuan Stadium in Seville. Goals from Roberto Firmino (2) and Senegal forward Sadio Mane had given Jurgen Klopp’s 3-0 lead into the interval but second half goals from Wissem Ben Yedder (2) and Guido Pizarro levelled proceedings for the Spanish side.

In Group F, Manchester City continued their 100% record in the UCL this season following Raheem Sterling’s strike which gave Pep Guardiola’s men a 1-0 win over Feyenoord at the Etihad Stadium.

Matchday 5 Results:

Group E:

Spartak Moscow 1-1 Maribor

Sevilla 3-3 Liverpool

Group F:

Manchester City 1-0 Feyenoord

Napoli 3-0 Shakthar Donetsk

Group G:

Besiktas 1-1 FC Porto

AS Monaco 1-4 RB Leipzig

Group H:

APOEL Nicosia 0-6 Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund 1-2 Tottenham

Qualified Teams: Real Madrid join others like Besiktas, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain (PSG)