Champions League | AC Milan in last 16 after 9 years; PSG faces tough draw

Paris Saint-Germain's quest for a first Champions League title got potentially tougher because it is now unseeded in the round of 16 draw Monday despite winning 2-1 at Juventus

It took nine years for seven-time European champion AC Milan to finally win its way back into the Champions League knockout rounds with a 4-0 victory over Salzburg.

Paris Saint-Germain's quest for a first European title got potentially tougher because it is now unseeded in the round of 16 draw Monday despite winning 2-1 at Juventus.

A stoppage-time goal for Benfica in a 6-1 win at Maccabi Haifa knocked the French champion off the top spot in Group H on an obscure seventh-tier tiebreaker rule — overall goals scored away from home.

PSG and its superstar strike force of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar can now land in a blockbuster pairing with a group winner like defending champion Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City.

“It's a problem for them, too. We're not worried,” said PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who acknowledged being unaware of the situation until after the game.

Milan will likely care less about being unseeded as a group runner-up. A smooth win over Salzburg ensured finishing above the Austrians and advancing from Group E with Chelsea, which beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1.

Veteran forward Olivier Giroud scored a goal in each half to lift Milan into the round of 16 for the first time since the 2013-14 season. The nine-year gap included some Europa League campaigns, failures to qualify at all, and a one-season ban for breaking UEFA financial rules.