Football news - Ajax crash out of Champions League after shock home loss to Valencia

Placed in a lethal group with Chelsea and the Spanish side, the Amsterdam outfit had been in pole position to qualify, needing only a draw in their final game.

However, Rodrigo gave the visitors the lead halfway through the first half, and despite the hosts dominating possession and having the lion's share of chances.

There was late controversy as Gabriel Paulista was sent off for the visitors for lashing out at Dusan Tadic, who appeared to make a meal of the situation.

Elsewhere, Borussa Dortmund got through another 'Group of Death' thanks to a 2-1 home win over Slavia Prague, ensuring they join Barcelona in the last 16 at the expense of Inter Milan.

Jadon Sancho gave the German side the lead after 10 minutes and although Tomas Soucek equalised on the stroke of half-time, Julian Brandt's goal proved enough to claim victory, despite a nervy ending after Julian Weigl was sent off.

Napoli claimed a 4-0 win over Genk, thanks in no small part to Arkadiusz Milik's first-half hat-trick. Dries Mertens' second-half penalty added some gloss to the result, although manager Carlo Ancelotti was later sacked to take the shine off the win.

A superb comeback from Lyon earned them a point which ensured progression, with Houssem Aouar and Memphis Depay earning the Stade Gerland side a draw at home to RB Leipzig, who had enjoyed a 2-0 lead at half-time thanks to two spot kicks from Emil Forsberg and Timo Werner.

That put Benfica into the Europa League, despite a 3-0 win over 10-man Zenit St Petersburg. Franco Cervi opened the scoring just after the break, with Pizzi doubling it soon after. Sardar Azmoun put through his own net late on to complete the scoring.