BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH celebrated in style on the pitch in Madrid last night, despite having lost 2-0 to their hosts Real.
The Bundesliga side fell to a limp defeat at Alfredo di Stefano Stadium.
A pair of headers from Karim Benzema put Monchengladbach’s fate in the hands of Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk elsewhere.
And after the final whistle in the Spanish capital, the players were glued to events at San Siro.
The 0-0 stalemate between Inter and Shakhtar went deep into stoppage time, finishing after the match in Madrid.
And nervous Monchengladbach stars found themselves huddled around a tablet pitchside, as they awaited their fate.
At the final whistle, there was an eruption of joy – with the Bundesliga side dancing and singing on the touchline to celebrate coming through.
Monchengladbach had gone into the day leading the group on eight points – one above Madrid and Shakhtar and two ahead of Antonio Conte’s Inter.
Real’s victory took them comfortably through in the end, but Shakhtar were overcome via head-to-head, having been thrashed 6-0 at home and 4-0 away by the Germans.
The topsy-turvy campaign saw Monchengladbach surrender commanding positions against both Inter and Real Madrid in previous games.
But they won’t care a jot, after squeaking through.
Marco Rose’s side could draw a host of star names in the round of 16, including English sides Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.
But in the meantime, they will hope to improve their Bundesliga standing, where they currently sit seventh after ten games.