City Climb to 2nd; Utd Struggle; Ronaldo At the Double
Group A
VILLARREAL 0 – 3 MANCHESTER CITY 
Yaya Toure 30′, 71′
Balotelli (pen) 45+2′
Two goals from Yaya Toure edged Manchester City closer to qualification in the Champions League after they comfortably beat struggling Villarreal at El Madrigal.
The visitors proved superior throughout the game in an encounter that saw Mario Balotelli net another goal for his team on his return to European action following his three-match ban for his Europa League dismissal against Dynamo Kiev last season.
Roberto Mancini rested the in-form Micah Richards and Sergio Aguero, while Stefan Savic, Samir Nasri and Balotelli all got the nod. Meanwhile, Juan Garrido, with a plethora of injuries to worry about, including Marcos Senna, Cani and Cristian Zapata, brought in Mateo Musacchio, Hernan Perez and Joselu into the team.
Villarreal began the game by defending deep, as if to make a statement that a draw would suffice. David Silva looked lively early on, linking up well with Balotelli and Toure, as he used his agility and quick feet to cause the home team problems.
Villarreal’s best opportunity of the half came when De Guzman delivered a perfect long-range ball to Joselu but the striker’s poor touch saw the ball escape from his grasp as Hart collected in his area.
However, just before the half hour, Toure put Mancini’s men 1-0 up. Silva, alert and energetic, intercepted a pass by Rodriguez and the Spaniard charged forward and created an opportunity for Toure who finished calmly, side footing the ball past the keeper’s left.
The goal, Toure’s first since the infamous FA Cup triumph last season, changed the dynamics of the game: City began to dictate the play and the home fans at the El Madrigal became quiet.
Then, with the first half drawing to a close, the Spanish international was involved in City’s second goal. Silva spotted Balotelli just outside the box and, as the striker drove powerfully forward, he was fouled by Musacchio and a penalty was awarded. There was only one man who was going to take the penalty. The Italian stepped up and coolly dispatched the ball into the bottom corner sending the keeper the wrong way.
Villarreal looked a demoralised team and their problems were further exacerbated as City grabbed their third goal of the game.
Mancini’s team charged forward to find the home team half-asleep and defensively all over the place. Balotelli threaded a square pass to Toure and the Ivorian, with great composure, passed the last defender and slotted the ball beyond the keeper. Sergio Aguero came on late in the game but it proved more of a run around for the Argentine striker as City coasted until the final minute of the match.
BAYERN MUNICH 3 – 2 NAPOLI 
Mario Gomez 17′, 23′, 42′ Federico Fernandez 45′ 79′
Badstuber s/o Zuniga s/o
Mario Gomez helped himself to a hat-trick as Bayern Munich took a huge step towards the knockout stages of the Champions League with an eventful 3-2 victory over Group A rivals Napoli at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night.
Gomez struck three times in the opening half as the Bundesliga leaders threatened to run riot but Federico Fernandez dragged the visitors back into the game with a header just before the interval and then repeated the trick late on, after both sides had been reduced to ten men following the dismissals of Juan Zuniga and Holger Badstuber.
Napoli had actually started encouragingly in Munich, looking relatively solid at the back and reasonably threatening in attack, with Ezequiel Lavezzi looking lively early on. However, Bayern slowly asserted their superiority and took control of the contest with two goals in the space of six minutes from their in-form centre forward.
The first arrived 17 minutes, Gomez controlling a neat pass from Bastian Schweinsteiger before spinning Hugo Campagnaro on the edge of the box and then firing low past Morgan De Sanctis. Napoli were still reeling when Gomez struck again, the German international this time volleying home side-footed after being picked out by the most delicious chip in behind the Napoli defence from Toni Kroos.
Bayern were rampant thereafter and Gomez really should have completed his hat-trick on 35 minutes when slipped in by Muller but the striker’s flicked finish drifted just wide of the right post. However, Gomez made amends just two minutes before the break by being on hand to tap in from close range after Kroos’ effort had been saved following a wonderful exchange between Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller.
Napoli were, by this point, being completely overrun by Bayern’s wonderfully inventive forwards but they grabbed themselves a lifeline right on the stroke of half-time when Fernandez headed in Lavezzi’s free-kick from the left-hand side.
Napoli, buoyed by their goal, began the second half brightly but even though Bayern lost the inspirational Schweinsteiger to a suspected dislocated shoulder shortly after the restart, what hope the visitors had of turning the game around appeared to vanish when Zuniga was dismissed after picking up two yellow cards in the space of two minutes.
However, Bayern were reduced to 10 men themselves late on when Badstuber, booked in the first half for a lunge on Christian Maggio, saw red for a slight pull on the jersey of Edinson Cavani.
Then, with just over 10 minutes remaining, Fernandez found the net with a majestic far-post header from a Gokhan Inler’s free-kick. There was to be no late drama, though, with Bayern seeing out the game quite comfortably to move to ten points in Group A, three clear of Manchester City, who climbed above Napoli into second place on the back of their win in Villarreal.
Group B
INTER MILAN 2 -1 LILLE 
Samuel 18′ De Melo 83′
Milito 65′
Inter Milan took a firm stranglehold on Group B after disposing of French champions Lille 2-1 at San Siro.
A first-half header from Walter Samuel opened the scoring somewhat against the run of play, before Diego Milito, who had previously missed three simple opportunities, finally got on the scoresheet after superb work by the evergreen Javier Zanetti on 65 minutes.
A mix up late on presented Tulio de Melo with a simple chance to get Lille back into the match, which the Brazilian took coolly.
Lille had been exposed in the first leg as being naive, and within 100 seconds of kick off nearly conceded a soft goal. Milito, however, contrived to float the ball against the bar having been released by a seemingly simple pass.
Claudio Ranieri’s side belied their poor league form in the opening five minutes but soon found themselves on the back foot, though only a long-range strike from Benoit Pedretti had troubled their goal the Serie A side grabbed the lead against the run of play. A Mauro Zarate shot was fumbled indecisively wide by Mickael Landreau, and from the resultant corner Samuel rose imperiously to head easily into the corner of the net.
The French club would never again gain the kind of control on the match they previously enjoyed, with Eden Hazard well stifled by the home midfield. Nevertheless, the Belgian was able to wriggle free at the edge of the box to drive in a shot that was palmed clear by Luca Castellazzi. Lille’s only other meaningful effort came from Moussa Sow, but this was skewed well wide from range.
Inter had rarely threatened in the opening period, though they had rarely looked anything but comfortable either. Within seconds of the beginning of the second half, they might have been even further clear by the profligate Milito, who blasted high over the top when presented with a simple chance by Dejan Stankovic after Lille made a terrible mess of their offside trap from a free kick.
The Argentine then wasted a three-on-one opportunity, shooting tamely into the arms of Landreau, before tapping home Inter’s second after a superb driving run by Zanetti, who was magnificent all evening, set him up on a plate.
This encounter was by no means one-sided, but it took a dreadful error by Thiago Motta on the edge of his box to provide the chance for Tulio to convert, giving the last seven minutes an unexpectedly tense air.
Inter successfully saw the game out, taking them to the cusp of the knockout stages, while for Lille, their Champions League dream is hanging by a thread and anything less than two wins will not be sufficient for Rudi Garcia’s side.
TRABZONSPOR 0 – 0 CSKA MOSCOW
Doumbia s/o
Ten-man CSKA Moscow held out for a 0-0 draw against Trabzonspor at the Huseyin Avni Aker stadium on Wednesday evening.
Early efforts from Seydou Doumbia and Wagner Love went close for the visitors, but they had to settle for a point after the Ivorian was sent off for two bookable offences.
Trabzonspor went into the game knowing that a win would put them in pole position for that elusive second qualification spot, behind group favourites Inter. And they did so by making two changes to the side that beat Gaziantepspor 1-0 at the weekend. Didier Zokora replaced Aykut Akgun in midfield, whilst top goalscorer Burak Yilmaz came in to make his Champions League début.
CSKA meanwhile were unchanged from the side that won 4-0 against Spartak Nalchik last Friday. And it was the unchanged CSKA who started the brightest. Within the first two minutes, Ivorian hotshot, Doumbia, had taken the ball around Tolga Zengin in the Trabzonspor goal, but his weak effort was blocked on the line.
The former Young Boys striker was proving a real handful for the Trabzonspor defence, but it was his strike partner who had the next best effort of the half. A deep run from Vagner Love was not closed down by the Turkish side, and he hit a rasping shot from 30 yards out that only just missed the target.
Burak Yilmaz was providing some tireless running for the home side, but again, it was the Deadly Duo for CSKA that were supplying the half’s best chances. This time, Love played a delicious through-ball for Doumbia who, from 18 yards, could only fire straight at the goalkeeper to take the sides back into the break at 0-0.
Senol Gunes’ men started the second half with much more urgency, and again Burak Yilmaz was showing his worth to the side with committed and intelligent running, but it was the visitors who were creating all the chances, Tosic with a swivelling volley on 60 minutes that just evaded the far post.
Those missed chances very nearly cost CSKA 10 minutes later as substitute Alanzinho skipped past Vasili Berezutski, but his shot was easily saved by Gabulov, who was made to work for the first time in the evening.
Things were made somewhat harder for the Russians with 15 minutes remaining as Doumbia was sent off for a second yellow card, but Leonid Slutskiy’s men held out for the draw. That point means both teams go into their next set of games on five points. CSKA host Lille, while Trabzonspor, who are also at home, play Inter.
Group C
MANCHESTER UNITED 2 – 0 OTELUL GALATI 
Valencia 8′
Sarghi (OG) 87′
An early goal from Antonio Valencia and a deflected Wayne Rooney effort gave Manchester United a hard earned 2-0 victory over Otelul Galati in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The three points leaves Sir Alex Ferguson’s side top of Group C, level with Benfica, as Dorinel Munteanu’s men proved a stern test for the Premier League champions at Old Trafford.
Starts for Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov meant Rooney was given a midfield role against the Romanian side, whilst Rio Ferdinand and Brazilian full-back Fabio also featured in the line-up.
The hosts came out firing, with the visitors allowing Berbatov to trot forward and pass to the overlapping Phil Jones, who continued down the flank before crossing for Valencia to tap home from close range at the far post to open the scoring. However, a rare appearance for Owen came to an abrupt end when he came off after only 11 minutes to be replaced by Javier Hernandez, the move most likely being precautionary.
Hernandez had a couple of attempts but his only real chance on goal ended up well wide of Branko Grahovac’s net after half an hour. Grahovac had to be alert shortly after when a marauding run from Fabio from inside his own half caught out the Otelul defence, with only an excellent sliding challenge from Cristian Sarghi preventing more danger.
Jones continued to prove problematic for the visitors after the break. This time the full-back’s sprint to link up with Hernandez on the edge of the box freed Berbatov in the area, but the Bulgarian’s run took the ball wide and closed any possible angle for a shot.
The threat from Jones didn’t diminish and a bounding run down the right flank shortly after nearly resulted in another chance for Chicharito, but the 19-year-old’s hanging cross was too high for the Mexican.
United’s one goal lead seemed likely to remain, until late in the game a long-range effort from Rooney deflected of Sarghi and left Grahovac with no chance of saving the shot to make it 2-0.
The scoreline may have been harsh on the visitors, but Manchester United now move into pole position in Group C.
BENFICA 1 – 1 FC BASEL
Rodrigo 4′ Huggel 64′
Basel earned a hard-fought point in a 1-1 draw against Benfica at the Estadio da Luz thanks to Benjamin Huggel’s second-half strike, leaving the outcome of
Champions League Group C dependent on the final two rounds of fixtures.
Rodrigo’s finely taken fourth minute goal had put Benfica into the lead but their Swiss opponents grew in confidence as the match progressed, and Huggel levelled proceedings with a superbly struck goal midway through the second half.
Spanish forward Rodrigo had the hosts ahead inside the opening five minutes. The 20-year-old hung back at the far post and when the ball dropped down onto his left foot he hammered his effort into the top corner, leaving Yann Sommer in the Basel goal with no chance.
Controversy then struck in the 16th minute when Benfica were denied a penalty after Aleksandar Dragovic appeared to handle inside the area but the referee remained unmoved.
Fabian Frei was gifted the chance to equalise as Basel grabbed a foothold in the game but the Swiss international, who had found himself unmarked at the far post, was unable to direct Jaques Zoua’s whipped cross on target.
In a scrappy start to the second 45 minutes, Basel fashioned the first chance of the half when Frei was given space inside Benfica’s area, only to fire over the bar. Basel were rewarded, however, when Scott Chipperfield’s lofted pass found Huggel’s late run and the Swiss side’s captain smashed home a first-time effort to bring the scores level.
With qualification only guaranteed with a win for Benfica, Jorge Jesus’ side went in search of a winning goal but they were left frustrated by Basel’s dominance in the latter stages of the encounter.
The Portuguese travel to Manchester United next, with both teams locked on eight points, and Benfica requiring victory in either of their last two games to progress from the group. Basel, meanwhile, must win both of their remaining matches – the next of which is away to Otelul Galati on Tuesday 22 November – in order to qualify.
Group D
LYON 0 – 2 REAL MADRID
C Ronaldo 21′, (pen) 69′
Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his 99th and 100th goals for Real Madrid to help his club secure their place in the Champions League round of 16 with two games to spare, after ending their Stade Gerland hoodoo with a 2-0 win against Olympique Lyonnais.
Ronaldo scored his first goal of the game in the 24th minute with a curling free-kick from just outside the penalty area in a game that Madrid dominated. He then added his second of the evening and his century goal for Madrid in the 69th minute from the penalty spot.
The result leaves the Spanish club on 12 points at the top of Group D and maintains their 100 per cent record in the competition with the Blancos yet to concede a goal in their opening four fixtures.
After a nervy start, Madrid could have taken the lead in the 10th minute, however, Hugo Lloris made a superb save to deny Karim Benzema.
The away side took a deserved lead in the 24th minute after they were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box following a foul on Benzema. Ronaldo stepped up to smash the ball through the wall and into the far corner, past the flailing attempts of Lloris in the Lyon goal – the Portuguese attacker’s 99th goal in the white shirt of Madrid.
However, despite the away side looking the better team, Lyon nearly drew level just before the interval. Bafetimbi Gomis slid the ball through to Yoann Gourcuff, who saw his effort just inside the box expertly turned over the bar by Iker Casillas to preserve his team’s lead at half-time.
After weathering a short renaissance from Lyon at the beginning of the second half, Ronaldo scored his second of the evening and his 100th for Madrid after Mouhamadou Dabo fouled the former Manchester United man in the box on 69 minutes. Ronaldo coolly stepped up to dispatch the ball into the corner, despite Lloris diving the right way.
The away team were given a late scare in the 78th minute when Gourcuff’s corner was met by the head of substitute Alexandre Lacazette, who could only watch on as his effort bounced back off the crossbar, with Madrid holding on for all three points in France.
Next up in Europe for Mourinho’s side is the visit of Dinamo Zagreb to the Bernabeu on November 22 while Lyon travel to Ajax on the same evening – desperate for a positive result to keep their qualification hopes alive.
AJAX 4 – 0 DINAMO ZAGREB 
Van der Wiel 20′
Sulejmani 25′
De Jong 65′
Lodeiro 90+2′
Ajax recorded an emphatic 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in Wednesday’s Champions League Group D encounter at the Amsterdam ArenA.
The Eredivisie champions dominated proceedings from the start and lead by two goals at half-time following strikes from Gregory van der Wiel and Miralem Sulejmani. Siem de Jong put the match to bed after the interval with a fine finish before Nicolas Lodeiro made it four.
The Amsterdam side had an early chance to break the deadlock via Christian Eriksen after the Zagreb defence failed to clear a Theo Janssen corner, but the Denmark international’s shot fell just wide of the post.
Dinamo came close in the 16th minute. After a corner, Sammir found Jerko Leko inside the area, but his header deflected off Derk Boerrigter and missed the target.
It was all Ajax from there on and they deservedly opened the scoring via Van der Wiel. Eriksen set up the right-back with a brilliant back-heel and he fired home from a narrow angle to open the scoring.
The guests had hardly recovered from the first goal before it was already two for Ajax. De Jong found Sulejmani with an intelligent through pass after some good work from Eyong Enoh and the Serbian rounded the goalkeeper before slotting home.
Ajax almost added another goal in the dying minutes of the first half, but Toby Alderweireld’s header scraped the post before going wide.
The Zagreb side made a good start to the second half as they looked to get back into the game. Luis Ibanez caused Kenneth Vermeer all kinds of trouble with a long-range strike, but the Ajax goalkeeper looked up in relief as Jan Vertonghen cleared the loose ball before a Croatian attacker could get to it.
De Jong had a chance to add his name to the scoresheet in the 56th minute after a superb long pass, but his powerful shot was kept out by Ivan Kelava. However, De Jong did make it three midway through the second half when he found the net after good work from Van der Wiel and yet another superb Eriksen flick.
Substitute Nicolas Lodeiro poured more misery on the Croatians well into stoppage time as the Uruguay international beat the Zagreb goalkeeper with a low shot in the near corner to make it 4-0.
Ajax sit second in the table in Group D with seven points from four games and have secured at least Europa League football after the winter break with this victory. They resume domestic action on Sunday with an away game against Utrecht. Dinamo have no points from their four games and can now only finish third in the group at best
Gunners & Blues held; Barca Through to Last 16; APOEL shock Porto
Group E
GENK 1 – 1 CHELSEA 
Vossen 62′ Ramires 25′
Luiz missed pen
Chelsea ensured they their weak of woes continued with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Belgian minnows Genk, who earned their first goal and point of the competition.
With the back-to-back defeats in the Premier League and the John Terry racism saga gathering pace, Andre Villas Boas would’ve been desperate to see his side return to winning ways.
Baring in mind this is the same team Chelsea beat 5-0 just two weeks ago, it seemed that Chelsea would be able to repeat their dominance here in Belgium after Ramires’ opener on 25 minutes. But after wasting several chances, Belgium striker Jelle Vossen stunned the Blues on 61 minutes with a close-range strike to earn them a hard-fought point.
Genk’s fans created a hostile atmosphere designed to intimidate Chelsea and in the first 10 minutes, the Belgian side had a lot of possession, but couldn’t muster a chance. Chelsea then found their feet and their width was causing Genk a problem, with French winger Florent Malouda, in the side for the rested Juan Mata, causing havoc down the left-hand side.
Genk played with a deep defensive line and although Chelsea found it hard to break down, their opener was a joy to behold. Ramires played the ball into Torres before bursting through a square backline, and the Spaniard’s return was a delightful touch over the top for his Brazilian team-mate who then fired low past Koteles in the 26th minute. Torres seemed fired up by his excellent assist, and almost got his name on the scoresheet but his effort narrowly trickled wide.
Chelsea continued to pressurise Genk and Ramires should’ve got his second on the game when Ashley Cole burst down the left-wing and his cross found the Brazilian unmarked but couldn’t divert his header goalwards. The impressive Raul Meireles then unleashed a magnificent strike from 25 yards which had keeper Koteles beaten, but to his dismay saw his effort smash the crossbar.
Despite having a difficult period in the past few weeks, David Luiz was given the clearest chance to extend Chelsea’s lead. Former Rangers midfielder Thomas Buffel blocked Malouda’s shot just inside the box with his arm, leaving referee Svein Oddvar Moen with no choice but to point to the spot. And with designated penalty taker Frank Lampard on the bench, Brazilian Luiz was the surprise choice to step up. He aimed his penalty to Koteles’ right, but the Hungarian made an excellent stop to deny Chelsea a 2-0 lead.
Genk were a different team after the break. Chasing a first Champions League victory of the campaign, the home side were more energetic and dominated the first 20 minutes of the second half. Kevin De Bruyne scuffed a shot into the arms of Petr Cech after good work from Daniel Tozser, before Kennedy Nwanganga forced a smart stop from the Chelsea goalkeeper after a mazy run forward from the adventurous Vanden Borre.
The pressure paid off in the 61st minute when Vossen slotted home from inside the area after a precise low ball into the box from Camus. It was more like the Chelsea defence of recent games than the one of the first half.
Villas-Boas reacted by withdrawing Anelka and replacing him with Sturridge, as Lampard came on for Ramires, and then brought on Mata for Oriol Romeu in an attempt to win it, but it was the another substitute, Lampard, who missed the best chance to earn his side the three points – not making decisive contact from just yards out after decent play from Sturridge. And Malouda almost won it for the Blues in stoppage time after lifting over Koteles, but substitute Nadson somehow cleared the danger off the line.
Chelsea must now wait until their home game against Valencia until they can qualify.
VALENCIA 3 – 1 BAYER LEVERKUSEN 
Jonas 1′ Kiessling 31′
Soldado 65′
Rami 75′
Valencia kept their Champions League dream alive with a 3-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the Mestalla. Oliveira Jonas, Roberto Soldado and Adil Rami all got on the scoresheet for Los Che to make sure that Stefan Kiessling’s goal was nothing more than a consolation.
Valencia took the lead through Jonas after just 12 seconds, one of the fastest ever CL goals, with a terrible clearance from Bernd Leno allowing Jonas to finish with ease.
Leverkusen were stunned by the goal they had conceded and struggled to get into the game for the first 20 minutes, although they were handed a boost at Valencia’s expense when tireless midfielder Ever Banega was stretchered off following a strong challenge from former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack.
Sidney Sam then went close as his effort was parried by Diego Alves, before Leverkusen’s pressure finally paid off in the 31st minute. Ballack’s cross from the left flank found Kiessling, who made no mistake and guided the ball past Alves.
Leverkusen then looked dangerous, with young starlet Andre Schlurre thundering a goalbound effort from 25-yards which Alves did well to tip over as Leverkusen ended the first-half dominating with Ballack back to his influential self.
The game was blown wide open in the second-half with both sides on the attack, with Soldado lifting his shot over the bar while the dangerous Schlurre shot wide after evading Jeremy Mathieu. Despite Leverkusen’s pressure, Soldado put Valencia back in front just after the hour-mark. Some good work from Mathieu sent through the Spaniard, who lifted over Leno from close range.
Schlurre thought he had scored a deserved equaliser but the flag went up for offside to disallow the goal, and almost immediately, Valencia finished the game off. Substitute Tino Costa whipped in a corner which French defender Rami got his head onto and nodded home to seal the game as a contest.
Valencia remain third in Group E but are just a point behind Leverkusen and three behind Chelsea ahead of their clash with Genk in three weeks time.
Group F
ARSENAL 0 – 0 MARSEILLE
Arsenal were made to wait for their qualification from Group F after having to settle for a 0-0 draw against Marseille at the Emirates last night.
Arsene Wenger opted to rest star striker Robin van Persie after his goalscoring heroics against Chelsea suggested that the Dutchman was feeling jaded. But in his absence, the Gunners lacked a killer instinct in front of goal.
Despite failing to score at the Emirates for the second time this season, the Gunners now have a better head-to-head record against Marseille going into the final two games of the group stage. However, Wenger would’ve been unhappy at his side’s failure to secure top spot in Group F, although a point was the least Marseille deserved as they dominated spells of the game.
The link up of Ghanaian brothers Andre and Jordan Ayew was a menace for Arsenal to defend against, with the devastating pace that they played at dazzling the Arsenal defence, including the inexperienced Carl Jenkinson and Johan Djourou.
Gervinho had a goalbound shot blocked by Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda, while Aaron Ramsey, scorer of the 92nd minute winner at the Velodrome, could not beat the Frenchman this time.
Loic Remy tested Wojiciech Szczesny with a low-drive after a neat one-two with Bruno Cheyrou, before Mandanda pulled off a fine save to deny Ivorian winger Gervinho, with follow ups from Park and Ramsey coming to nothing.
The second-half was a bore, with neither side having the creative edge and the ball was played around the back for long spells after the interval. Ramsey and Gervinho were replaced by Arshavin and Rosicky, but they couldn’t quite get into the game. Van Persie came on in the 61st minute to replace the ineffective Park, and out of nowhere almost scored the winner. Rosicky released him with a perfectly-weighted pass but his lob was easily saved by Mandanda.
The French side were pressing for a winner and Jordan Ayew saw his header fly wide, while sub Morgan Amalfitano had the Arsenal fans’ heart in their mouths as his drilled effort across the face of the goal just eluded Andre-Pierre Gignac. Arsenal remain top of the group with 8 points, with Marseille in close pursit on 7.
BORUSSIA DORTMUND 1 -0 OLYMPIAKOS 
Großkreutz 7′
Borussia Dortmund recorded a narrow victory over Olympiakos at Signal Iduna Park thanks to a long-range effort from midfielder Kevin Großkreutz to boost their chances of qualifying from Group F.
Dortmund’s only point in the group stage before had come from their 1-1 home draw with Arsenal, and so they desperately needed all three points to have a chance of qualifying, hoping that the Gunners beat Marseille.
The Greeks made five changes to the side that drew with OFI Crete at the weekend. The shock starter was 21-year-old goalkeeper Balazs Megyeri, who came in for his debut Champions League appearance.
It was the home side who began the brightest, and they turned that brightness into goals as early as the seventh minute. Mario Gotze was the architect as he ignored more obvious options inside the box, and instead rolled the ball across the 18 yard line for Grosskreutz, who smashed past the crowded box and into the top left-hand corner.
19-year-old Gotze was completely running the show in midfield, and it was from his cross that Dortmund nearly doubled their lead. A free-kick from the left-hand side was drilled in, only for Mats Hummels to miss his header by inches.
The home side continued to dominate, but in the dying moments of the half Olof Mellberg had the visitors’ best opportunity. A Holebas corner found the former Aston Villa man inside the six yard box, but his header went over the bar.
Again, Klopp’s men started the better of the two sides in the second half, and it was a youngster that was leading the way. This time it was Leitner who was showing maturity beyond his years, as a quick free-kick from the German nearly caught Megyeri unaware.
Both sides were pushing hard for a goal, but it was Lewandowski who had the best opportunity to score. On 60 minutes, instinctive play from the Pole saw him steal the ball off Mellberg and take the ball around Megyeri, but, from the byline, he could only hit the near post with his shot.
Dortmund successfully managed to shut out their Greek visitors for the remaining half an hour, and the 1997 winners recorded their first victory in this season’s Champions League.
That win for Dortmund moves them above Olympiakos into third in Group F as they travel to the Emirates to face Arsenal on matchday five. Meanwhile, the Greeks have another away trip, this time to the Stade Velodrome to face Marseille.
Group G
APOEL NICOSIA 2 – 1 FC PORTO 
Ailton (pen) 42′ Hulk (pen) 89′
Manduca 90+1′
APOEL now have one foot in the Champions League knock-out stages following a shock 2-1 home victory over Porto to stay top of Group G, to give them the hope of becoming the first ever Cypriot team to go past the group stages.
A late goal from Gustavo Manduca gave the hosts a vital three points, just moments after Hulk’s penalty had cancelled out Ailton’s first-half finish from the spot. It was even more vital as Zenit St Petersburg had temporarily taken top spot in the group after their 1-0 victory over Shakhtar.
The match started at a slow pace with both sides looking more interested in not conceding than going out to attack. As such, it was with little surprise that the first opening came 21 minutes into the game. Manduca delivered a cross into the six-yard box for Ailton, whose header was denied by Helton.
With Porto struggling to create any chances APOEL looked more lively and broke the deadlock three minutes before the half-time break.
Ailton was tripped by Eliaquim Mangala as he tried to dribble past the Belgian defender and the referee immediately signalled a penalty. The Brazilian striker stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way to the delight of home supporters, scoring his third goal in the competition.
It was expected that Porto coach Vitor Pereira would make some changes during the interval, but it took him 15 minutes in the second half to react, as Freddy Guarin and James Rodriguez came on for Fernando and Silvestre Varela.
The substitutions paid immediate dividends as the visitors upped the pace and created some opportunities but their shots from distance were either blocked by APOEL defenders or calmly saved by the goalkeeper.
As the game wore on APOEL took control of possession, trying to kill off the game on the counter, but Porto won a penalty in the 88th minute after Rodriguez was brought down in the area by Nuno Morais. Hulk made no mistake from the spot and equalised for the visitors.
The parity lasted just two minutes, though, as APOEL regained the lead through Manduca. Porto pushed forward in search for an equaliser and left plenty of space at the back, allowing Constantinos Charalambides to send in a pass to the far post for the Brazilian to slot home.
The victory sees APOEL remain at the top in Group G, on eight points, while Porto are third, with four points fewer.
ZENIT S.P. 1 -0 SHAKHTAR DONETSK 
Lombaerts 45+1′
Zenit St Petersburg overcame Shakhtar Donetsk to win 1-0 at the Petrovsky Stadium and move to the top of Champions League Group G.
Nicolas Lombaerts’ first-half header on the stroke of half-time was enough to seal the three points in Russia, and move ahead of APOEL at the summit of the section.
Both sides started the match quietly and it was the Portuguese star Danny who came closest for the hosts early on with a long range effort that was blocked by Czech centre-back Tomas Hubschmann.
There were penalty shouts at both ends, with Aleksandr Bukharov going down in the Shakhtar area and Alex Teixeira appealing after he felt he was tripped, but the referee was right in denying their claims.
Zenit began to take control as the first half continued and only a fine double save from Rybka denied Denisov and Konstantin Zyryanov from giving the Russians the leade.
Danny continued to follow on from his impressive performance a fortnight ago, but his shot from a tight angle struck the post as the pressure mounted on Shakhtar. The in-form Rybka then continued his fine goalkeeping display when he reacted swiftly to hook the ball past the post, after Danny’s smart chip found Bukharov’s head just outside the six-yard box.
The game looked to be heading into half-time a stalemate, until Zenit won a corner in injury time. Viktor Faizulin’s inswinging cross found the marauding Belgian centre-back Lombaerts, who headed past a helpless Rybka. It was a cruel blow for the Ukrainian, who had, undoubtedly, been Shakhtar’s best player on the pitch.
Shakhtar had more of a presence as the second-half began, but still lacked the attacking prowess they demonstrated in the home tie between the two sides. The opening 25 minutes saw limited opportunities, with most of the play taking place in a midfield battle.
Zenit should have finished off the game in the minute when Danny broke away inside the Shakhtar half and played a well-timed ball to Bukharov, but the striker wastefully blasted high over the bar. The men from Donetsk were unable to respond, and in the end Zenit deserved their win.
Shakhtar go into the next game against Porto in Ukraine, desperately in need of a win to stand any chance of qualifying from the group. A victory at home for Zenit in two weeks’ time against group leaders APOEL would almost guarantee the Russian side qualification to the knockout stages.
Group H
BATE BORISOV 1 – 1 AC MILAN 
Bressan (pen) 55′ Ibrahimovic 22′
BATE Borisov held Italian champions AC Milan to shock 1-1 draw in Group H of the Champions League in Belarus on Tuesday. Renan Bressan’s 55th minute penalty cancelled out Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s early opener to ensure that the sides would have to settle for a share of the spoils.However, the result, which ends Massimiliano Allegri men’s run of five consecutive wins in all competitions, means that BATE have a very slim chance of qualifying.
Milan, who were perhaps given extra motivation by the mystery illness which has laid team-mate Antonio Cassano low, seemed determined to put their stamp on proceedings in the early stages.Ibrahimovic, in particular, appeared to exude an aura which suggested he had extra purpose, something that is occasionally missing from the languid striker’s game – and which would surface in the second period.The Swede forced BATE goalkeeper Aleksandr Gutor into three smart saves with strikes from distance in the opening 20 minutes. However, the hosts’ 22-year-old custodian could do little to prevent Milan from taking the lead in the 22nd minute.
Ibrahimovic caught defender Marko Simic dwelling on the ball by sliding in to poke the ball to Robinho, who advanced down the right before giving his strike partner a perfect return pass, which he controlled before sweeping past the exposed goalkeeper.
While the Italians were in absolute control, the hosts managed to stage two swift counters, but on both occasions Christian Abbiati managed to thwart lively BATE forward Maksim Skavysh, whose header drew a particularly impressive save.
Milan could and should have doubled their lead six minutes before the break when Robinho latched onto Kevin-Prince Boateng’s defence-splitting through ball, but the Brazilian only managed to crack the ball against the post after rounding Gutor.
The second half saw a complete role reversal, as the home side made much more of a fist of things, while Milan appeared to relax and rest on their laurels.
And after nine minutes of concerted pressure, they were afforded the opportunity to draw level from the penalty spot due to Ignazio Abate’s foul on Artyom Kontsevoi. Renan Bressan assumed responsibility and lashed a low kick past Abbiati’s despairing dive and into the keeper’s right-hand corner to draw his side level.
BATE’s enthusiasm and drive ensured that the Serie A side were much less of an attacking force, but they almost grabbed an undeserved lead in the 77th minute. But a combination of first Gutor and then Simic managed to keep out Boateng to secure a precious point.
Matchday five sees Milan host La Liga giants Barcelona at San Siro, while BATE take on Viktoria Plzen in Minsk.
VIKTORIA PLZEN 0 -4 BARCELONA 
Messi 24′, 45+2′, 90+2′
Fabregas 72′
Pep Guardiola’s 200th match in charge of Barcelona was celebrated in emphatic style with a 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen in Prague on Tuesday evening, as the European champions qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Lionel Messi also surpassed the incredible feat of 200 Barcelona goals in just 282 games.
Two first-half goals from Lionel Messi gave the Catalan giants a comfortable lead, with the dismissal of Plzen’s Marian Cisovsky aiding their cause. Once Plzen went down to 10 men it became less a case of whether Barca would win but more of how many they would win by, and Messi duly completed his hat-trick, with Cesc Fabregas also finding the net.
Plzen started the game full of running and tried to take the game to their illustrious opposition. Barcelona seemed content to let the home side dictate the tempo in the opening exchanges, only really starting to move the ball well after 10 minutes of play.
Milan Petrzela burst through a static Barca back line only to be thwarted by Victor Valdes, who produced a strong left-handed save to stop the hosts from taking a surprise lead. Daniel Kolar then wasted another chance, blazing a half-volley high and wide after being found in space inside the box.
However, Barca earned a spot-kick 10 minutes later after Messi’s legs were swept from beneath him by Cisovsky after the Argentine had jinked his way into the area. Cisovsky saw red for the foul, before Messi confidently dispatched the penalty low to Roman Pavlik’s right.
That goal was the Argentine’s 200th for the club following his sensational exploits in the past few seasons, and he was far from finished for the evening.
Following the sending off the atmosphere in the Synot Tip Arena quickly grew hostile, with every Barcelona touch being greeted with jeers by the home fans. The away side began to toy with their opponents, exploiting the gaps created by Cisovsky’s dismissal.
After threatening to score a second, Messi then played a delightful one-two with Adriano, before sliding his finish past a despairing Pavlik in the Plzen goal.
The second half was exhibition-like at times, with Barca afforded so much space. Fabregas nearly added a third with a delicate chip that drifted just wide and then Messi forced a fantastic save from Pavlik from a free-kick.
Fabregas did make it 3-0 on 71 minutes with a rare headed goal. It was difficult for the former Arsenal man to miss, such was the quality of Isaac Cuenca’s cross from the right-hand side. Messi then completed his hat-trick, adding gloss to the scoreline with a well-taken finish after rounding Pavlik in the closing stages.
Barcelona advance to the knockout stages despite having two group games left to play. This will allow Guardiola to rest players when the group games recommence in February, and focus on domestic competitions. Plzen, meanwhile, now lie rock bottom of the group, with just one point, making it impossible for the Czech team to advance to the next stage, but still within a chance to get into the Europa League.
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