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Champion League 2007/08

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  • #16
    AC Milan was upset 2-1 at Glasgow Celtic in the European Champions League on Wednesday night, and Liverpool was beaten at home 1-0 by Olympique Marseille.

    Stephan McManus gave Celtic the lead in the 62nd minute, but Kaka converted a penalty kick in the 68th. Scott McDonald scored the winner in the 90th minute.

    After McDonald's goal, a fan ran onto the field and made contact with Milan goalkeeper Dida. The Brazilian turned to chase the fan but soon fell to the ground clutching his face. Dida was taken off the field on a stretcher and replaced Zeljko Kalac for the remaining minutes of injury time.

    "The fan hit him in the cheek," Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said. "It's tough to say how serious it is."

    Galliani said Milan was not going to protest the fan's actions.

    "It's a decision that I've agreed on with president Silvio Berlusconi," Galliani said, referring to the team's owner, Italy's former premier.

    Shakhtar Donetsk won 1-0 at Benfica (0-2) in the other Group D game on Jadson's goal in the 42nd minute. American Freddy Adu didn't play for the Portuguese team. Shakhtar (2-0) leads the group with six points, three ahead of Celtic and Milan (both 1-1).

    At Liverpool, Mathieu Valbuena scored in the 77th minute for Olympique Marseille. Liverpool (0-1-1) is third in Group A behind Marseille and Porto (1-0-1), which won 1-0 at Besiktas (0-2) on Ricardo Quaresma's goal in second-half injury time.

    Chelsea, in its first European match since Avram Grant replaced Jose Mourinho as manager, rallied for a 2-1 win at Valencia. After David Villa spun around John Terry and beat goalkeeper Petr Cech in the ninth minute, Joe Cole tied it off a cross from Florent Malouda in the 21st. Didier Drogba got the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute, taking a pass from Cole at the edge of the penalty area and sending a shot over goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand.

    "We hope it's the kick start we need after we've had a few iffy performances," said Terry, who played with a clear plastic face mask following surgery to repair a broken cheekbone sustained in a Premier League game Sunday.

    Schalke won 2-0 at Rosenborg (0-2) on goals by Jermaine Jones in the 62nd minute and Kevin Kuranyi in the 89th. Chelsea (1-0-1) leads Group B with four points, one ahead of Valencia and Schalke (each 1-1).

    In Group C, Lazio (0-0-2) held nine-time champion Real Madrid (1-0-1) to a 2-2 tie in its first Champions League game at home in four years. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in the eighth and 61st minutes for Real Madrid to give him 56 goals in 75 European matches. Gordan Pandev tied it in the 32nd and 75th minutes for Lazio.

    Olympiakos (1-0-1) rallied for a 3-1 win at Werder Bremen (0-2) on goals by Ieroklis Stoltidis in the 73rd minute, Christos Patsatzoglou in the 82th and Darko Kovacevic in the 87th. Hugo Almeida had put Bremen ahead in the 32nd minute.

    Comment


    • #17
      Celtic striker Scott McDonald gave his side a sweet taste of Champions League revenge as his last minute goal clinched a 2-1 win against AC Milan on Wednesday.

      Gordon Strachan's side looked set to be denied a famous victory over the European champions when Kaka converted a controversial penalty just minutes after Stephen McManus had scrambled Celtic into the lead at Parkhead.

      But McDonald ensured the Scottish champions exacted a measure of retribution for their exit from the competition against the Italians last season when he pounced on a mistake by Milan goalkeeper Dida to seal a priceless Group D victory in dramatic fashion.

      The drama wasn't finished there as a Celtic fan ran on to celebrate the goal and appeared to brush into Dida, who responded by chasing the supporter before falling over and being carried off in a farcical end in Glasgow.

      Strachan claimed Celtic's sense of injustice at Markus Merk's decision to hand Milan such a soft penalty for Lee Naylor's challenge on Massimo Ambrosini had spurred them on win.

      "I don't think the ball was anyway near the lad, it was up high," Strachan said. "We were aggrieved at that and I think the lads were shocked for a couple of minutes.

      "Then the anger came into their play and it gave them the energy to go on.

      "It could only happen here. But it's excellent, we have beaten the European champions."

      Celtic will launch a full investigation into the Dida incident, but Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti played it down, saying: "I didn't see it at the time, I just saw Dida on the pitch.

      "I don't think the game should be played again. I don't know if we will complain but I don't think so. This has nothing to do with the final result anyway."

      The thrilling climax was in total contrast to a match that was stuck in a midfield war of attrition for long periods. With Shunsuke Nakamura only fit enough to make the bench, Celtic were missing their one genuine playmaker.

      But while they might have lacked the guile of the Italians, Strachan's side have such a ferocious work ethic that they are never overawed by any opponent.

      Milan had found it impossible to breach Celtic's tenacious defence on their previous two visits to Glasgow and the hosts were determined not to let them find any rhythm again.

      McManus had the first sight of goal when he controlled Paul Hartley's free-kick at the far post, but the Celtic captain's scuffed effort drifted harmlessly wide.

      Milan have made a stuttering start to the Serie A campaign, winning only one of their first six matches, and that lack of form was evident as the Rossoneri struggled to get going.

      But a team including Kaka in their ranks will never be totally subdued, as Celtic knew from bitter experience.

      The Brazil midfielder had scored a superb goal to eliminate Strachan's side from the competition last season. So it was inevitable that Kaka's first incisive run sent a ripple of panic through the Celtic defence, although Artur Boruc dealt with his low shot easily enough.

      This was the third time these teams had been drawn together since 2004 and that familiarity was beginning to breed contempt.

      Milan reacted to Celtic's physical approach with exaggerated tumbles and the temperature reached boiling point when Massimo Donati clashed with Gennaro Gattuso.

      It was a complete shock when Celtic took the lead after 62 minutes with a scrappy goal befitting the nature of the contest.

      Paul Hartley's corner flashed across goal to the far-post, where McManus scrambled it home via a deflection off Yoann Gourcuff.

      Parkhead went wild, as much in disbelief as triumph, but Celtic's joy was short-lived as Milan drew level moments later.

      Carlo Ancelotti's side had offered so little attacking threat that it was no surprise they had to be handed their equaliser on a plate.

      There appeared little wrong with Naylor's challenge in the 68th minute, but Merk saw what no-one else in the 60,000 crowd did and awarded Milan a penalty.

      Kaka, playing his 50th Champions League game, wasn't going to refuse the gift and he calmly sent Boruc the wrong way from the spot.

      Milan weren't content with that and pushed for a winner, but that adventure was to prove their undoing.

      Nakamura set up Gary Caldwell on the edge of the area and the Celtic defender drove in a low shot that Dida weakly parried out to McDonald, who got the benefit of a borderline offside decision to side-foot home the winner.

      Comment


      • #18
        AC Milan goalkeeper Dida was suspended for two Champions League matches Thursday for pretending to be injured after being touched by a Celtic fan who ran onto the field.

        The incident occurred last week when the Scottish team beat Milan 2-1 in Glasgow. A fan ran onto the field late in the 90th minute and made what appeared to be minimal contact with Dida.

        The Milan goalkeeper then turned to chase the fan before dropping to the ground. He was then carried off the field on a stretcher and replaced.

        Celtic was fined $25,400 for the incident and will have to pay an additional $25,400 if it fails to control its fans again in the next two years.

        "It's a suspension that is absolutely excessive," Milan lawyer Leandro Cantamessa was quoted as saying by the ANSA news agency. "It seems to us a very, very unbalanced sentence. It turns Dida into the protagonist of the incident, whereas the protagonist was someone else, and that's not right from a logical point of view."

        Cantamessa said Dida was substituted after telling Milan's doctor that his head was spinning.

        Milan also was investigated by UEFA, but was not sanctioned. The defending European club champion pleaded with UEFA for leniency on behalf of its Brazilian goalkeeper.

        "I think he made a mistake and realizes he made a mistake, but our confidence in him absolutely will not change," Milan captain Paolo Maldini said before the verdict. "He remains a great goalkeeper. He's our top choice."

        The 27-year-old fan who invaded the field was later arrested and banned for life from games by Celtic.

        Comment


        • #19
          Arsenal demolished Slavia Prague 7-0 in Champions League Group H on Wednesday with one of the most brilliant displays of attacking football since the Champions League began 15 years ago.

          The English league leaders equalled the record Champions League victory, matching Juventus's rout of Greece's Olympiakos in 2003.

          Arsenal were breathtaking to watch at times, especially in a 13-minute spell just after halftime when they scored three times to double their lead from 3-0 to 6-0 with less than an hour played.

          Two goals from Cesc Febregas, two from Theo Walcott, one from Alexandr Hleb, an own goal and a late tap in from substitute Nicklas Bendtner secured Arsenal their 12th successive win in all competitions and their third successive win in the group.

          "We wanted three points and to play well but you can't predict that," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "Everything went for us."

          Arsenal's romp against Slavia matched their biggest ever European win, a 7-0 victory over Standard Liege in the old European Cup Winners' Cup in 1993. It was the perfect birthday present for manager Arsene Wenger who was 58 on Monday.

          They crushed Slavia with such style, pace, panache and lethal finishing it is hard to see them failing to advance from the group which they lead with nine points.

          Three of their goals, including the pick of the night from Hleb, and a stunning sweeping move that saw Fabregas net his second of the game, came at the start of the second half.

          Arsenal either scored or threatened to do so with almost every attack and on the rare occasions Slavia threatened goalkeeper Manuel Almunia was never seriously troubled.

          EARLY GRIP

          Arsenal took a firm grip on the game after only five minutes when Fabregas scored with a brilliantly executed curling right-footed shot from 12 metres out for his eighth goal of the season and his fourth in this competition including the qualifying round.

          Fabregas and Matthieu Flamini, who have been outstanding in Arsenal's midfield all season, were far too quick and inventive for the Czechs and the home side only had to wait another 19 minutes to double their lead.

          Slavia failed to clear a 24th minute corner from Fabregas and the ball eventually bounced out to Hleb whose goalbound shot was sent flying past goalkeeper Martin Vaniak after defender David Hubacek conceded an own goal with a sliced clearance.

          Arsenal put the issue beyond doubt when Slavia made another terrible defensive error four minutes before the break. Daniel Pudil played a long back-pass almost from the halfway line to Vaniak whose weak clearance went straight to Walcott.

          The 18-year-old skipped past the keeper's ineffective challenge to reclaim the ball and fired into the empty net for only the second goal of his fledgling Arsenal career.

          After Hleb made it 4-0 in the 51st minute, Walcott scored again to make it 5-0 four minutes later before Fabregas struck with a goal that involved Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor and Walcott in the build-up.

          Bendtner made it 7-0 a minute from time, but Arsenal's win could have been even greater as Czech substitute Tomas Rosicky hit the bar.

          Still, there were no complaints from the home crowd, and the large contingent of away fans won the respect of their hosts by cheering their team on when all was lost.

          Comment


          • #20
            Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Manchester United cruised to a 4-2 victory at Dynamo Kiev in a Champions League Group F clash on Tuesday.

            England stars Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney were also on target for United, while Diogo Rincon and Ismael Bangoura both scored for the home side.

            The Red Devils now have three wins from three Champions League matches and are clear favourites to make it through to the knockout stage of the tournament.

            United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was full of praise for his players after the match.

            "The attacking play was excellent," Ferguson told ITV. "You can't ask for better than that.

            "We could have scored a lot of goals, but all in all I've got to be pleased with that result.

            "What's pleasing is that, no matter which side we're playing, they're adapting, they're getting on with it.

            "They're not worrying about what formation we're playing or what team we're playing because they've all got the ability and there's a great team spirit about the place, and I think that's important in the situation we're in at the moment."

            Central defender Ferdinand opened the scoring on 10 minutes when he powered home a free-kick from the left wing by United skipper Ryan Giggs, before Rooney added a second eight minutes later when he was on hand to tap home a cross from Wes Brown.

            United were totally at this stage and it was against the run of play that Kiev made it 2-1 when the unmarked Diogo Roncon headed home Carlos Correa's right-wing corner. Roncon's goal was the first to be conceded by United in this season's Champions league tournament.

            Ronaldo restored the current Premier League champions two-goal advantage just before the break when he headed another left-wing cross from Giggs high into the roof of the net.

            Brazilian playmaker Anderson had an superb game for United and was unlucky not to add his name to the score sheet minutes into the second half when he turned a cross from the hard-working Carlos Tevez against the foot of the post.

            Ronaldo stretched United's lead to three goals when he smashed home a penalty on 68 minutes after Goran Gavrancic was adjudged to have handled Tevez's cross.

            Rooney and Ronaldo both wasted good chances late in the game but it was Kiev who notched the sixth and final goal of the match when Ismael Bangoura beat United keeper Edwin van der Sar with a low, skidding drive from 25 yards.

            Despite missing several chances during the match England striker Rooney always looked dangerous up front for United and confirmed he is enjoying his new partnership with Argentina international Tevez.

            "Carlos, I thought, was brilliant. His work-rate and his touches were great. We're gelling really well, and I hope that can continue," Rooney said.

            "There were some really good goals tonight, and we didn't want to be complacent and give them lots of possession," Rooney said.

            "We've got a few injuries at the moment - a lot of key players missing - but we have a good squad and we know we're capable of winning this competition," he said.

            "We play Kiev again in a couple of weeks - and if we win we'll be through (to the next round).

            "I hope there's a lot more to come - because after a poor start to the season, we're doing really well."

            Comment


            • #21
              Olympique Lyon breathed new life into their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 win at VfB Stuttgart in Group E on Tuesday.

              Fabio Santos made the breakthrough with a deflected shot in the 56th minute after the French side twice let their opponents off the hook with bad misses at the end of the first half.

              Karim Benzema clinched a deserved win 11 minutes from time when he strolled through the defence to finish from close range.

              Stuttgart, who like Lyon had lost their first two matches, threw everything forward but the closest they came to a goal was a shot dragged wide by Mario Gomez with 15 minutes to go.

              The result leaves Lyon in third place with three points, four points behind leaders Barcelona and Rangers after their goalless draw in Glasgow.

              Stuttgart are bottom without a point and coach Armin Veh accepted they were almost certainly out of the competition.

              "Our goal was the quarter-finals but sadly we didn't have the strength," Veh said. "We have to be level-headed about it."

              With both teams in such desperate need of points it was no surprise that they started nervously.

              Several times in the first 10 minutes Stuttgart played themselves into good positions on the edge of the Lyon area only for the final pass to go astray.

              PATIENT LYON

              Lyon bided their time and came close to an opening goal with their first serious attack in the 20th minute when Kim Kallstrom showed great control before cracking in a shot that Rafael Schaefer did well to keep out to his right.

              Stuttgart kept pressing, and kept making a mess of the final ball, until two Lyon counter-attacks in the final five minutes of the first half almost brought the visitors success.

              In the 40th minute Benzema looked certain to score after playing a one-two to the edge of the area but he scuffed a casual shot wide.

              Five minutes later Sidney Govou also found himself through on goal only for Schaefer to save well with his feet.

              Lyon continued to look the most likely scorers and they duly moved ahead when Stuttgart failed to clear a corner and the ball dropped nicely for Santos to sweep in off a defender.

              As Stuttgart poured forward Lyon hit them with a second on the counter. Kader Keita crossed from the right for Govou, who flicked the ball on beautifully for Benzema to finish.

              "It was a very good night for us," said Lyon coach Alain Perrin. "This win will give us impetus. I think we deserved it."

              Comment


              • #22
                AS Roma substitute Mirko Vucinic scored a splendid second-half goal to earn a 2-1 win over Group F rivals Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

                The Montenegro forward, on for injured captain Francesco Totti, powered past Sporting's Marat Izmailov and stepped inside Tonel before firing into the far corner in the 70th minute.

                Roma, who fluffed a penalty just after the break, had taken the lead in the 15th minute thanks to Brazilian defender Juan, but they surrendered it almost immediately to a Liedson goal.

                The Italian side are now second in the group with six points, three behind leaders Manchester United who won 4-2 at Dynamo Kiev, while Sporting are third with three points.

                Roma, who had conceded eight goals in their last two Serie A games at home, almost scored in the 13th minute with a strike by French centre back Philippe Mexes that skimmed the bar.

                Two minutes later a David Pizarro corner found Juan unmarked in the area and the defender had no trouble heading past Sporting goalkeeper Tiago.

                The visitors equalised through Brazilian striker Liedson, who nodded home an inviting cross served up by right back Abel after 18 minutes.

                The hosts nearly hit back right away with a diagonal shot by Totti that went narrowly wide.

                The Roma skipper then made way for match-winner Vucinic in the 35th minute because an ankle problem from an earlier clash with Liedson.

                Vucinic went down in the area to earn the Italian side a penalty two minutes after the break, but Tiago saved Mancini's spot-kick with the help of the left post.

                The visitors continued to push forward after Vucinic's strike, although Roma keeper Doni saved their best effort, a Miguel Veloso freekick in the 90th minute.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Sevilla 2 Steaua Bucharest 1 - Champions League Group H result

                  At the Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville

                  Scorers:

                  Sevilla: Frederic Kanoute 5, Luis Fabiano 17

                  Steaua Bucharest: Ovidiu Petre 63

                  Halftime: 2-0; Attendance 35,000

                  Teams:

                  Sevilla: 1-Andres Palop; 4-Daniel Alves, 15-Aquivaldo Mosquera, 3-Ivica Dragutinovic, 6-Adriano Correia; 7-Jesus Navas, 8-Christian Poulsen, 21-Seydou Keita, 17-Diego Capel (18-Jose Luis Marti 84); 10-Luis Fabiano, 12-Frederic Kanoute (11-Renato 71)

                  Steaua Bucharest: 1-Robinson Zapata; 13-Ifeanyi Emeghara, 3-Dorin Goian, 5-Ionut Rada, 18-Petre Marin; 16-Banel Nicolita, 26-Marius Croitoru, 8-Ovidiu Petre, 84-Romeo Surdu (25-Adrian Neaga 46); 10-Nicolae Dica (9-Valentin Badea 46), 19-Victoras Iacob (30-Dorel Zaharia 71)

                  Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    PSV Eindhoven were held to a goalless draw at home by 10-man Fenerbahce in their Champions League Group G match on Tuesday.

                    Until the dismissal of Deivid, who was shown a straight red card in the 64th minute for kicking an opponent, Fenerbahce had dominated the match but could not fashion a goal.

                    The draw saw the Turkish side slip to second place in the group a point behind Inter Milan, who moved top on six points after a 2-1 win at CSKA Moscow in Tuesday's early match.

                    PSV stay in third place with four points from their three matches above the Russian side who have just a point.

                    "It was a fair result after an irritating match that never had any tempo because there were too many freekicks," PSV coach Ronald Koeman told reporters.

                    "We played well for spells but were also very sloppy in our build up. Our final pass and cross were not good enough."

                    ZICO SATISFIED

                    PSV also looked shaky in defence but Fenerbahce nevertheless found it hard to translate pressure into clear chances although their manager Zico was happy with a share of the spoils.

                    "I'm satisfied with a point today," said the Brazilian. "We played well and eliminated their dangerous players. We defended well and also created chances but to win you have to score.

                    "Our chances in this group are good. We still have two home matches to play and have to make sure we stay in control."

                    Deivid came closest to scoring for the visitors in the first half when he fired just wide and shortly after the interval Semih Senturk wasted two more chances within a minute.

                    The striker had a close range effort blocked by Eric Addo after goalkeeper Gomes dropped the ball and seconds later was a whisker away from connecting with a fine cross by Ali Bilgin, who had replaced injured playmaker Alex after 34 minutes.

                    PSV's best opportunity to snatch all three points came 13 minutes from time when substitute Danny Koevermans headed a Jan Kromkamp cross just wide.

                    "It is obvious we are not in control (of the group) and the return (on Nov. 7) will be crucial," added Koeman. We now have to try to turn that result to our advantage."

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Rangers 0 Barcelona 0 - Champions League Group E result

                      At Ibrox, Glasgow

                      Attendance: 49,957

                      Teams

                      Rangers: 1-Allan McGregor; 2-Alan Hutton, 24-Carlos Cuellar, 3-David Weir, 5-Sasa Papac; 10-Nacho Novo (20-DaMarcus Beasley 72), 11-Charlie Adam, 6-Barry Ferguson, 8-Kevin Thomson, 27-Lee McCulloch; 29-Daniel Cousin.

                      Barcelona: 1-Victor Valdes; 21-Lilian Thuram, 3-Gabriel Milito, 5-Carles Puyol, 22-Eric Abidal; 6-Xavi, 8-Andres Iniesta, 7-Eidur Gudjohnsen; 19-Lionel Messi, 14-Thierry Henry (Giovani dos Santos 82), 10-Ronaldinho

                      Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Chelsea consolidated top spot in Champions League Group B with a 2-0 win over Schalke 04 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.

                        Florent Malouda opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer allowed the French winger's tame left-foot drive to slip through his hands and legs into the net.

                        The home team made sure of victory two minutes into the second half when Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba nodded in a right-wing cross from Paolo Ferreira.

                        Chelsea now have seven points from three games while Schalke are bottom on three points.

                        "We can play better but overall it was a positive performance," coach Avram Grant told reporters.

                        "We scored two goals and could have scored a few more. This puts us first in the group with seven points and that's a good situation for us."

                        Although the Londoners thoroughly deserved their victory, Schalke could consider themselves unlucky on two counts.

                        The Germans seemed to have a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside in the first half when Carlos Grossmueller slid the ball in from close range despite being level with the last defender.

                        ESCAPE AGAIN

                        Chelsea were then fortunate to escape again in the closing stages when Swedish referee Peter Frojdfeldt ignored a blatant shirt-pulling offence just outside the box from Brazilian defender Alex as Soren Larsen was running clean through on goal.

                        The victory was the perfect gift for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich on his 41st birthday but Schalke coach Mirko Slomka bemoaned his team's misfortune.

                        "I felt we could have achieved more tonight but both goals came at very bad moments," he said. "The second one particularly was a bitter blow.

                        "I thought we were a bit unlucky at times and if a second-half header (by Larsen) hadn't hit the post it could have changed the game."

                        Larsen had been brought into the team as a last-minute replacement for Kevin Kuranyi.

                        Kuranyi was named in the original starting lineup but pulled out after tweaking the knee injury he sustained in training on Tuesday during the warmup.

                        Slomka was critical of keeper Neuer, saying: "The last two games he has made important mistakes and unfortunately today's came right at the start".

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Liverpool extended its winless streak in this season's Champions League, losing at Besiktas 2-1 Wednesday and hurting its chances of advancing.

                          The five-time champions are last in Group A with one point from three games.

                          "It is the worst possible result," said Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, who helped the team win the title in 2005 and reach the final last season. "We had a mountain to climb but we have got an even bigger one to climb now."

                          Defending champion AC Milan had a comfortable 4-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Alberto Gilardino and Clarence Seedorf scored two goals each.

                          Robinho scored two goals in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over 10-man Olympiakos, and Rosenborg upset Valencia 2-0. Also, it was: Chelsea 2, Schalke 0; Werder Bremen 2, Lazio 1; Benfica 1, Celtic 0; and Marseille 1, FC Porto 1.

                          Besiktas took the lead on a Liverpool defensive error. Jamie Carragher blocked an attempt from Bobo, and the ball went to Serdar Ozkan, whose shot went in off the leg of Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia in the 13th minute for an own-goal.

                          The Turkish team doubled its lead in the 81st when Bobo met Ibrahim Uzulmez's through ball outside the box, drove in and beat Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

                          Gerrard scored in the 85th on a diving header.

                          Marseille leads the group with seven points, followed by Porto with five and Besiktas with three.

                          Lucho Gonzalez converted a late penalty kick to earn Porto the draw after goalkeeper Steve Mandanda fouled Lisandro Lopez inside the area. Mamadou Niang put Marseille ahead in the 69th minute, deflecting in a cross from Djibril Cisse.

                          Milan went to the top of Group D to get its Champions League defense back on track after an early loss.

                          Gilardino headed in goals in the sixth and 14th minutes off corners, and Seedorf volleyed in his goals in the 62nd and 69th. Cristiano Lucarelli pulled one back for Shakhtar in the 51st.

                          Benfica beat Celtic 1-0 off a goal from Oscar Cardozo in the 87th minute in the other Group D game.

                          Milan has six points, leading Shakhtar on goal difference. Benfica and Celtic have three points each.

                          Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalez scored his 58th goal in the Champions League in the second minute, turning in a rebound after Ruud van Nistelrooy's initial effort was pushed away.

                          Olympiakos equalized in the seventh through Luciano Galletti, but the Greek team was reduced to 10 men in the 13th when Vassilis Torosidis was sent off for a tackle on Van Nistelrooy.

                          Olympiakos took the lead when Julio Cesar volleyed a free kick from Predrag Djordjevic into the net in the 47th. Madrid leveled with a header from Robinho in the 68th and Van Nistelrooy missed a penalty kick 10 minutes later.

                          Robinho put Madrid ahead in the 83rd and substitute Javier Balboa sealed Madrid's win in injury time.

                          Real Madrid leads Group C with seven points .Olympiakos has four and Werder Bremen beat Lazio 2-1 for its first points, leaving Lazio last with two points.

                          Bremen got the opening goal from Boubacar Sanogo, who chested down a pass from Diego to score in the 28th minute.

                          Hugo Almeida made it 2-0 in the 54th after taking a cross from Clemens Fritz.

                          Lazio's goal came from Christian Manfredini in the 82nd minute, a low shot taken after Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese pushed away Aleksandar Kolarov's free kick.

                          Bremen will try to repeat the feat from two years ago when the Germans also opened with two losses and still advanced to the knockout stage.

                          Didier Drogba scored one goal and set up another for Chelsea.

                          Florent Malouda scored in the fourth minute at Stamford Bridge, taking a header from Drogba and sending it through the legs of goalkeeper Manuel Meuer. Drogba made it 2-0 in the 47th when he scored from a diving header after taking a cross from Paulo Ferreira.

                          Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi aggravated a leg injury before the match and was replaced by Soren Larsen.

                          Chelsea leads Group B with seven points, followed by Rosenborg with four and Valencia and Schalke with three each. Rosenborg beat Valencia 2-0 in the other Group B game.

                          Yssouf Kone forced the ball past Valencia goalkeeper Santiago Canizares in the 53rd minute, taking a pass from Mikael Dorsin. Vidar Riseth added a second in the 61st on a header after a corner.

                          On Tuesday, it was: Stuttgart 0, Lyon 2; Rangers 0, FC Barcelona 0; Dynamo Kiev 2, Manchester United 4; AS Roma 2, Sporting Lisbon 1; CSKA Moscow 1, Inter Milan 2; PSV Eindhoven 0, Fenerbahce 0; Sevilla 2, Steaua Bucharest 1; and Arsenal 7, Slavia Prague 0.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Liverpool struck for the biggest victory in Champions League history, beating the Turkish club Besiktas 8-0 Tuesday to revive the English team's hopes of the reaching the next round.

                            Liverpool needed a victory after gaining just one point from its first three Group A matches, and Yossi Benayoun scored a hat trick to lead the five-time European champions. The biggest previous rout was a 7-0 victory by Juventus in 2003 that was matched by Arsenal two weeks ago.

                            Two-time runner-up Valencia lost to Norway's Rosenborg 2-0; defending champion AC Milan won at Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0; and 2004 winner FC Porto downed Marseille 2-1.

                            Also, Lazio beat Werder Bremen 2-1; Celtic stopped Benfica 1-0; Real Madrid was held to a 0-0 tie at Olympiakos; and Chelsea tied 0-0 at Schalke.

                            Benayoun, a midfielder from Israel, had the first hat trick this season in the Champions League.

                            "I am happy to score but what was important was the way we won," Benayoun said. "We just need to continue to improve all the time."

                            Liverpool, which lost last year's final to Milan, improved to four points in Group A, three fewer than Marseille and four fewer than first-place Porto. That means it has to beat both teams above it in its remaining two games.

                            Rosenborg strengthened its hold on second place through two goals by Steffen Iversen at Valencia. The Norwegian team was expected to finish last in the group. Rosenborg moved up to seven points, one fewer than Chelsea. Schalke is next with four, with Valencia last with three.

                            Lazio moved up from last to share second place in Group C with Olympiakos after striker Tommaso Rocchi scored two goals against Bremen.

                            Chelsea kept the lead of Group B despite its seven-match winning streak coming to an end with its scoreless draw at Schalke.

                            Lazio has five points, the same as Olympiakos, and three fewer than record nine-time champion Real Madrid.

                            Milan leads Group D with nine points after substitute Filippo Inzaghi scored two second-half goals and set up another in Ukraine. Celtic took a share of second place with six points after a deflected 45th-minute goal by Aiden McGeady gave the Scottish champions victory over Benfica.

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                            • #29
                              Striker Filippo Inzaghi came off the bench to score a two goals and line up the other as holders AC Milan beat Shakhtar Donetsk 3-0 on Tuesday to stay on course for the last 16 of the Champions League.

                              The Italian's two goals bring his European club football score to 62 goals, putting him level with record-holder Gerd Mueller, Germany's veteran 1970s footballer.

                              Inzaghi provided his trademark poacher's finish to a through ball from Andrea Pirlo in the 66th minute and then laid the ball off for Brazil playmaker Kaka to drive home the second in the 72nd minute.

                              Kaka returned the favour deep in stoppage time, bearing down on goal on the break and slipping the ball to Inzaghi for a simple finish from close range.

                              The victory put the defending champions top of Group D, with a three-point lead.

                              Milan beat Shakhtar 4-1 at home two weeks ago but are having a tough time domestically and have not won in Serie A at San Siro this season.

                              "7-1 (over two games) against Shakhtar, who are top of their league, is superb," AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani told Sky television.

                              "Pippo (Inzaghi) was great and on the counter-attack we are a very strong team. I'm just sorry our fans only see us win on television," he joked.

                              Some 25,000 mostly Ukrainian fans braved temperatures of -3 degrees celsius in the eastern industrial town.

                              Shakhtar kept up the pressure throughout the match, with several Brandao headers on target, shots from Jadson which were a touch too soft for Milan's keeper and both Willian and Fernandinho creating chances inside the box.

                              But they failed to take their chances and were made to pay by 63rd minute substitute Inzaghi, whose brace in last May's final against Liverpool secured the trophy for Milan.

                              "It all changed when Inzaghi came off the bench. Our defence made a mistake by trying to catch Inzaghi offside. Filippo is a great master so it wasn't a big problem for him to score a goal," Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu told a news conference. "Milan created goals from nothing," he said, adding that he still had hopes for qualifying for the last 16.

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                              • #30
                                A late header by Argentine striker Lisandro Lopez gave Porto a 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille and sent them top of Champions League Group A on Tuesday.

                                The Portuguese league leaders have eight points from four matches, one point more than Marseille.

                                Moroccan winger Tarik Sektioui put Porto in front with a brilliant individual effort in the 27th minute, taking the ball from beyond the halfway line, dribbling and accelerating past three defenders and rounding the goalkeeper to slot calmly home.

                                Marseille looked sharper after the break and on 47 minutes levelled the score through Mamadou Niang, who headed in from a cross by Laurent Bonnart.

                                Marseille striker Djibril Cisse, who substituted Niang in the 62nd minute, had a goal ruled offside by German referee Wolfgang Stark.

                                Lopez clinched victory for Porto 12 minutes from time with a glancing header after a neat cross from the right by Ricardo Quaresma.

                                "We did not have a very good first half. Marseille deserved their equaliser but afterwards we got stronger and we managed to score again," Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira said. "We need three points. We have a game in Liverpool to play next and we will do all we can to win it," Ferreira added.

                                Marseille coach Eric Gerets said his side had made defensive errors to concede the goals.

                                "If they had stopped Tarik at the start of his run we might have avoided the goal," he said, adding: "mistakes in the details by young players cost us dear."

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