UEFA Champions League 2005/06

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The group stage is now at the half-way point.

Only the group winners are guaranteed to progress to the quarter finals, along with the TWO runners-up with the highest points total.

GROUP A

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Olympiacos       3  2  1  0   4   1   +3   7
Chelsea          3  2  0  1   6   3   +3   6
PSV Eindhoven    3  1  0  2   3   4   -1   3
Sparta Praha     3  0  1  2   0   5   -5   1

GROUP B

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Manchester Utd   3  2  1  0   6   3   +3   7
AC Milan         3  2  0  1   3   3    0   6
Benfica          3  0  2  1   3   4   -1   2
Villareal        3  0  1  2   3   5   -2   1

GROUP C

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Celtic           3  2  1  0   7   3   +4   7
Lyon             3  1  2  0   5   2   +3   5
Real Madrid      3  1  1  1   3   3    0   4
Werder Bremen    3  0  0  3   2   9   -7   0

GROUP D

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Juventus         3  3  0  0   4   0   +4   9
AS Monaco        3  1  1  1   2   2    0   4
FC Porto         3  1  1  1   2   2    0   4
Schalke          3  0  0  3   0   4   -4   0

GROUP E

                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Ajax             3  2  0  1   4   3   +1   6
Barcelona        3  2  0  1   6   4   +2   6
Arsenal          3  1  0  2   4   6   -2   3
Panathinaikos    3  1  0  2   3   4   -1   3

GROUP F

                 
                 P  W  D  L  GF  GA   GD  PT
Bayern Munich    3  2  1  0   6   4   +2   7
Inter Milan      3  1  2  0   4   3   +1   5
Dynamo Kyiv      3  0  2  1   3   4   -1   2
Rangers          3  0  1  2   2   4   -2   1

TIE-BREAKERS

If 2 teams are tied on points, the higher ranked team is the team with:
1) better head-to-head record incorporating the away goals rule;
2) better goal difference;
3) higher goals for.

If 3 or more teams are tied on points, the higher ranked team is the team with:
1) better goal difference;
2) higher goals for.

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DAY 1

Match of the Day
E) Arsenal vs Ajax (Highbury)

D) AS Monaco vs Schalke
D) FC Porto vs Juventus
E) FC Barcelona vs Panathinaikos
F) Bayern Munich vs Dynamo Kyiv
F) Inter Milan vs Rangers

DAY 2

Match of the Day
A) PSV vs Chelsea (Phillipsstadion)

A) Olympiacos vs Sparta Praha
B) Villareal vs AC Milan
B) Manchester United vs Benfica
C) Werder Bremen vs Real Madrid
C) Celtic vs Lyon


Injuries
Arjen Robben (Chelsea) - will miss Week 4 game at PSV; toe
Ludovic Magnin (Werder Bremen) - will miss Week 4 game vs Real Madrid; ankle
Gianluca Zambrotta (Arsenal) - cleared to play in Week 4 game vs Ajax; knee

Suspensions
Luisao (Benfica) - will miss Week 4 game at Manchester United due to accumulating 3 yellow cards
Claudio Cacapa (Lyon) - will miss Week 4 game at Celtic due to red card
Bobo Balde (Celtic) - will miss Week 4 game vs Lyon due to red card

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ARSENAL FC
AFC AJAX

Group E Match from Highbury, London

2004/05 Premier League runners-up Arsenal entered the game straggling in third place with just three points in three games, following last week's loss to their Dutch counterparts. Arsene Wenger opted for an attack-minded 4-3-3 formation tonight with Joaquin and Thierry Henry acting as the wingers and David Trezeguet as the centre forward. Left back Gianluca Zambrotta returned from a fortnight-long injury lay off to also be named in the first eleven. Ajax took themselves to the top of the group with that 1-0 win last time around and were looking to stay there by leaving London with at least a point. They started the match with a more balanced 4-4-2 system with Zdenek Grygera returning to the right fullback position. Most of the offense would be run through central midfield starlet Wesley Sneijder, who was a heavily targeted by many big clubs during the summer.

As expected, Arsenal came out firing in front of the Highbury crowd. Henry and Joaquin were causing havoc on the left and right flanks rescpectively, the latter winning a free kick in the 6th minute. Henry floated in the dead ball which was met by compatriot Trezeguet from six yards, only to balloon his header over the bar. Three minutes later, the two Frenchman combined again when Henry put the former Juventus striker through on goal. Trezeguet dispatched his one-on-one shot early from outside the box, forcing a brilliant diving save out of Romanian goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont. The hosts continued to steamroll their opponents as the young Ajax squad looked well out-of-whack. 24 minutes in, Joaquin squandered another great chance for the Gunners, hitting a ten yard shot into the sidenetting after Henry had again done the lead up work. With ten minutes to play in the first session, Joaquin looked to make a menz when he ventured on a tremendous individual run from the half way. But once again, his finishing from inside the box was a let down, as he rippled the side netting for a second time.

Ajax had been completely outplayed in the first 45, resembling barely a shadow of the team that had beaten the Gunners at the Amsterdam ArenA just a week ago. Manager Danny Blind change his side to a defensive 4-5-1 formation, with holding midfielder Anthony Obodai replacing invisible striker Angelos Charisteas. But more Henry magic allowed the hosts to again exploit the Dutch defense as the winger drilled in a low left side cross. Midfielder Fredrik Ljungberg met the ball on the half volley, but the Swede only succeeded in first-timing it straight at Lobont as the game remained scoreless. The frustration was evident and Ajax's lone striker Ryan Babel almost added to that in the 58th minute with a speculative 30 yard effort. The young Dutchman spotted Jens Lehmann off his line, but the keeper was able to retreat and keep it out. Ten minutes later, Babel was inches away from giving the visitors the shock lead with 19 yard rocket going just wide of the right post - substiute John O'Brien had set up play with clever work on the left flank.

Wenger's frustration had morphed into fury as he saw his team start to fall apart in that ten minute stretch. A substitution was in need, with Robin van Persie replacing a tired Joaquin and switching wings with Henry. The move immediately paid off, when Henry scored the long-awaited opening goal in the 70th minute after a calamitous series of events in the Ajax box. Henry had originally played Gilberto Silva through whose 16 yard shot deflected off Vincent Kompany and over the spread-eagled Lobont. But Grygera was able to thwart the goal with a valiant lunge, only for the awaiting Henry to slot in the rebound from five yards. Four minutes later, substitute van Persie doubled Arsenal's lead when he was picked out unmarked on the edge of the area by Silva. The Dutchman slotted in from 18 yards underneath the approaching Lobont to suddenly give the home team a two-goal lead.

With that five minute double, Arsenal put themselves in control as the visitors were in disarray - they reverted back to their 4-4-2 system with striker Wesley Sonck replacing Thomas Galasek, albeit to no avail. Instead it was Henry who added a third in the 86th minute and compound Ajax's miserable end to what started out as a prospectful night. It was a carbon copy of the previous goal, Trezeguet providing the set up for Henry's fourth goal of the competition.

A three goal blitz in the final twenty minutes sees Arsenal move up to six points where they join today's opponents. The 3-0 result means that the Londoners now also hold the advantage over Ajax if the two teams finish level on points at the end of the six-week group stage. Both teams are away from home next week with Arsenal visiting Panathinaikos, while Ajax face a much tougher outing at the Nou Camp in Barcelona.


POST-MATCH COMMENTS

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:

"Entering those last twenty minutes I really didn't know what to think...we were dominating the entire game but the goals just weren't there. I really have to thank Thierry (Henry) for saving us by starting that late goal spree. Nevertheless, we need to go back to the drawing board and sort out these kinks if we are to catch up to Barcelona."

Ajax defender and captain Johnny Heitinga:

"I don't think we should blame ourselves so much for this loss. It was always gonna be a tough ask to keep Arsenal scoreless for ninety minutes...we were successful for seventy minutes but then it all just collapsed...But in the end, the scoreline was not a good indicator of how the match was played."

	           ARSENAL 3 - 0 AJAX

                  Henry 70'
             van Persie 74'
                  Henry 86'
		     
------------------------------------------------------------
                           LINEUPS
 
             Jens Lehmann  GK   GK  Bogdan Lobont
            Lilian Thuram* RB   RB  Zdenek Grygera
               Kolo Toure  CB   CB  Johnny Heitinga
             Sol Campbell  CB   CB  Vincent Kompany
       Gianluca Zambrotta  LB   LB  Maxwell
           Gilberto Silva  DM   DM  Tomas Galasek (-80)
           Patrick Vieira  CM   RM  Steven Pienaar
  (-75) Fredrik Ljungberg  CM   CM  Wesley Sneijder
            (-69) Joaquin  RW   LM  Niculae Mitea (-58)
          David Trezeguet  CF   CF  Ryan Babel
            Thierry Henry  LW   CF *Angelos Charisteas (-45)
   
                         SUBSTITUTES

           Manuel Almunia  GK   GK  Maarten Stekelenburg
       Phillippe Senderos  DF   DF  Julian Escude
              Gael Clichy  DF   DF  Nigel de Jong 
  (+75) Francesc Fabregas  MF   MF  John O'Brien (+58)
   (+69) Robin van Persie  MF   MF  Anthony Obodai (+45)
          Dennis Bergkamp  ST   ST  Tomas Soetaers
       Jose Antonio Reyes  ST   ST  Wesley Sonck (+80)

 
		             KEY
                    * player was cautioned
                    ! player was sent off
                    ~ player was injured

------------------------------------------------------------
                            STATS

             13             Shots            6
              6           On Target          3
             55            POS (%)           45
              2            Assists           0
              1            Yellows           1
              0           Red Cards          0

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GROUP D: Benni's late brace saves Porto, while Robinho sustains Schalke's struggles

PORTO.............2 McCarthy 79' 89'
JUVENTUS........2 Ibrahimovic 15', Nedved 85'

Benedict McCarthy was the hero for FC Porto with a double in the final quarter of the game to foil Juve's 100% record. The South African international's second goal arrived in the 89th minute following a rare error from Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. The Italian, who prior to this match had yet to concede a goal in this season's competition, was caught well out of position as McCarthy stormed in behind to finish into an empty goal from within the six yard box. Midfielder Diego provdided the assist, which deflected off Igor Tudor leaving Buffon in no man's land. It was "Benni's" third goal of the competition and made certain that the 2004 UCL champions would escape with a point against the Italian juggernaut.

Earlier in the opening minutes, Juventus were the better team and they took the deserved lead through a powerful downward header from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Left back Ashley swung in the pinpoint cross which the tall Swede nodded in from seven yards. But the game didn't really take off until the final ten minutes, when McCarthy scored the first of his equalising goals. A piece of individual brilliance saw the striker make space for himself outside the box, and he became the first player to beat Buffon this season with a well placed low drive to the keeper's right. Fabio Capello's men immediately went forward in search of regaining the lead and got their reward with five minutes to play via a 4-on-2 counter attack. Allesandro Del Piero set up captain Pavel Nedved from 15 yards as goalkeeper Vitor Baia was easily dumbfounded. But McCarthy's persistance in the dying minutes ensured Juve's first dropped points of the competition, although his own team still remain third in the group with just five points.

Shots: 11-11
On Target: 7-7
Cards
- FCP Jorge Costa
- JUV Igor Tudor


AS MONACO.......2 Robinho 22' 35'
SCHALKE...........0

Robinho added two more goals to his competition tally to ensure Schalke would remain without a single point or even a single goal after four weeks of play. The Brazilian's first-half brace means he continues to be Monaco's sole goalscorer, putting all four of his team's competition goals in the back of the net. The hosts dominated the first period and Robinho opened the scoring midway through the half. He produced a fluid turn and shot from the penalty spot after being picked out by strike partner Javier Saviola. Robinho doubled his and Monaco's tally in the 35th minute, capitalising on sluggish defence from the Germans. Right back Maicon lobbed a hopeful ball upfield which was latched onto by his compatriot who had beaten the Schalke offside trap. The finish was even better, a perfect chip over goalkeeper Frank Rost from the edge of the area.

But Rost did prevent Robinho from getting his hat-trick four minutes later, with a miraculous point blank save from the goalscorer's eight yard wallop. That was a rare highlight though, as things went from bad to worse for the Bundesliga runners-up when defender Mladen Krstajic pulled up with a thigh strain. He was substituted early in the second half, and is unlikely to be fit for next weeks match at Porto. With that loss of personnel coupled with a two-goal disadvantage, Schalke looked demoralised and fell to their fourth straight shutout defeat to mathematically knock them out of the competition. Meanwhile Monaco have hit peak form at the perfect time to improve to seven points, three behind next week's opponents Juventus. A win in Turin next week by any margin (except 1-0) will see the French side leapfrog the the Italian giants into first place of Group D.

Shots: 12-7 Monaco
On Target: 5-3 Monaco
Cards
- ASM Jaroslav Plasil
- SCH none


GROUP E: Eto'o double puts Barca in pole position

BARCELONA.........4 Eto'o 18' 31', Ronaldinho 22', Larsson 78'
PANATHINAIKOS...0

A first half double form Samuel Eto'o helped FC Barcelona trounce their Greek opponents at the Nou Camp. The 4-0 rout, the largest margin of the current competition, began when the Camerounian international opened the scoring in the 18th minute with a brilliant individual effort. Eto'o collected the loose ball outside the area and darted his way onto goal before sidefooting by Stefanos Kotsolis from 15 yards. Ronaldinho doubled the Catalan's lead just four minutes later. The Brazilian played a delightful give-and-go with Mark van Bommel before finishing with a fierce 12 yard strike into the top corner. By the half hour mark, it was 3-0 when Eto'o scored his second of the match and his fifth of the competition. This time the African headed in a wicked Giovanni van Bronkhorst cross from 10 yards.

Panathinaikos were never in the match after that first half onslaught, struggling for just two shots on goal. Substitute Emanuel Olisadebe squandered their best chance early in the second period. The naturalised Pole ballooned his 15 yard attempt over the bar with just goalkeeper Victor Valdes to beat. Instead it was another substitute who scored the fourth and final goal to complete the rout. Henrik Larsson combined with Ludovic Giuly, who was making a return from a hamstring injury, to finish off the Greeks twelve minutes from time. The Swede squeezed a 13 yard shot under the approaching Kotsolis after his French teammate had put him through. Barca's emphatic win - their third in a row - sees them go top of the group with nine points, while Pana are anchored on the bottom with just three.

Shots: 15-7 Barcelona
On Target: 10-2 Barcelona
Cards
- BAR Edmilson
- PAN Rudolf Skacel

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GROUP F: Broken home - Bayern shut out at the Allianz Arena

BAYERN MUNICH...0
DYNAMO KYIV.......2 Rebrov 41', Shatskikh 50'

Fresh off their win over Dynamo in a five goal thriller last week, Bayern were expected to comfortably take the points at home. But they recieved a rude awakening from the Ukrainians, as goals five minutes either side of half time gave the visitors a shock 2-0 win. In just their second European match at the Allianz Arena, Bayern had goalie Oliver Kahn to thank for not going a goal down at the half hour mark. A seemingly harmless 35 yard free kick by Florin Cernat was instead headed for the top right croner, forcing the German into a fine diving save to punch it over. The hosts replied seven minutes later when Michael Ballack played a sublime through pass to Roy Makaay to score from a tough angle, but the goal was ruled out for offside. To add insult for Bayern, Dynamo took the lead just before the break. A six yard diving header at the far post by Serhiy Rebrov, who started for the first time in the competition, propelled the ball back across Kahn and into the bottom left corner, leaving the goalie grounded. It was an exact replica of Maksim Shatskikh's goal last week, with Maris Verpakovskis again providing the cross from the left flank.

Five minutes after the break, the home crowd was silenced once more when Shatskikh gave Dynamo the 2-0 lead. An initial one-two at the halfway line between the striker and Rebrov sent the latter through on goal to shoot from 19 yards. The advancing Kahn parried the shot allowing the trailing Shatskikh to slot into an emtpy goal from 17 yards. Bayern went in search of goals immediately, bringing on Claudio Pizarro to form a three-pronged attack wth Roy Makaay and Roque Santa Cruz. But it was all in vein as poor shooting produced no comeback in front of their discouraged home supporters. The upset result means that Bayern remain on seven points while Dynamo climb up to five and hold the head-to-head advantage over the German champions, should the two teams finish level on points.

Shots: 11-8 Dynamo
On Target: 7-4 Dynamo
Cards
- BAY Lucio
- DYK Maris Verpakovskis


INTER MILAN.....1 Adriano 79'
RANGERS..........1 Buffel 16'

Roberto Mancini went into today's match with a 3-5-2 system that immediately backfired as Rangers escaped the San Siro with a much needed point. Thomas Buffel, making his first European start for Rangers gave the Scottish champions the surprise lead after a quarter of an hour, after the hosts had looked the better outfit in the opening exchanges. The Belgian international controlled a headed pass from Dado Prso on the edge of the area and drilled a low strike to the right corner of Francesco Toldo's goal. Edgar Davids was unlucky not to equalise five minutes before the break. The midfielder pounced on a loose ball 16 yards from goal and fiercely struck the ball through a sea of legs and off the left post, to the relief of Rangers goalie Stefan Klos who had failed to deal with the previous corner.

A third striker in Christian Vieri was introduced after the break as the hosts desperately searched for the tying goal. Adriano came close on the half hour when Alvaro Recoba played him through, and his deflected shot sneaked past Klos, only to hit the inside of the right post and remain in play. But the Brazilian made up for that painful miss by converting a similar chance ten minutes from time. Vieri provided the ball this time as Adriano scooped in his second goal of the campaign to the bottom left corner. It was a deserved equaliser for the hosts as they dominated the game, but they will be reeling at the fact they failed to take full advantage of Bayern's shock defeat ahead of next week's trip to Munich. The Italians remain undefeated but only have six points to show for it following yet another disappointing draw.

Shots: 14-7 Inter
On Target: 7-3 Inter
Cards
- INT none
- RAN Michael Ball

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PSV EINDHOVEN
CHELSEA FC

Group A Match from the Phillipsstadion, Eindhoven

Guus Hiddink and PSV needed the win today to have any chance of progressing in the competition, while Chelsea were also after the three points to keep up with, or possibly overtake Olympiacos at the top of the group. As a result, both teams started with attack minded 4-3-3 formations. For Chelsea, Arjen Robben was still out with injury so Joe Cole returned to the right wing shifting Damien Duff to the left flank. Eidur Gudjohnsen remained in his usual centre forward position with no changes to the rest of the line-up. For PSV Christian Wilhelmsson and DaMarcus Beasley were again named on the right and left wings respectively, flanking their top scorer and centre forward Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Former Premier League registrants Kleberson and Thomas Gravesen were named in the midfield against a familiar opponent in reigning English champions Chelsea.

The hosts had the first chance of the game at the ten minute mark when Paulo Ferreira scythed down Beasley on the edge of the area, picking up a booking for his troubles. Wilfred Bouma failed to punish him further though, as his resulting free kick just cleared the bar. They had another useful set piece in the 27th minute from the left side of the pitch. This time, Beasley laid it off to Kleberson to blast a 30 yard rocket a metre wide of Petr Cech's goal. Chelsea's first meaningful chance also came from a free kick just three minutes later. Frank Lampard curled his direct 27 yard attempt around the wall, but also around the far post of Gomes' goal. Ferreira almost made a menz for his earlier error when he drilled a low angled shot to the near post in the 40th minute, forcing the PSV goalie to push it out for a corner. After such an open-ended match, the opening goal was just around the corner and finally arrived two minutes before the break, aptly via another free kick play for the visitors. This time Lampard lofted the left side kick into the box where it was met perfectly by Gudjohnsen to head past Gomes from 13 yards, after he outjumped Alex in the PSV defence. It was the Icelander's fifth of the competition.

Hiddink introduced Brazilian striker Robert for an ineffective Hesselink at the break and it almost paid off in the 47th minute when the forward pounced on a bad Ricardo Carvalho back pass. Robert slid in for the ball, only to scoop his weak shot into Cech's arms as the goalie remained on his feet. Holding the fragile one goal advantage, Chelsea applied more offensive pressure looking to get that added security of a two goal lead. Duff came close in the 77th minute when he tried to deceive Gomes with a cross-turn-shot from the left about 20 yards out, but the Brazilian keeper wasn't fooled plucking the ball out of the air. However, Duff was rewarded with his attacking prowess two minutes later when he scored on yet another set piece. Lampard again provided the assist, floating in the right side corner which was dulely headed in by the Irish winger at the six yard box. Chelsea sealed the win five minutes from time when substitutes Mateja Kezman and Didier Drogba combined on a brilliant one-two play. Kezman scored his first goal of the cup with a clinical 19 yard finish to the approaching Gomes' left, putting the visitors up 3-0. Beasley should have restored some pride with a consolation goal in the 89th minute but he blasted his 17yd drive straight into Cech's arms, summing up PSV's day as the Chelsea keeper held on for his second clean sheet of the competition.

With that emphatic win, Chelsea sweep PSV over the two-legs and jump to nine points, while PSV are virtually eliminated with just three points after four games. Both teams are at home next week - PSV host Olympiacos while Sparta Praha visit London's Stamford Bridge where Chelsea would be expected to take maximum points and secure top spot in Group A.


POST-MATCH COMMENTS

PSV Eindhoven manager Guus Hiddink:

"We didn't take those early chances and it cost us the game, and probably our future in the competition. It is always going to be tough to beat a team like Chelsea, but when you concede the first goal, you really have no chance against them...I wouldn't say my position as Australia's national coach has affected (PSV's) performance, but next month I will be only concentrating on getting (Australia) into the World Cup."

Chelsea defender and captain John Terry:

"It was a typical workhorse performance that we displayed today. That is what Chelsea are about. We didn't dominate the game but the guys took their chances and that proved to be the difference. Europe is a priority this season, and with that setback with Olympiacos, this win really puts us back on track."

	     PSV EINDHOVEN 0 - 3 CHELSEA

                                  42' Gudjohnsen
                                  79' Duff
                                  84' Kezman
		     
------------------------------------------------------------
                           LINEUPS
 
                    Gomes  GK   GK  Petr Cech
       (-73) Andre Ooijer  RB   RB *Paulo Ferreira
                     Alex  CB   CB  Ricardo Carvalho
            Wilfred Bouma  CB   CB  John Terry
            Young-Pyo Lee  LB   LB  Wayne Bridge
        (-82) Theo Lucius* DM   DM  Claude Makelele
                Kleberson* CM   DM  Tiago (-60)
          Thomas Gravesen  CM   CM *Frank Lampard
    Christian Wilhelmsson  RW   RW  Joe Cole (-82)
(-45) Jan V. of Hesselink  CF   CF  Eidur Gudjohnsen (-74)
         DaMarcus Beasley  LW   LW  Damien Duff
   
                         SUBSTITUTES

          Edwen Zoetebier  GK   GK  Carlo Cudicini
              Csaba Feher  DF   DF  William Gallas
             John De Jong  MF   DF  Glen Johnson
     Remco van der Schaaf  MF   MF  Jiri Jarosik
    (+82) Ibrahim Afellay  ST   MF  Alexei Smertin (+82)
             (+45) Robert  ST   ST  Mateja Kezman (+60)
   (+73) Jefferson Farfan  WF   ST  Didier Drogba (+74)

 
		             KEY
                    * player was cautioned
                    ! player was sent off
                    ~ player was injured

------------------------------------------------------------
                            STATS

             11             Shots            15
              3           On Target          9
             50            POS (%)           50
              0            Assists           3
              2            Yellows           2
              0           Red Cards          0

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[calcutta]

GROUP A: Poborsky penalty put Olympiacos down a peg

OLYMPIACOS.......1 Rivaldo 37'
SPARTA PRAHA.....1 Poborsky (p) 61'

Olympiacos wasted a great chance to consolidate top spot in Group A by conceding a penalty that saw them lose a man and a one goal lead. Sparta were on the attack throughout the first half but again poor finishing let them down. They were punished eight miuntes before the break when Rivaldo curled in a trademark free kick from 25 yards into Jaroslav Blazek's top right corner.

With Olympiacos taking a somewhat undeserved lead, they allowed Sparta to attack but paid the price on the hour mark when Stylianos Venetidis scythed down Tomas Jun in the area. As the last defender, the referee had no option but to send off the fullback, and Sparta captain Karel Poborsky calmly converted the penalty kick. It was Sparta's first goal of the competition and they held on to a deserved away point, while the Greek champions fall to second spot, one point behind English counterparts Chelsea.

Shots: 9-7 Sparta
On Target: 4-4
Cards
- OLY Stylianos Venetidis, Athanasios Kotsoulas
- SPA Jan Simak, Radoslav Kovac


GROUP B: Luciano's late strike wrecks Rossoneri's quarter finals hopes

VILLAREAL.......2 Figueroa 22', 90'
AC MILAN.........1 Shevchenko 77'

A double from Argentine striker Luciano Figueroa, including the game winner in stoppage time, stunned AC Milan as Villareal avenged last week's 1-0 defeat to last year's UCL runners-up. Figueroa opened the scoring 22 minutes into the match after the Milan defence failed to clear a corner. Left back Javi Venta secured the loose ball on the edge of the area and squared a pass to the unmarked Figueroa who obliged by blasting a shot on the turn into the roof of Dida's net from six yards. The forward, who was a key national figure at last summer's Confederation's Cup tournament in Germany, should have doubled his and Villareal's tally just seven minutes later when again he was picked out unmarked in the area. Armando Sa provided the right side cross which Figueroa met on the volley from six yards out, only to send it over the bar.

AC Milan had been outclassed throughout the match but they got an equaliser thirteen minutes from time. Andriy Shevchenko capitalised on poor control by centre half Gonzalo Rodriguez, dispossessing him and sliding a 12 yard shot under the advancing Jose Reina in goal. It was the Ukrainian's third goal in as many matches. But just when it looked as if Villareal had blown their chance at grabbing the three points, the hosts exploited more holes in a usually rock solid Milan defence in the final moments of the match. Juan Roman Riquelme dispossessed Jaap Stam just inside the Milan half and made a break down the right before sending in a wicked cross where Figueroa was again totally free. The striker half-volleyed in his compatriot's cross from nine yards - Dida was able to get a touch but only to help it into the net, as Villareal stole the victory and moved to four points in the standings, just two behind today's opponents.

Shots: 11-10 Villareal
On Target: 4-3 Villareal
Cards
- VIL Juan Pablo Sorin
- ACM Paolo Maldini


MANCHESTER UTD...1 van Nistelrooy 67'
BENFICA................0

Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half to seal Manchester United's third win of the competition. The Dutchman was unmarked on the edge of the area when Paul Scholes fed him a through pass. One-on-one with goalkeeper Jose Moreira, the striker calmly slotted in his third goal of the cup into the bottom right corner. Benfica had done well to keep the English giants under wraps for three quarters of the game, but they never recovered from conceding that soft goal, falling to bottom place in Group A with their second loss of the competition.

The hosts had dominated the game throughout but poor finishing in front of goal led them down repeatedly. In the 80th minute, Manchester United should have doubled their lead when substitute Quinton Fortune made a left side break and lashed a shot on goal. Moreira spilled the shot straight to Alan Smith, who had replaced the goalscorer only a minute earlier, but the formers Leeds United star lost the ball among his feet allowing Miguel to clear the danger. But for Sir Alex Ferguson's men, the solitary goal was enough to open up a four point gap over next week's opponent AC Milan, which will be showcased as the first of our "Match of the Day" fixtures.

Shots: 13-7 Man Utd
On Target: 6-3 Man Utd
Cards
- MAN none
- BEN Petit, Miguel

[calcutta]

GROUP C: Madrid's Galacticos eliminate Bremen, Keane continues to shine in Glasgow

WERDER BREMEN....0
REAL MADRID.........2 Ronaldo 13', Raul 69'

Spanish league runners-up Real Madrid completed the sweep over their German counterparts with a comprehensive away performance. It was an open-ended match with plenty of chances for both teams, but it was the Galacticos' more clinical finishing that prevailed in the end. Brazilian Ronaldo opened the scoring with a typical striker's goal in the 13th minute, sidefooting to the bottom left corner of Andreas Reinke's net from 15 yards. Strike partner Raul had found the former Inter Milan star in acres of space after drawing two Bremen defenders, allowing him to score his second goal in as many outings. The visitors continued to apply pressure and somehow failed to doubled their lead ten minutes later. A bullet Raul header from six yards was incredibly turned away by Reinke and Ronaldo could only hit the side-netting with the follow up from an acute angle. They almost paid the price for those missed chances in the 43rd minute, when Krisztian Lisztes played Ivan Klasnic through on goal, but Iker Casillas was at full stretch to amazingly deny the Croat's low strike.

A minute into the second half, Miroslave Klose almost capitalised on a rare lapse in judgement from Casillas in the Madrid goal. Frank Fahrenhorst floated in a deep lob ball which the Spanish keeper came to catch, only to miss it but Klose's three yard contested header hit the crossbar of the wide open goal. The hosts would come to rue such misses when a tactical change in the 68th minute led to Madrid's second goal. Ronaldo was replaced by Guti and regular midfielder Francesco Totti was pushed up front where he set up Raul to score his first goal of the current campaign. Totti led a break down the left before chipping a ball into the box where the unmarked Raul met it with a spectacular diving header, sealing the victory. Real held on for a hard fought 2-0 win - their second in a row - to propel them into second place with seven points. Conversely, Bremen are rooted to the bottom of Group C having yet to secure a point meaning they have been eliminated mathematically. It ends a terrible week for the Germans clubs, all three of which lost by 2-0 margins.

Shots: 11-9 Real Madrid
On Target: 8-5 Real Madrid
Cards
- WER none
- MAD none


CELTIC..........1 Keane 45'
LYON.............0

Robbie Keane continued his remarkable scoring streak with the only goal of the game to maintain Celtic's undefeated record, taking them to ten points and retaining first place in Group C. The lone goal arrived in first half injury time, when the Irishman ghosted in unmarked at the far post and nodded in a Jamie Carragher cross from the left. Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet was wrongfooted on his goalline, fuming at his defence for their woeful man-marking. Minutes earlier, Lyon blew a chance to go in front themselves when Jerome Berthod, who was starting in place of the suspended Claudio Cacapa, found himself in the Celtic area. The left back skied his 17 yard first-timer over the bar after a great give-and-go with Juninho Pernambucano.

Stanlislav Varga replaced Aiden McGeady at the hour mark as the hosts looked to preserve their slim lead. The French visitors never seemed to find a rhythm in offense despite outshooting their opponents. Keane's strike partner John Hartson was inches away fom sealing the win in the 72nd minute when a long range strike. The Welshman's 25 yard effort angled just to the right of goal. Overall the match was a complete contrast to last weeks's action-packed encounter, and Keane's fifth goal in four matches was enough to see Celtic take all three points, while Lyon fall to third place behind Real Madrid.

Shots: 9-7 Lyon
On Target: 5-4 Lyon
Cards
- CEL none
- LYN none