1st Leg defeated Inter stunned German strugglers as they won the game by 3-2! Their precious two away goals gave them the pass to go to next round! It was expected as Bayern were struggling in their domestic league as well due to their poor form. Late goal from Goran Pandev turned the game around burned any expectations left for the German former champions for any silverware this season! Goals from Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller, following mistakes by goalkeeper Julio Cesar and Lucio, had the hosts in control after Samuel Eto'o had grabbed an early opener - and they should have been far out of sight.
The Dutchman was now finding space around the Bayern box and had a goalbound shot blocked by Pandev.
Bayern were getting chances on the break, but not a telling touch to any of Ribery's countless crosses.
Man Utd 2-1 Marseille (2-1 on agg.)
Two goals from Javier Hernandez were enough to give Manchester United a 2-1 win over Marseille at Old Trafford. And certainly Man Utd passed to next round and it did not came as a big surprise seeing Man Utd dumping Marseille out of the competition! Javier Hernandez stole the show and unexpectedly surprised Sir Alex by scoring the brace! An own goal by Wes Brown in the 82nd minute ensured a nervous finish but United were not breached again by Marseille and secured their passage That set up a nerve-shredding final few minutes but United held firm to reach the last eight.
--------------------------
Dont forget to Like/Follow/Vote/Bookmark my Blog/Site if you like it!
[SUH]
The Champions League group stage concluded this week and Juventus was the second giant to fall out of the competition after Liverpool. In Group F, Barcelona and Inter both clinched their qualification on Wednesday while Real Madrid and AC Milan did the same on Tuesday. Read on for the full results.
- Group A -
Bayern Munich clinched their ticket to the next round with a decisive victory over Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico. Bordeaux were already through but still grabbed three more points with a 1-0 win over Maccabi Haifa.
CSKA Moscow surprised everyone by grabbing the second spot in Group B ahead of German champions Wolfsburg. Despite facing a depleted Manchester United squad, Wolfsburg couldn't get the much needed win that would get them through. As for United, their defense is falling to pieces with injuries but still they keep rolling along. You've got to admire that in a team.
In Group C, the two giants clinched their qualification on the final day of action. For a while it looked like Marseille would go through but two goals by Cristiano Ronaldo sent the French club crashing back to Earth.
Chelsea were already through to the next stage before this week's matches, but a disappointing 2-2 against APOEL is raising questions. How will they fare without their African players in February?
Inter and Barcelona both got their ticket to the next stage on Wednesday. Barca looked subdued by the frigid Russian weather but woke up in the second half to finally win 2-1.
Just one game to in the Champions League group stage. While some teams were already qualified in Matchday 4, this week's games clarified the situation in some groups while one group is still wide open. Here are the full results.
- Group A -
With Bordeaux's victory over Juventus, Bayern Munich still have a chance for second place as they defeated Maccabi Haifa 1-0. Juventus only need a draw in the final game (against Bayern) to ensure their qualification.
Since Manchester United are already through to the next, second place is up to grabs as CSKA and Wolfsburg are sitting with an equal number of points. Wolfsburg only have themselves to blame for this situation after they let CSKA come back in the second half of Wednesday's game.
Cristiano Ronaldo finally came back from injury this week (just in time for the clasico) as he stepped off the bench in Madrid's win over Zurich. Behind them, Milan and Marseille fought to a 1-1 draw which keeps both team in the running for second place. First place is also up for grabs as Milan is only two points behind Madrid.
Nothing to report in this group since Porto and Chelsea are both qualified for the next stage.
FC Porto Chelsea: 0-1
APOEL FC Atletico de Madrid: 1-1
- Group E -
How far have the mighty fallen? Liverpool, winner in 2005 and a regular fixture in the semi-finals, have been kicked out of the Champions League after five games and will continue their continental quest in the Europa League. Their win against Debreceni on Tuesday was simply too little too late. With the Premier League title getting further and further away, Liverpool will have to fight for a Top Four finish in the Premiership.
Inter Milan had the chance to deliver a crushing blow to the defending champions on Tuesday. Instead, fans got to see the same Inter Milan who choked against Manchester United last year. Indeed, the Nerazzurri came out flat against Barcelona, letting them waltz to a 2-0 lead before half-time. The usually-vibrant Eto'o was invisible against his former teammates. The Italians seemed to be completely absent in midfield where Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta laid down the law as to who was in control. In the other game, Dynamo Kyiv were held to a draw against Rubin Kazan. Both results leave things wide open in this group as no team have ensured their qualification.
An unknown club from Romania, Unirea Urziceni have played the spoilsport in this group, beating both Rangers and Sevilla. The result doesn't affect the Spanish club much since they're through, but Stuttgart will have to beat Urziceni if they any hopes of going through to the knock-out stage.
Arsenal will easily finish at the top of this group. The question is who will be second as Standard de Liege are three points behind Olympiacos and could steal second place if the Gunners thrash the Greeks in the final match.
Several teams booked their tickets to the next round this week but two superpowers now have their backs to the wall as the end of the group stage draws near.
It was an interesting round of the Champions League this week as several results went against most experts' predictions. Several teams who were expected to be punching bags in their respective groups are surprisingly pulling great results out of thin air, making some groups' outcome difficult to judge even after three games.
After two games played, we're getting a better picture of the standings in the Champions League group stage. While some powerhouses are making a good case for themselves (Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United), others (Liverpool, Inter, Milan) are finding the task more difficult and should kick it up a notch in Matchday 3.
So, the Inter Milan-Barcelona game wasn't as exciting as I anticipated so I won't be posting an individual recap of that game but read on for my thoughts on Day 1. There are several games for which I didn't find any highlights. Video sites are quick to take off links these days, so there's not much I can do about that.