Liverpool & Beşiktaş WINS

Liverpool 4-1 Porto

Liverpool FC grabbed three goals in the last 12 minutes to see off a stubborn FC Porto side and keep their UEFA Champions League hopes very much alive at Anfield.

Last-day drama
Desperately needing a win to keep their bid to reach the knockout stages on track, the five-time champions saw an early Fernando Torres goal cancelled out by Lisandro López but Porto's stubborn defence was unlocked late on by the Spaniard's strike, a Steven Gerrard penalty and a Peter Crouch header. Liverpool can now progress with a win at Olympique de Marseille in a fortnight while Porto, a point ahead of that pair, must now avoid defeat against Beşiktaş JK.

Benítez support
The Kop boomed out songs in praise of Rafael Benítez all evening in a vocal show of solidarity with the Liverpool manager, whose last European result was the competition record 8-0 win here against Beşiktaş. Support for the players was in no short supply either, and the home fans' encouragement was rewarded with the game's opening goal on 19 minutes. Gerrard provided the custom-made delivery for Liverpool with an outswinging corner from the right and unmarked Torres headed down low past Porto goalkeeper Helton to claim his first ever UEFA Champions League goal.

Equaliser
The visitors' coach Jesualdo Ferreira had promised to send his team out to play attacking, open football, and his charges did not disappoint as the Portuguese Liga leaders immediately drove forward in search of an equaliser. They managed it after 33 minutes when López outleapt Javier Mascherano to head Przemysław Kaźmierczak's cross over Pepe Reina's flailing arms.

López chance
López had a glorious opportunity to send the visitors in front soon after when he beat the offside trap only to clip the ball just wide of the post, while Marek Čech went close with a deflected shot that grazed the roof of the net. The visitors were holding sway but forever Liverpool's talisman, Gerrard broke the shackles with a blistering free-kick from distance that flashed a metre wide and the teams went in level at the break, despite their attacking intentions.

Liverpool vs Porto (4-1)

High intensity
There was no let-up in the intensity after the restart, albeit without some of the cutting edge in the half that preceded it, as genuine chances proved hard to come by. A towering clearance by Reina set up one of the better openings for the home outfit as he released Torres down the left. The striker teed up Yossi Benayoun to shoot from inside the box, but the Israeli international was off balance and he sliced the ball harmlessly wide. Helton had to be fully alert to keep out a difficult low cross by Mascherano, but Porto held on until a devastating last 12 minutes.

Porto collapse
It was Torres that finally got the breakthrough, shrugging off Bosingwa as he burst into the penalty area and firing in. When Milan Stepanov gave away an 84th-minute penalty for handball, the game was up for Porto and Gerrard made no mistake from the spot, calmly sending Helton the wrong way. Gerrard's corner four minutes later allowed Crouch to nod in Liverpool's fourth as Porto were left dumb-founded.

Beşiktaş 2-1 Marseille

Bobo scored with just two minutes remaining to keep Beşiktaş JK in the UEFA Champions League with victory against Olympique de Marseille.

Close group
The home side needed three points to remain in Group A contention following their competition record 8-0 defeat at Liverpool FC on Matchday 4. And although Tello's free-kick was cancelled out by Marseille substitute Taye Taiwo, the man that struck the clincher in the 2-1 win here against Liverpool, Bobo, did it again. The top four in the group are now split by just two points, with Beşiktaş on six, their Matchday 6 hosts FC Porto on eight and Marseille welcoming Liverpool with both teams on seven.

Changes rung
Unsurprisingly, Beşiktaş coach Ertuğrul Sağlam rang the changes from Anfield, with Turkey's most-capped player Rüştü Reçber making his first UEFA Champions League start for the club in goal and defender Baki Mercimek coming in for a tournament debut. But the atmosphere was more reminiscent of the home win against Liverpool, though Marseille coach Erik Gerets was well familiar with this having led Galatasaray AS for the last two seasons.

Substitutions
Beşiktaş came out strongly on a freezing Istanbul night, Tello shooting over in the second minute. Rüştü proved his worth soon after by saving an angled effort from Mamadou Niang. However, both teams were forced into early substitutions; Beşiktaş midfielder Koray Avcı replacing Edouard Cissé after the Frenchman suffered pain in his neck and Marseille striker Samir Nasri, also struggling with injury, withdrawing in favour of Djibril Cissé.

Tello strikes
But just five minutes later, Marseille fell behind. Beşiktaş won a free-kick just outside the box and Tello curled a beautiful strike past the helpless Steve Mandanda. Marseille responded well, Laurent Bonnet going close with a header after a corner and Ronald Zubar and Mathieu Valbuena threatening from distance. However, it was nearly 2-0 not long before the break as İbrahim Üzülme, Tello and Matías Delgado combined superbly to set up Serdar Özkan, whose effort forced Mandanda to save.

~CL~ Besiktas 2-1 Marseille

Taiwo equaliser
Having had the worse of an open half, Gerets decided to change things by bringing on Taiwo for Zubar at the interval and ten minutes later taking off Boudewijn Zenden and introducing André Ayew, the 17-year-old son of Abedi Pelé. Ayew was the first of the duo to impress, reinvigorating a Marseille attack in which Valbuena was now starring. Niang's shot flew just past the post as the hour mark approached, but it was Taiwo who levelled the scores as Beşiktaş cleared a corner only for the substitute to pick up the ball well outside the box and send it back at high velocity, Rüştü only able to divert the strike in with his palm.

Late drama
It seemed Beşiktaş were heading out of the competition, but both teams were going for victory, and it was the home side that got it as following a Delgado pass, Bobo advanced into the area and produced the game's third blistering goal. However, Beşiktaş must now win in Portugal, while Marseille will look for maximum points against Liverpool to make sure.

Chelsea crushed Rosenborg while Schalke & Valencia draw

Rosenborg 0-4 Chelsea

Chelsea FC confirmed their place in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League as Group B winners after a convincing victory at Rosenborg BK.

Drogba double
Rosenborg's 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Matchday 1 had prompted José Mourinho's departure from the London club, and Didier Drogba ensured they exacted revenge with a pair of early goals in a clinical first-half display. Alex scored the third on 40 minutes from a long-range free-kick as Chelsea booked their ticket to the last 16 with a game to spare. Rosenborg remain second in the section on seven points and will join Chelsea in the next stage if they avoid defeat against FC Schalke 04 in their final match on 11 December.

Early strike
The home side came into the contest just a point behind the leaders following surprise home and away victories over Valencia CF, but they were soon chasing the game in Trondheim. Twice Drogba threatened in the opening exchanges before eventually beating Lars Hirschfeld with eight minutes played. The Rosenborg goalkeeper parried Joe Cole's shot from distance only for the rebound to fall to Drogba who fired powerfully in beyond the stranded German.

Chelsea pressure
Marek Sapara came closest for Trond Henriksen's team when he drew a save from Carlo Cudicini with a long-range strike on 12 minutes. Chelsea, though, were providing the real danger and deservedly added a second on 20 minutes. Shaun Wright-Phillips won the ball in midfield and picked out Michael Essien in the area after skilfully breaking free from his marker. The ball fell for Drogba who drove into the top corner for his fourth goal in as many games in the competition this season.

Alex third
Rosenborg were forced to push forward which gave Avram Grant's side room to exploit on the break. Frank Lampard and Essien were running the midfield and the third goal was not long in coming – Alex scoring with a low free-kick from 30 metres that skimmed in off the boot of Mikael Dorsin.

~CL~ Rosenborg 0-4 Chelsea

Threat
Chelsea had lost two of their previous three matches in Norway and were determined to improve on that statistic as they carried on from where they had left off after the interval. Wright-Phillips hit the crossbar soon after the restart after connecting with Drogba's delivery from the right then Essien was unfortunate to see his effort cleared off the line by Bjørn Tore Kvarme on 57 minutes, as the visitors continued to menace on the break.

Cole goal
Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini turned away Sapara's free-kick as Chelsea withstood a spell of Rosenborg pressure before registering the fourth on 73 minutes. Essien's powerful shot was kept out Hirschfeld but dropped straight into the path of Joe Cole who tucked away the rebound to round off the scoring.

Valencia 0-0 Schalke

FC Schalke 04 comfortably earned a point at the Mestalla to leave themselves needing to beat Rosenborg BK at home in the final group fixture to qualify for the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. For Valencia CF a frustrating night that saw them play almost an hour with ten men means they can go no further in the competition.

Villa chance
It never looked like going Valencia's way from their tentative start to the game and especially from the 32nd minute when they lost captain David Albelda, making his 75th appearance in the competition, to a red card. Ronald Koeman's side showed little fluency and struggled to create chances although David Villa nearly won it in added time but slid a decent chance wide.

High stakes
The stakes were high and there was an urgency about Valencia's game. They knew it was a case of three points or they were out. Yet there was a real nervousness about some of their play, Joaquín proving a frustration to his team-mates as time and again he opted to hold on to the ball for too long. By contrast, Schalke looked comfortable and threatened first when Ivan Rakitić got away down the right, and fended off Iván Helguera. His cross seemed to be heading Kevin Kuranyi's way but Luis Miguel got in with a fine challenge. Shortly after Carlos Marchena was the defender to the rescue when Kuranyi had escaped Helguera's attentions.

~CL~ Valencia 0-0 Schalke

Albelda dismissed
Edu was trying hard to get the home attack moving and a spark of hope arrived when Vicente Rodríguez sent in a cross for Joaquín. But a huge blow to Valencia's hopes arrived in the 32nd minute. Schalke were breaking with stealth and speed and when Rafinha surged down the right Albelda knew he had to get a challenge in. He was late and the referee had no hesitation in showing him the red card. Before that Marcelo Bordon had headed wide from a corner and Fabian Ernst had sent a volley straight at Santiago Cañizares.

Changes
Before the break Koeman replaced Fernando Morientes with Manuel Fernandes, and sent on Raúl Albiol for Marco Caneira. Just seconds before the half-time whistle Valencia should have scored following a free-kick but Marchena hesitated fatally and enabled Manuel Neuer to parry.

Marchena presence
The German side were back carving out chances at the start of the second half, however. Rakitić fired wide while Marchena's timing needed to be perfect once more as he arrived to crowd out Halil Altıntop just as he had rounded Cañizares with the goal at his mercy. The ten men were being roared to greater efforts by a passionate home crowd. Their passing was not quite as lucid, though and they struggled to get a sight of goal. Vicente shot along the ground but it did not demand anything special from Neuer. Back came Schalke and Kuranyi was found by Mesut Özil but could not direct his shot away from the goalkeeper, while Villa missed a late chance at the other end as Valencia hopes were extinguished.

Bremen & Olympiacos wins over Madrid & Lazio

Bremen 3-2 Real Madrid

Werder Bremen breathed fresh life into their UEFA Champions League bid with a 3-2 victory against Group C leaders Real Madrid CF, a result that denied the visitors the point they needed to wrap up qualification early.

Hopes of progress
Bremen still face the harder task, needing to win at Olympiacos CFP to be sure of progressing while Madrid can draw at home to S.S. Lazio, but they will be ecstatic to be in this position thanks to strikes from Markus Rosenberg, Boubacar Sanogo and Aaron Hunt. Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy struck for the visitors in a pulsating encounter.

Rosenberg opener
With so much riding on this game, Bremen will have been distraught to lose midfielder Tim Borowski to a late groin injury. They were not alone in suffering a last-minute withdrawal, though, and Fabio Cannavaro's absence due to a virus looked far more significant when Madrid's central defensive pairing of Pepe and Christoph Metzelder were caught napping after just five minutes. Clemens Fritz spun the ball in from the right and after it bounced off Sanogo's shoulder, Rosenberg bobbled a scrappy effort beyond Iker Casillas.

Robino leveller
Having contributed to the opener, Fritz then staggered off with a suspected thigh complaint, to be replaced by Duško Tošić. Whether that blow encouraged the visitors or not, they were level in the 14th minute, after Marcelo wrestled back possession on the halfway line and served Robinho with an excellent ball down the left channel. The tricky Brazilian skipped inside and just as Per Mertsesacker readied to challenge, he curled a sumptuous shot into the far corner of Christian Vander's goal.

Sanogo strike
Chances dried up after that explosive start, but both sides kept attacking and Bremen centre-back Naldo nearly snuck an effort inside Casillas's near post. Robinho maintained the pressure at the other end, but it was the hosts who went in ahead at the break, and again they carved out their opening down the right. This time, Rosenberg surged past Fernando Gago, evaded Metzelder's rash tackle and set up Sanogo for an expertly-taken volley the Ivorian swept inside the far post.

Werder vs Real Madrid 3:2

Casillas save
Thomas Schaaf clearly did not instruct his charges to tighten up after the break and they nearly added a third when Sanogo's header from a Daniel Jensen cross was clawed thrillingly off the line by Casillas. Van Nistelrooy had gone close for the Spanish champions before that and he spurned a gilt-edged chance in the 56th minute, somehow placing Robinho's centre wide when unmarked.

Madrid reminder
That miss was made to look even worse less than 120 seconds later, as Jensen lofted a pass in behind Madrid's defence and Hunt – back after a long knee injury lay-off – steered the ball past the onrushing Casillas. Jensen's visionary pass suggested Schaaf had picked the right man to replace Diego – but if Bremen believed they could have everything their own way, they were given a timely jolt 19 minutes from time when Van Nistelrooy chipped the ball over Vander. Robinho attempted to add his own finishing touch but was too late, as were Madrid in their attempt to turn the match in their favour.

Lazio 1-2 Olympiacos

Olympiacos CFP moved a step closer to qualifying for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League after coming from behind to defeat S.S. Lazio in Rome.

Resolute display
Goals by Luciano Galletti and Darko Kovačević either side of half-time cancelled out Goran Pandev's strike on the half-hour. The result capped a resolute display by the visiting side who fought back bravely and always looked in control once Galletti and half-time substitute Kovačević had turned the match around. A draw at home to Werder Bremen on Matchday 6 would seal their progress while Lazio must now win away to Real Madrid CF.

Fractious start
Both sides began knowing that if Madrid avoided defeat against Werder Bremen a win would be enough to secure a place in the Round of 16 but with a Matchday 6 trip to Madrid in prospect for Lazio the onus was very much on them to deliver in front of their home fans. Delio Rossi had called for "warm hearts and cool heads" but the reverse was true in the opening exchanges as both Pandev and Ieroklis Stoltidis were caught by late challenges.

Deadlock broken
Both sides began uncertainly, Olympiacos ceding possession in midfield while the hosts failed to take advantage on the break. Both Pandev and Stefano Mauri failed to produce the final pass with the visitors' defence on the back foot. A scrappy game came to life on the half-hour mark when Cristián Ledesma headed a long ball on to Tommaso Rocchi. The Lazio captain cut the ball back from the byline and Pandev slotted in from close range.

Galletti leveller
The setback stirred Panagiotis Lemonis’s side into action and within five minutes they were level. Stoltidis received a pass from the left and slid the ball to his right from where the on-rushing Galletti beat Marco Ballotta with a rasping 14-metre shot at his near post. At the other end, Antonios Nikopolidis was called into action to deny Pandev, and defying his 36 years, with an outstretched leg.

Kovačević strike
The veteran goalkeeper was also in the thick of it early in the second half, first diving bravely to paw a low centre away from the feet of Rocchi on 55 minutes and, moments later, saving with his feet from Pandev after the Macedonian forward had brilliantly controlled Massimo Mutarelli's searching ball. Against the run of play, though, Olympiakos took the lead. Stoltidis released Predrag Djordjević down the right and substitute Kovačević was first to the visiting captain's low cross.

Champions League (C): Lazio - Olympiacos 28/11/07

Djordjević attempt
With Bremen winning against the Spanish champions Lazio came forward to gain a foothold in the match, but the Serie A side were largely reduced to set-pieces, Guglielmo Stendardo sending two free-kicks over the bar. Indeed, if anyone looked like scoring again it was Olympiacos, who having waited 31 matches for an away win in the competition have now won twice in three away games. One more point and they will reach the knockout stage for the first time since 1999/2000. Lazio finished limply and now face the ominous prospect of having to win in Madrid to continue their UEFA Champions League adventure.

Celtic wins by a late goal & Milan draw with Benfica

Benfica 1-1 Milan

SL Benfica thought they had done enough to live another day in the UEFA Champions League after coming from behind to draw 1-1 with AC Milan, only for a late goal in Glasgow to send the holders through and end the Portuguese club's chances of reaching the knockout stages.

Celebrations curtailed
The Eagles were still in contention when the final whistle blew at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, Andrea Pirlo and Maxi Pereira having traded superb first-half goals, but the celebrations were curtailed when news filtered through that Celtic FC had scored an added-time winner against FC Shakhtar Donetsk. Benfica now need to win in Ukraine to reach the UEFA Cup next Tuesday, when Milan entertain the Scottish club requiring a point to win Group D.

Nervous beginning
Although the Benfica players had shown their determation to get their campaign back on track by huddling together before kick-off, their unity was undermined by a nervous beginning. Alberto Gilardino spurned an excellent chance in just the second minute having been picked out by Cristian Brocchi's right-wing cross. Two minutes later and Quim was forced into action by Clarence Seedorf, turning the Dutchman's shot round the post after a one-two with Gilardino.

Magnificent shot
It was of little surprise, then, when the visitors took the lead on the quarter-hour. Milan built patiently down the left, although the dynamic of the attack changed after Kaká played the ball to Pirlo and the Italy midfielder ran unchallenged before swerving a magnificent low shot into the corner or the net from distance. Pirlo was almost behind a second goal for the visitors three minutes later, Quim having to intervene after Petit nearly turned a free-kick from the Milan man into his own goal.

~CL~ Benfica 1-1 Milan AC

Lovely touch
Their hopes still alive, Benfica hit back in the 20th minute. Rui Costa and Konstantinos Katsouranis played the ball from left to right to Pereira who showed a lovely touch to cut inside Gennaro Gattuso before arrowing a rising shot from outside the box beyond Dida via the Brazilian's post. It was real end-to-end stuff now, David Luiz denying Kaká in one area with a superb sliding challenge after a swift counterattack; Cristián Rodríguez twice going close in the other.

Maldini on
Kakha Kaladze then cleared a 38th-minute Pereira shot behind with Dida grounded as Benfica upped the tempo, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to introduce Paolo Maldini for Serginho at half-time. Another change quickly followed, Yoann Gourcuff replacing the injured Brocchi, and the new men were able to settle as the frenetic pace of the first period dropped.

Rui Costa influence
Rui Costa, against his former club, was the most influential player of the second half, showing a full array of tricks and flicks, yet it was only in the final few minutes that the game truly reignited. Dida made a couple of nervy stops before Kaká scuffed a shot wide when unmarked after charging into the box in the final minute. The Brazilian had an equally presentable opening in added time but headed wide, although Benfica's fate would soon be sealed by events elsewhere.

Celtic 2-1 Shakhtar

Substitute Massimo Donati scored with virtually the last kick of the game to finally separate Group D rivals Celtic FC and FC Shakhtar Donetsk on Matchday 5 in Glasgow.

Late drama
The UEFA Champions League contest looked destined to be drawn until Aiden McGeady crossed and Donati struck via a slight deflection off Tomáš Hübschman to steal the three points. That is now the margin between these teams ahead of Celtic's trip to already qualified AC Milan and Shakhtar's home match against SL Benfica on 4 December. Brandão and Jiří Jarošík had scored the earlier goals.

Repeat offenders
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan had warned against repeating the mistakes of Matchday 1, when his side conceded twice inside eight minutes in Donetsk, yet his words went unheeded. Another defensive lapse here gave the Ukrainian club the lead after four minutes. Centre-back John Kennedy, misjudging the flight of a long ball from the back from Hübschman, headed it weakly into the path of Brandão and, as in September, the Brazilian striker punished Celtic. He advanced unattended and let fly a left-foot shot that found the bottom corner despite goalkeeper Artur Boruc getting a hand to it.

Celtic response
The Celtic game plan was further disrupted when, with 15 minutes played, Lee Naylor limped off with a hamstring injury, forcing Paul Hartley to drop to left-back as Donati entered the midfield fray. So the hosts had to wait until the 22nd minute for their first opening. McGeady wriggled clear of two players before releasing Scott McDonald who could only lift his shot over. The latter's strike partner, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, went closer when he headed Gary Caldwell's right-wing cross just wide with keeper Andriy Pyatov beaten.

Stretcher case
For Mircea Lucescu's Shakhtar, Darijo Srna fizzed an attempt wide of Boruc's left-hand post, before Brandão twice came close to doubling the advantage. Kennedy had to block his first effort at the near post, and from the ensuing corner Boruc denied the No25's header with a superb reflex save. Celtic's night did get worse, however, when Kennedy was carried off with a knee injury, to be replaced by Steven Pressley.

The equaliser
Yet the next break was a lucky one for the Scottish title-holders. After Srna and his skipper Dmytro Chygrynskiy both went for the same long pass into the Shakhtar area, the ball dropped for Jarošík to thump a shot across Pyatov and in. First-half stoppage time might even have seen a second home goal, but Jarošík contrived to nod a diving header wide from a matter of metres.

Highlights Celtic - Shakthar Donetsk

At the death
Strachan's men at least came out for the second half with a renewed sense of purpose. For the first time in the match they enjoyed a sustained period of possession, while Shakhtar seemed content to sit and wait for the counterattack. Jadson's 65th-minute break exemplified this tactic, as he strode forward from midfield before firing right-footed over Boruc's crossbar. When Jarošík headed another opportunity over from Hartley's corner in the final quarter, a draw appeared inevitable. However, Donati's late arrival into the Shakhtar box deep into added time and thumping first-time strike changed all that.

Juninho delivers for Lyon & Marica winner makes Rangers sweat

Lyon 2-2 Barcelona

Juninho Pernambucano scored with a free-kick and a penalty as Olympique Lyonnais twice came from behind to seal a potentially crucial 2-2 draw with FC Barcelona, who have now qualified for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Long-range effort
Lyon's captain cancelled out Andrés Iniesta's early strike with a long-range set piece, before replying to Lionel Messi's spot kick with a penalty of his own ten minutes from time. The hard-fought point ensures Lyon will travel to Glasgow on Matchday 6 knowing that an away win would take them ahead of Rangers FC into second place in Group E.

Bojan role
Despite the dual absence of Thierry Henry and Samuel Eto'o, Ronaldinho was confined to the Barcelona bench, as coach Frank Rijkaard offered a first start in the competition to Bojan Krkić in attack, flanked by Messi and Iniesta. The move appeared inspired when, with just three minutes played, the 17-year-old Spaniard created the opening goal, racing onto Messi's pass and delivering a perfectly weighted, low cross that was stroked home by Iniesta.

Juninho leveller
Lining up without top-scorer Karim Benzema, who failed a late fitness test, the French title holders struggled to get a touch early on as the visitors imposed their passing game, yet just as it looked like becoming a long evening for the home fans, Juninho struck. The Brazilian's free-kick was intended as a cross, but after Fred had failed to make contact, the ball crept inside the far post with Victor Valdés rooted to the spot.

Valdés vigilant
The hosts subsequently settled to their task and created another fine opportunity on 14 minutes after some tenacious closing down by Fábio Santos had forced a mistake in the Barcelona rearguard. The Brazilian midfielder, preferred to Kim Källström, latched onto Fred's lay-off, only to direct his powerful drive straight at a vigilant Valdés.

Lyon 2-2 FC Barcelona

Abidal intervention
Yaya Touré drew a fine fingertip save from Rémy Vercoutre moments later, though it was Lyon who looked more dangerous and threatened to take the lead on 28 minutes. Fred slipped Sidney Govou through and when he was denied by the onrushing Valdés, Juninho's follow-up was cleared off the line by Eric Abidal on his return to Stade de Gerland.

Juninho inspiration
Juninho was again providing the inspiration, firing another dipping free-kick narrowly over the crossbar as Alain Perrin's men continued to press. Rijkaard was ordered to the stands before half-time as his frustration boiled over but his players quickly regained their composure after the break. Without the cutting thrust of Benzema, Lyon were struggling to make inroads, while Barcelona appeared increasingly dangerous on the counterattack and deservedly retook the lead on 58 minutes.

Gudjohnsen chances
Messi was felled by Sébastien Squillaci in the penalty area and the irrepressible Argentina striker picked himself up to score from the spot. Kader Keita was immediately sent on in place of Fred in attack, but the more Lyon pressed the more exposed they became, and Eidur Gudjohnsen missed two fine chances to the double Barcelona's lead, firing his first effort over and seeing the second saved by Vercoutre. That saved proved vital when, with time running out, Abidal tripped Keita, allowing Juninho to send Valdés the wrong way from the spot.

Stuttgart 3-2 Rangers

Ciprian Marica struck five minutes from time as VfB Stuttgart earned their first points of the UEFA Champions League campaign and dealt a significant blow to Rangers FC's hopes of progressing to the last 16.

Lyon test
Rangers had looked on course for a valuable win on 27 minutes, when less than 60 seconds after replacing Lee McCulloch, Charlie Adam scored with his first touch, lashing in from close range after Carlos Cuéllar had headed in a corner into his path. Cacau equalised on the cusp of half-time, however, before Pável Pardo completed the turnaround on 62 minutes, his fizzing shot taking a slight deflection off Roberto Hilbert as it crept inside the post. Barry Ferguson made it 2-2 but Marica's goal means that Rangers must now beat Olympique Lyonnais in a winner-takes-all Matchday 6 encounter at Ibrox. Stuttgart already knew they could not climb from fourth place in Group E.

Lively start
The match was preceded with an impromptu dance between Rangers mascot Broxi Bear and his VfB counterpart Fritzle but any amicability was soon forgotten in a committed opening. Rangers could have taken the lead on seven minutes but DaMarcus Beasley scuffed his shot with only Raphael Schäfer to beat, and the home side responded immediately as Hilbert broke and delivered an arcing cross that hit Carlos Cuéllar and looped into the arms of the grateful Allan McGregor.

Box to box
While Broxi and Fritzle had done their pre-match routine, German cruiserweight Firat Arslan was interviewed by the stadium announcer and the end-to-end game had more the tempo of a boxing bout than a waltz. Just as Stuttgart began to threaten, Rangers hit back with a sucker-punch, with Jean-Claude Darcheville surging past Matthieu Delpierre before firing a weak effort into the side-netting. At the other end Ciprian Marica, enjoying a rare start in place of the injured Mario Gómez, sent Cacu clear with a delicate touch but McGregor came to Rangers' rescue, saving with his legs.

Cacau flick
True to form, the visitors hit back; Ferguson's shot trickling agonizingly past the upright following a heavy Delpierre deflection. From the resulting corner Ludovic Magnin cleared David Weir's header off the goalline and although McCulloch's injury could have knocked Rangers off their stride, Adam had other ideas. Having lost their previous Group E fixtures it could have been a telling blow yet VfB took stock, and upped the tempo as half-time approached. Cacau and Sami Khedira both had openings before the pressure finally told two minutes into added time, Cacau adroitly flicking in Pardo's driven cross following a short corner.

Champions League (E): Stuttgart - Rangers

Ferguson equaliser
Rangers' misery was compounded three minutes after the restart as they lost Beasley to injury and Stuttgart took hold of the game. Just after the hour Pardo made it 2-1, but the lead lasted just eight minutes before Ferguson side-footed into the empty net after substitute Steven Naismith had dispossessed Delpierre and sent in a cross that Schäfer could only to palm into the Rangers captain's path. Marica had the last word, however, flicking in Magnin's cross via a Weir deflection.

Ronaldo underlines United authority & Roma is through

Man. United 2-1 Sporting

Cristiano Ronaldo proved the nemesis of his old club Sporting Clube de Portugal once again as his injury-time free-kick completed a 2-1 comeback victory for Manchester United FC at Old Trafford. In the process, the Portugal winger – scorer of the only goal when the teams met in Lisbon in September – secured first place in Group F for United, this fifth straight victory leaving them five points clear of AS Roma.

Sporting eliminated
Yet it was not a straightforward victory for United, who trailed at half-time to defender Abel's spectacular effort from the right wing. United levelled in the 61st minute through Carlos Tévez and for Sporting this defeat, together with Roma’s win in Kiev, confirms their elimination from the competition. However, they at least have the consolation of knowing third place, and a berth in the last 32 of the UEFA Cup, is theirs.

First blood
Speaking before the match, Sir Alex Ferguson had reflected how “some teams come to Old Trafford inspired but some teams come and freeze”; Sporting belonged firmly in the former category. Paulo Bento’s team had the first effort of note after 12 minutes when João Moutinho dragged a shot wide of the far post and although Louis Saha then fired wide after Ronaldo’s delightful flick had sent him clear, the visitors drew first blood in the 21st minute. It was a goal out of nothing, Sporting working the ball, via Miguel Veloso, from the left to the right flank where full-back Abel advanced into a crossing position. Rather than deliver a centre, Abel, after a quick look across, rifled the ball with deadly precision inside the near post to leave goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak red-faced. Not a bad way to score your first UEFA Champions League goal.

United changes
Sporting's travelling supporters thought they had a second goal when from a half-cleared free-kick, the impressive Anderson Polga fired the ball back towards goal and Liedson stabbed it past Kuszczak, only to be denied by the assistant's flag. With United players surrendering possession with uncharacteristic ease, Sporting remained in the ascendancy. Polga hooked a shot at Kuszczak following another corner while at the other end, Sporting’s players worked overtime to deny United space. To counter this, Sir Alex made changes for the second half, sending on Ryan Giggs and Tévez in place of Darren Fletcher and Nani and switching from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.

Pressure tells
The improvement was immediate and chances soon came. Ronaldo just failed to connect cleanly with Giggs's free-kick, then Saha dwelt too long on the ball when teed up by Ronaldo. Although Nemanja Vidić headed narrowly wide, the pressure eventually told. Following Patrice Evra's trademark surge into the box, Saha laid the ball back to Ronaldo and his low shot was played into the net via visiting defender Marián Had and Tévez.

Manchester United vs Sporting goals 2:1 Champions League

Late reward
United sought a second but Rui Patrício, showing no signs of stage fright on his European debut, saved with his feet from both Ronaldo and substitute Owen Hargreaves. Veloso threatened with a long-range effort on to the top of the net for Sporting but the traffic was now one-way and United got their reward in the end via who else but that man Ronaldo.


Dynamo Kyiv 1-4 Roma

AS Roma confirmed their place in the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League with a comfortable win against FC Dynamo Kyiv that left the Ukraine side without a point in the section and ended their hopes of claiming the UEFA Cup place.

Vučinić double
Mirko Vučinić made sure Roma talisman Francesco Totti was not missed by scoring a goal in each half, and the Giallorossi took command from the outset. First-half strikes from Christian Panucci, Vučinić and Ludovic Giuly made the points safe by the interval and though Ismaël Bangoura pulled one back after the break, the in-form Vučinić restored Roma’s three-goal margin late in the game.

Panucci opener
Tiberiu Ghioane had the first shot of the night, bringing a sprawling save from Doni in only the first minute. Roma, though, were soon in control and went ahead on four minutes. Panucci crossed low into the box from near the right touchline and the ball evaded everyone including the on-rushing Vučinić before finding its way beyond Olexandr Rybka and into the net.

Roma chances
The 20-year-old Rybka was deputising for the injured Olexandr Shovkovskiy, one of a number of changes forced upon coach Oleh Luzhny as his side looked for their first points of the campaign. The hosts, playing the last match at NSC Olympiyskiy Stadium before it closes for renovation work ahead of UEFA EURO 2012™, responded with another long-range effort, this time from Miloš Ninković. Roma, though, were making the better chances and should have doubled their lead on nine minutes when Max Tonetto picked out the unmarked Panucci who headed just wide.

Giuly goal
Dynamo created their best chance on 12 minutes when Bangoura cut in from the left and forced a fine save from Doni, before Giuly headed wide when well placed at the other end. A second Roma goal was not long in coming, Giuly striking with 32 minutes played. Marco Cassetti’s tackle on Ruslan Rotan near the half-way resulted in the ball breaking through the Dynamo defence. It was latched on to by Giuly who rounded Rybka to score.

Vučinić scores
Dynamo, without injured first-choice defenders Rodrigo and Pape Diakhate, were stretched at the back and four minutes later Roma scored again. Giuly played the ball into the path of Vučinić who stroked it low past the advancing Rybka and into the far corner for his second goal of the campaign.

Bangoura goal
Dynamo came back stronger after the interval and pulled a goal back on 63 minutes. Substitute Valentin Belkevich and Maksim Shatskikh combined well before Shatskikh teed up Bangoura on the edge of the area and the 22-year-old striker sent a low shot beyond Doni.

Dinamo Kyev-AS Roma 1-4 goals www.onlinepariuri.com

Vučinić again
Roma had taken their foot off the pedal but were still threatening on the break and both David Pizarro and Vučinić came close before the latter completed the scoring 12 minutes from time. Tonetto pulled the ball back from the touchline to the Montenegrin striker who calmly picked his spot from the edge of the area to leave Rybka rooted to the spot.

Internazionale & PSV WINNERS

Internazionale 3-0 Fenerbahçe

FC Internazionale Milano are through to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds after second-half strikes by Julio Cruz, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Luis Antonio Jiménez ended Fenerbahçe SK's unbeaten run.

Second-half strikes
The assured finishes meant that Inter are already confirmed as Group G winners with a match to spare after a fourth straight victory since their Matchday 1 loss in Istanbul. Fenerbahçe remain second but must win at home to PFC CSKA Moskva in a fortnight to ensure PSV Eindhoven cannot overtake them with three points at home to Inter.

Higher stakes
On Inter coach Roberto Mancini's 43rd birthday, Fenerbahçe chief Zico had said he was hoping for a present from CSKA, for had they avoided defeat against PSV in the early kick-off, both the Italian and Turkish champions would have been through. Instead PSV won to raise the stakes in Milan where only victory would guarantee either side’s progress.

Stanković return
Inter's recent injury dilemma was partially eased by the return of Dejan Stanković and he threaded a clever early ball through to Julio Cruz, who stretched to find Maxwell on the left. The Brazilian's cross was met by Ibrahimović only for his shot to be blocked by Edu. Stanković was also at the end of a right-wing cross by Javier Zanetti 13 minutes in, but the Serbia midfielder failed to direct it goalwards.

Inter pressure
Although the pace of Gökçek Vederson and Gökan Gönül on both flanks made the visitors threatening on the break they were largely reduced to long shots. Vederson and Roberto Carlos scarcely troubled Júlio César with hopeful attempts. It was another South American, Cruz, who dragged his shot from 18 metres across goal on 28 minutes, Stanković following suit with a similar effort on the half-hour, moments after Selçuk Şahin had turned Ibrahimović's low cross over his own crossbar as the hosts began to turn the screw.

Opening goal
Ten minutes after the restart the Nerazzurri threatened again when Ibrahimović fed Cruz on the left and the striker curled his right-footed shot just over. The visitors almost caught Inter cold when Alex was left unmarked in the area but the Brazilian playmaker sent his shot wide and would rue the missed chance. Maxwell, receiving possession on the left, raced to the byline and centred for Cruz, who just got his head to the ball as Edu attempted to clear.

Inter Milan - Fenerbahçe

Win sealed
The noise of the 5,000-strong away fans behind Volkan Demirel's goal had been stilled and there was even less for them to cheer about midway through the second half when Ibrahimović made it 2-0. The danger again came from the left, this time through Cristian Chivu, whose centre was left by Cruz and controlled by the 26-year-old at the far post. He had time to pick his spot to become the first player to five UEFA Champions League goals this season. Chile midfielder Jiménez came off the bench for his second competition appearance and added a maiden goal as a further present for Mancini.


CSKA Moskva 0-1 PSV

PSV Eindhoven kept their hopes of progress in the UEFA Champions League alive as Jefferson Farfán's goal late in the first half gave them a hard-earned victory at PFC CSKA Moskva.

CSKA denied
Nothing less than a victory was needed for PSV to remain in touch in Group G and although CSKA had the better of the game, they were unable to cancel out Farfan's 39th-minute header. The result ended the Russian side's hopes of clinching a UEFA Cup place and means they will finish bottom of the section. PSV could qualify for the knockout stage should they defeat FC Internazionale Milano on 12 December, and will at least play some European football in the new year.

Home pressure
Considering the sleety conditions it was unsurprising that both teams took their time to settle. PSV, without injured captain Timmy Simons, his midfield deputy Tommie van der Leegte and the suspended Eric Addo, nearly fell behind early when Deividas Šemberas put in a low cross and Ramón turned it just wide. Dawid Janczyk, leading the CSKA line in the absence of Vágner Love and Jô, also went close. PSV had another scare when Farfán had to receive lengthy treatment.

Bundled goal
He was free to continue, however, but CSKA still threatened and Sergei Ignashevich shot over from distance. However, with six minutes left in the first half PSV revived their hopes in the group. Teenage defender Dirk Marcellis, whose own goal on Matchday 4 at Fenerbahçe SK had set PSV on the way to defeat, advanced up the right wing and crossed into the centre. CSKA captain Ignashevich tried to cut it out, but the ball looped off his foot into the goalmouth and Farfán bundled it in.

Attempted comeback
CSKA's campaign has been marked by unfortunate home results against Fenerbahçe and Inter and they emerged for the second half determined to avoid another one. Yuri Zhirkov's crossed free-kick was headed only just over by Dudu and Jancyzk forced Heurelho Gomes into a save. Fine work from Elvir Rahimić and Zhirkov seemed to have set up Dudu, but Slobodan Rajković did excellently to block the shot at source.

Rahimić miss
Danko Lazović broke forward for PSV, but he stepped on the ball as he approached Igor Akinfeev in the CSKA goal. At the other end, Gomes denied Evgeni Aldonin as he tried his luck with an angled effort. Šemberas found Jancyzk, but his strike was deflected away, and although a corner from substitute Caner Erkin was misjudged by Gomes, Rahimić headed over with the goal gaping. Still CSKA kept pushing, but PSV held firm with a last-gasp Gomes save from Vasili Berezutski ensuring the next European games for the deposed Russian champions will be in the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.

Sevilla crushed Arsenal 3-1

Sevilla 3-1 Arsenal

Sevilla FC joined Arsenal FC in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League after becoming the first team this season to defeat the English club.

Late penalty
Eduardo fired the Gunners in front early on but that was as good as it got for the visitors who not only lost their unbeaten record but the Group H leadership as well. Seydou Keita and Luis Fabiano overturned the Croatian's opener with first-half goals, and Frédéric Kanouté completed the scoring with a last-minute penalty. Sevilla will now win the section if they match Arsenal's result on Matchday 6, when the UEFA Cup holders travel to SK Slavia Praha and their rivals entertain FC Steaua Bucureşti.

Bendtner strength
Arsenal's breakthrough goal stemmed from a mixture of strength, skill and unusually lax Sevilla defending. Nicklas Bendtner found metres of free space on the right wing and had time to loft the ball across towards Eduardo, who chested the ball down, held off Daniel Alves and then slotted past Andrés Palop. At that stage Arsène Wenger's game plan was working like clockwork. Identifying Sevilla’s main threat as their trademark surging runs down either touchline, Arsenal crowded these channels. So effective was the application of Wenger's template that it took a reciprocal error to turn the match.

Midfield strike
When a long clearance reached Philippe Senderos in the 24th minute he sliced his kick and from Jesús Navas's probing cross Gilberto’s clearance fell sweetly for Keita to run on and crash a left foot shot into the top of the net. It was his debut UEFA Champions League goal, and the first Arsenal had conceded in the section, but reflected his status as Sevilla's most impressive player of the season. The already buzzing atmosphere hit new peaks and the Ramón Sanchéz-Pizjuán crowd roared approval as Sevilla surged forward.

Sevilla 3-1 Arsenal, Champions League Goals Highlight

Flowing confidence
A Gilberto mistake put Luis Fabiano clear in on Arsenal’s goal but he dallied and failed. It only delayed his moment. On 34 minutes Navas won a free-kick which Daniel Alves put squarely in Fabiano’s path and the Brazilian headed in his 18th goal of the season. Bendtner stemmed the tide ten minutes before the break with a terrific piece of penalty-box work which foxed Palop and Christian Poulsen but left Cesc Fabregas's shot being cleared for a corner.

Fabregas off
Barely had the second half got under way when it was clear Fabregas was limping. With so much experience already missing from Wenger's side even the arrival of Tomáš Rosický for the Spaniard was scant consolation. Sevilla bombarded the Arsenal area and between the 58th and 64th minutes Luis Fabiano had two volleys and one header at goal. Then when Senderos leaned into Daniel Alves's cross referee Eric Braamhaar pointed to the penalty spot for handball only to then consult his assistant, reconsider and award a drop-ball to restart play.

Entrancing match
With both sides fully committed to the victory, it was Sevilla who clinched it when Kolo Touré brought Kanouté down as full time approached and the striker scored coolly from the spot. The only negative for Sevilla was the bookings for Keita and Adriano which rule them out of the final fixture.


Steaua 1-1 Slavia

SK Slavia Praha's hopes of reaching the UEFA Champions League knockout stage were extinguished but their point at FC Steaua Bucureşti, salvaged by Zdeněk Šenkeřík's late header, at least confirmed their UEFA Cup berth.

Anniversary celebration
On the day that Steaua celebrated the 50th anniversary of their first match in European club competition, Valentin Badea’s early goal, their first in front of their own supporters in Group H, looked to have given them their first win in the section but Šenkeřík's intervention kept their Czech opponents four points ahead of them in the battle for third spot and denied Steaua their first home win in Europe's premier club compeition for eleven years. As it transpired, even a win would not have reprieved Slavia's dreams of reaching the last 16 as Sevilla FC's success at home to Arsenal FC ensured both those sides would progress.

Opening goal
Marius Lăcătuş's side nearly made the perfect start when Nicolae Dică drilled in a low shot from 20 metres but Adrian Neaga's follow-up was ruled out for offside after Martin Vaniak had parried the first effort. But they did not have long to wait to take the lead as Badea was put through the middle by Dică's lobbed pass and, as David Hubáček and Marek Suchý descended upon him, he scrambled the ball past the Slavia goalkeeper. The goal prompted the visitors into a response and Ladislav Volešák called Robinson Zapata into action with a free-kick from distance.

Goalscorer denied
Steaua continued to be the dominant force though and nearly extended their lead when Marius Croitoru cut the ball back for Neaga, only for the striker to poke wide from 10 metres under pressure from Suchý. The second goal looked a certainty when Dică provided another perfect ball into the box but Badea shot straight at Vaniak from six metres with the goalkeeper somehow deflecting the ball over the crossbar. Aside from the lack of another goal, the only downside to the first-half display for the home side was the yellow card awarded to Croitoru for his foul on Daniel Pudil which meant he would miss their final group match against Arsenal.

Steaua-Slavia 1-1 goals

Late leveller
The second half was a much more even affair with neither side able to assume the upper hand, while Vaniak and Zapata did not have any saves of note to make until the final 15 minutes, more to the consternation of Karel Jarolím than his opposite number. It was Vaniak who eventually showed his agility first when he surged off his line to clear before sprinting back to make a fine stop from Croitoru's follow-up. And the save proved important as Šenkeřík, who had scored in Slavia's 2-1 win in the first game between the sides, levelled with 12 minutes left when he powerfully headed in a cross from Mickaël Tavares.

Hamburg put pressure on leaders

Hamburger SV closed to within a point of Bundesliga leaders FC Bayern München by beating a FC Hansa Rostock side that slipped closer towards the relegation zone after 1. FC Nürnberg picked up a valuable victory.

Fine run
Hamburg continued a fine run that has seen them go unbeaten in all competitions after a reverse on 15 September against Eintracht Frankfurt, winning eleven out of their 13 games played since. The latest of those came against Hansa where it took the home side 19 minutes to break the deadlock as Dutchman Rafael van der Vaart found the net. Victory was assured for Hamburg, who face Stade Rennais FC on Thursday in the UEFA Cup, when Ivica Olić added a second just after the hour. Despite the win they remain third, behind Werder Bremen on goal difference.

Important win
Fellow UEFA Cup contenders Nürnberg, who will attempt to revive their European hopes against FC Zenit St. Petersburg next week, got only their third win of the season at home against BV Borussia Dortmund. Moving to within three points of their opponents – and two of Hansa – in the league standings. Nürnberg's goals came after ten minutes from Tomáš Galásek and in added time from Angelos Charisteas. Dortmund sit 13th following the reverse.

Valencia CF lost ground

Valencia CF lost ground at the top of the Primera División as they fell to defeat at Real Racing Club Santander, who moved to within a point of their opponents and five behind another of Sunday's winners, Villarreal CF.

Valencia beaten
In a game devoid of goalmouth action, the only goal of the game in Santander came in the 70th minute courtesy of a long-range strike by former Valencia player Jorge López that goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares failed to deal with. The home side remain seventh in the standings, but closed on fifth-place Valencia, whose mood will contrast with local rivals Villarreal whose draw against UD Almería lifted them above FC Barcelona. Nihat Kahveci had put the hosts on course for a fourth consecutive league win that would have taken them top until Alvaro Negredo's equaliser eight minutes after the interval.

Seven-goal thrillers
Club Atlético de Madrid and Levante UD were both involved in thrilling 4-3 victories. Atlético twice came from behind against Real Valladolid CF before finally prevailing following an own goal from Pedro López in added time. Meanwhile, Levante picked up only their second win of the campaign when they fought back from 2-0 down to beat fellow strugglers Real Betis Balmopié, closing the gap to four points on their nearest rivals. RCD Espanyol jumped up to fourth in the table, a point above Valencia, thanks to a 2-1 victory at CA Osasuna, while RC Deportivo La Coruña staged a fightback to aid their relegation struggle, overturning a two-goal deficit to draw at Athletic Club Bilbao. In the late game, Getafe CF were unable to get a fourth consecutive league win despite taking the lead against Real Zaragoza as Andrés D'Alessandro's late goal cancelled out Sousa's effort.

Milan earn vital league boost

AC Milan got a much-needed victory in Serie A, coming from behind to defeat Cagliari Calcio for only their fourth win of the season as Juventus emphatically brushed aside US Città di Palermo to go third in the standings.

Pirlo winner
European champions Milan, who started the day in eleventh, have endured a disappointing campaign and it seemed as though it was going to get worse when Robert Acquafresca gave Cagliari the lead after just four minutes. The visitors managed to claw their way back, however, and after Kaká had seen a penalty saved and fit-again Ronaldo hit the post, Alberto Gilardino equalised just after the hour. Andrea Pirlo then snatched a winner with a stunning free-kick five minutes from time. The win moved Milan up to ninth and sent Cagliari bottom.

Juventus impress
The Rossoneri remain eleven points adrift of leaders and city rivals FC Internazionale Milano, however, and eight behind Juventus and Udinese Calcio, who both leapfrogged ACF Fiorentina to move into third and fourth respectively. While Fiorentina were held to a 0-0 draw at Reggina Calcio, Juventus registered a 5-0 win against US Città di Palermo in Turin, Alessandro Del Piero scoring twice added to strikes by David Trezeguet, Vincenzo Iaquinta and Marco Marchionni. Udinese, meanwhile, enjoyed a 2-0 success against Siena – Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Di Natale getting the goals.

Lazio drama
Elsewhere, a last-minute Fabio Firmani goal helped struggling S.S. Lazio to a 1-0 home victory against Parma FC and AS Livorno Calcio picked up a vital three points with a 3-1 win against UC Sampdoria. Two Marcelo Zalayeta strikes helped SSC Napoli to a 2-0 success against Calcio Catania and the match between Empoli FC and Torino FC ended goalless.

Tottenham settle for a point

Jermain Defoe missed a last-minute penalty as Tottenham Hotspur FC were forced to settle for a point against London rivals West Ham United FC as Blackburn Rovers FC's push for a top-six spot was dented by Fulham FC.

Defoe denied
Tottenham, who remain unbeaten under new manager Juande Ramos, started the better at Upton Park but after Aaron Lennon's effort had been ruled out for offside it was West Ham who opened the scoring 20 minutes in. After a mistake by Younes Kaboul, Nolberto Solano crossed for Carlton Cole to tap in from close range. Tottenham drew level with 67 minutes on the clock when Michael Dawson headed in a free-kick and might have won it when they were awarded a penalty after substitute Defoe was fouled by Lucas Neill. However, with only seconds remaining, the England international was denied a goal against his former employers as Robert Green pulled off a save.

Honours even
Honours were also even in Sunday's other Premier League game between Fulham and Blackburn at Craven Cottage. Blackburn would have moved back into seventh, above Everton FC and Aston Villa FC, with victory in west London yet fell behind six minutes into the second half when Danny Murphy calmly slotted in a penalty. Six minutes later Blackburn were level – Brett Emerton volleying in his first goal for two years – but Fulham regained the initiative on 63 minutes when Diomansy Kamara scored from close range. However, Blackburn would not be denied a point as Stephen Warnock (79) turned the ball in following fine work by Jason Roberts.

2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Draw for Europe

Holders Italy will play Bulgaria, the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Georgia and Montenegro as they begin the defence of the trophy they won in Berlin last summer following today's draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition in Durban, South Africa.

France test
The team the Azzurri defeated in the 2006 World Cup final, France, are in Group 7 along with Romania, Serbia, Lithuania, Austria and the Faroe Islands. Three-time winners Germany are the top seeds in Group 4, which also includes Russia, Finland, Wales, Azerbaijan and Liechtenstein, while Group 6 reunites Croatia and England – who met in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying, with the former winning both matches to eliminate their opponents – and also includes Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

Portuguese poser
In Group 1 Portugal are joined by Sweden and Denmark – who also met in UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying – as well as Hungary, Albania and Malta. European champions Greece are joined by Switzerland in Group 2, which also includes Israel, Moldova, Latvia and Luxembourg, and Group 3 includes the Czech Republic, Poland, Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino. Group 9 comprises only five teams compared to six for the eight other sections, with the Netherlands joined by Scotland, Norway, F.Y.R. Macedonia and Iceland.

Qualifying explained
Fifty-three countries participated in the draw, which was conducted by the FIFA general secretary Jérôme Valcke with assistance from Christian Karembeu – who was in the France squad that won the World Cup in 1998 and also triumphed at the UEFA European Championship two years later – and Abédi Pelé, part of the Olympique de Marseille team that won the UEFA Champions League in 1993. The groups will be contested in a league system on a home-and-away basis, with the games to be played according to the international match calendar starting in August 2008. The nine group winners will advance to the final tournament, while the eight best runners-up will contest four play-off matches in November 2009 to determine Europe's other four finalists.

2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw
Group 1
Portugal
Sweden
Denmark
Hungary
Albania
Malta



Group 2
Greece
Israel
Switzerland
Moldova
Latvia
Luxembourg



Group 3
Czech Republic
Poland
Northern Ireland
Slovakia
Slovenia
San Marino



Group 4
Germany
Russia
Finland
Wales
Azerbaijan
Liechtenstein



Group 5
Spain
Turkey
Belgium
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Armenia
Estonia



Group 6
Croatia
England
Ukraine
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Andorra



Group 7
France
Romania
Serbia
Lithuania
Austria
Faroe Islands



Group 8
Italy
Bulgaria
Republic of Ireland
Cyprus
Georgia
Montenegro



Group 9
Netherlands
Scotland
Norway
F.Y.R. Macedonia
Iceland

Barcelona the star performers

FC Barcelona were the star performers of the three Spanish UEFA Champions League clubs in action on Saturday night, brushing aside RC Recreativo de Huelva as Sevilla FC lost and Real Madrid CF drew.

Ronaldinho out
Barcelona were without Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho, who had pulled out with fatigue, and a cutting edge early on as they struggled to break down a well-organised Recreativo until Gabriel Milito headed the opener from a corner in the 64th minute. Two minutes later, Xavi Hernández's deep cross was laid back into the centre by Thierry Henry for 17-year-old substitute Bojan Krkić to score the second.

Messi penalty
The visitors had only scored once in their previous seven games and were unable to react. They pulled down Messi for a penalty eight minutes from time, and the Argentina forward calmly slotted it away. Barça climbed to second in the standings level on 27 points with Villarreal CF, who tackle UD Almería on Sunday.

Headed goals
Madrid stay top, with 29 points, despite relinquishing a lead at Real Murcia CF. The champions went ahead in the ninth minute following a flowing move which ended with Guti chipping a lovely pass across goal for Robinho who raced in at the far post to nod the ball in. That was about as good as it got for Bernd Schuster's side, however, as Enrique De Lucas levelled with a special header of his own four minutes after the break. Guti was dismissed in the 83rd minute.

Mallorca surprise
In the day's other game, RCD Mallorca surprised Sevilla in Andalusia winning 2-1 thanks to superb first-half goals from Ariel Ibagaza and Fernando Varela. Sevilla pulled one back after the break from the head of Frédéric Kanouté, but they were unable to complete the comeback despite Mallorca finishing with ten men. Mallorca moved up to eighth with 19 points, while Sevilla stayed tenth.

Inter win to keep Roma in check

FC Internazionale Milano defeated Atalanta BC 2-1 on Saturday night to reclaim sole leadership of Serie A after AS Roma had temporarily joined them at the summit by winning at Genoa CFC.

Ibrahimović rested
With an eye on Tuesday's UEFA Champions League visit of Fenerbahçe SK, Inter coach Roberto Mancini started with leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimović on the bench but saw Julio Cruz and David Suazo combine to deadly effect in the Swede’s absence. Suazo opened the scoring on eleven minutes following a one-two with Cruz, who turned in the second on the half-hour after his strike partner had fired against the post. Sergio Floccari then scored with a powerful drive for Atalanta (39), who finished with ten men following Simone Inzaghi's late dismissal shortly after Inter had introduced the fit-again Marco Materazzi for the first time this season.

Panucci winner
In Genoa, Christian Panucci – a former Genoa player who sealed Italy's place at UEFA EURO 2008™ last Saturday when scoring against Scotland – popped up in the last minute again to earn Roma three points. Both teams had struck the woodwork in the second half before the defender's crucial intervention, Matteo Paro (72) for Genoa and Mirko Vučinić (77) for the visitors. AS Roma travel to FC Dynamo Kyiv in midweek.

Bayern stay on top as big guns fire

The former FC Bayern München coach Felix Magath left Bavaria without a point on Saturday as his VfL Wolfsburg side were beaten 2-1 by the Bundesliga leaders.

Influential Ribéry
Franck Ribéry created the opener for Miroslav Klose in the 35th minute, the Germany striker making no mistake from a neat pass, before the Frenchman combined with Hamit Altıntop to double the advantage five minutes after half-time. Bayern had endured a tough week off the pitch, and they were almost made to suffer on it after Ashkan Dejagah reduced arrears for the visitors on 72 minutes. Still, Ottmar Hitzfeld was relieved to see his charges hold on to move on to 31 points, one more than Werder Bremen following their 2-0 win at the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus.

Champions in form
Diego opened the scoring for Bremen from the penalty spot after 63 minutes, although the visitors were made to fight for three points before Mosquera wrapped them up with an 83rd-minute strike. In addition to Bremen, VfB Stuttgart and FC Schalke 04 warmed-up for their return to UEFA Champions League action this week by recording away wins. The champions won 4-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt to make it four Bundesliga victories in succession, while Kevin Kuranyi returned from injury to score twice in Schalke's 3-2 win at Hannover 96.

No draws
On a day of no draws in the German top flight, Bayer 04 Leverkusen were the biggest winners as they beat MSV Duisburg 4-1 to close to within two points of fourth-placed Karlsruher SC, 2-1 winners against Hertha BSC Berlin on Friday. VfL Bochum 1848 also enjoyed a three-goal winning margin, Marcin Mieciel (2) and Christoph Dabrowski finding the net without reply against DSC Arminia Bielefeld. Hamburger SV meet FC Hansa Rostock and 1. FC Nürnberg tackle BV Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.

Arsenal take advantage from MAN United slip

Arsenal FC scored two late goals to defeat Wigan Athletic FC and move clear at the Premier League summit after Manchester United FC surprisingly lost at Bolton Wanderers FC.

Gallas opener
William Gallas finally broke the deadlock for Arsenal in north London with 83 minutes gone against a side who will unveil Steve Bruce as their new manager on Monday. The former Birmingham City FC boss would have been impressed with what he saw from the stands, although the visitors' work was undone by the Frenchman's goal and a second in the 85th minute from Tomáš Rosický.

Anelka the hero
The Gunners now have 33 points from 13 games, three more than United who have played a game more. Nicolas Anelka was the Bolton hero as they won their first match since Gary Megson's appointment as coach late last month. The former Arsenal striker turned in an Iván Campo free-kick in the 39th minute, and things got worse for United when manager Sir Alex Ferguson was sent to the stands for remonstrating with officials.

Impressive Gerrard
Like Arsenal, Liverpool remain unbeaten after Steven Gerrard inspired them to a 3-0 victory at Newcastle United FC. Booed for his part in England's failure to reach UEFA EURO 2008™, Gerrard silenced the home crowd when opening the scoring in the 28th minute with a superb rising drive from almost 30 metres. Dutchmen Dirk Kuyt (46) and Ryan Babel (66) scored the others as Rafael Benítez's team moved on to 27 points.

Rampant Everton
An added-time Stephen Ireland goal kept Manchester City FC (29 points) in third as they beat Reading FC 2-1, while Salomon Kalou and Shaun Wright-Phillips scored in either half, before Michael Essien was sent off, as Chelsea FC won at bottom club derby to leapfrog Liverpool into fourth. Aston Villa FC were the biggest away winners, 3-0 at Middlesbrough FC, and Everton FC the most successful side at home as they thrashed Sunderland AFC 7-1. Portsmouth FC, continuing to impress, are sixth following a 2-0 win at Birmingham.

Croatia ended the hopes of England

England 2-3 Croatia

A late long-range goal from substitute Mladen Petrić sent Croatia to UEFA EURO 2008™ as Group E winners and ended the hopes of England, who had battled back from two goals down in a gripping encounter.

Rousing contest
Needing only a draw to progress, England made the worst possible start as Niko Kranjčar and Ivica Olić found the net in the first quarter-hour to put Croatia in command. The home side rallied in the second period, however, Frank Lampard halving the deficit from the penalty spot in the 56th minute before Peter Crouch volleyed the equaliser nine minutes later but just as it looked as if England would earn the point they needed, Petrić drilled in with 13 minutes left to finally kill off their challenge.

Croatia in control
Scott Carson replaced Paul Robinson in goal for England but that decision backfired within eight minutes as Kranjčar cut inside from the left and unleashed a dipping shot that squirmed through the goalkeeper and into the net. Although Shaun Wright-Phillips drew a save from Stipe Pletikosa almost immediately, the visitors doubled their advantage with a clinical counterattack in the 14th minute, Eduardo da Silva slipping Olić through to round Carson and roll in.

England rally
England manager Steve McClaren brought on a second forward in Jermain Defoe and David Beckham – for his 99th cap – at half-time and, although Eduardo was denied by Carson's legs, the changes revived England. Lampard sent Pletikosa the wrong way from the spot eleven minutes after the restart following Josip Šimunić's tug on Defoe, although Carson then had to make two fine saves from Olić. Those looked crucial as the home side equalised five minutes past the hour, Crouch collecting Beckham's right-wing cross on his chest and volleying into the corner of the net.

2-3 England vs. Croatia | EURO 2008 Q

Petrić stunner
Croatia, however, refused to settle for a point and continued to press forward looking for a third goal, getting their reward in the 77th minute as two substitutes combined to devastating effect. Danijel Pranjić slipped a pass inside for Petrić to drill a 25-metre shot across Carson and restore Croatia's lead and, despite pressing forward in the final ten minutes, England's efforts were all in vain.


Andorra 0-1 Russia


Russia took advantage of England's defeat against Croatia by beating Andorra to secure an unexpected place at UEFA EURO 2008™ as runners-up in Group E.

Sychev winner
Russia’s chances looked to have gone when they lost in Israel on Saturday, but Croatia’s victory at Wembley opened the door and Guus Hiddink's side forced their way through it by the narrowest of margins. Dmitri Sychev scored the all important goal just before the break to earn victory for a Russian side that also missed a penalty and finished the game with ten men following Andrei Arshavin’s late dismissal.

Wembley cheer
Russia began slowly and the opening minutes were evenly balanced. News then quickly spread around the ground that Croatia had gone ahead at Wembley. There was an even bigger cheer soon afterwards as the Russian fans realised England were two down. The Russia supporters urged on their side but Andorra goalkeeper Koldo Álvarez kept the visitors at bay, saving well from Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Denis Kolodin.

Sychev decider
Russia got the breakthrough five minutes before half-time. The inspiration came from the bench as substitute Dmitri Torbinskiy set up a goal with his first touch. The FK Spartak Moskva winger found space on the right and crossed for Sychev who headed over the advancing Álvarez and into the empty net.

Andorra - Russia 0-1 | EURO 2008 Qualifier

Penalty save
Russia spurned a great chance to go two ahead just before the interval after Álvarez brought down Kerzakhov in the area. The Andorra keeper injured himself in the process but got up to make an excellent save from Kolodin's spotkick. Álvarez could not continue after the break but his replacement José Antonio Gómes was kept busy by the Russian attack, saving twice from Torbinskiy before Kerzakhov had a shot blocked. The visitors lost some of their momentum when news came through that England had levelled at 2-2 with Croatia, but cheers soon broke out again when Russia's fans learned of Croatia's third goal. Arshavin was sent off late on for violent conduct but Russia would soon be celebrating.



Israel 1-0 F.Y.R. Macedonia

Israel ended their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign on a high as Elyaniv Barda's first-half header earned victory against F.Y.R. Macedonia.

Even contest
The visitors, weekend conquerors of Group E leaders Croatia 2-0, were worthy opponents for an Israel side buoyed by their dramatic win over Russia, but despite long periods of pressure, they could not find a response to Barda's 35th-minute goal.

Impasse
The game's first chance had come when Israel's Maor Bar Buzaglo tested goalkeeper Petar Milosevski from 20 metres, while Velice Sumulikoski tried his luck from distance at the other end. F.Y.R. Macedonia were holding their own and almost broke the deadlock when Aco Stojkov wriggled past Tal Ben Haim only to drag his shot wide of the upright.

Powerful header
The goal arrived ten minutes from half-time. Full-back Yuval Shpungin took a throw-in on the right, burst to the byline after receiving a clever backheel from Barak Itzhaki, and chipped over a cross which Barda – a goalscorer against Russia – powered past Milosevski. Darko Tasevski immediately threatened an equaliser and Srečko Katanec's side continued to press at the start of the second half when Vlatko Grozdanovski shot wide.

Late chance
Israel's counterattacking almost paid dividends with 20 minutes to go, substitute Ben Sahar seeing his strike smothered by Milosevski. Sumulikoski and Barda traded efforts, Sahar had another attempt kept out by Milosevski, before the visitors were denied a late equaliser when Slavco Georgievski's header was directed over his own crossbar by defender Dekel Keinan. The win took Dror Kashtan's Israel on to 23 points from their 12 matches, nine above their opponents.

Portugal gets a point and join Poland in the finals

Portugal 0-0 Finland

Portugal secured the point they needed to advance to the UEFA EURO 2008™ finals despite being denied time and again by the fine goalkeeping of Jussi Jääskeläinen.

Jääskeläinen heroics
The home side certainly did not play for a draw and only a wonderful performance from Jääskeläinen prevented Luiz Felipe Scolari's men from recording a comfortable triumph that would have made them Group A winners ahead of Poland. The visitors knew that only a win would be enough for them to qualify but they rarely threatened, their best chance coming in a frantic finale in which defender Bruno Alves sliced narrowly wide of his own goal. Defeat leaves the Finns in third place, although they could slip to fourth if Serbia win their final game against Kazakhstan.

Portugal dominant
Portugal dominated the first half but a combination of poor finishing and Jääskeläinen's excellence prevented them from taking the lead. The hosts' first effort came after two minutes, Ricardo Quaresma firing in a shot which was smothered by Jääskeläinen and the Bolton Wanderers FC custodian excelled again after ten minutes tipping Cristiano Ronaldo's 25-metre free-kick over the bar. The one-way traffic continued, Quaresma again being denied while a Ronaldo header was turned over by Jääskeläinen.

Inspired goalkeeping
It took Finland 42 minutes to threaten home goalkeeper Ricardo, Joonas Kolkka lashing in a shot which drifted just over the bar. Portugal quickly regained the initiative after the break but again could find no way past the goalkeeper. After 51 minutes Miguel Veloso whipped in a corner which Nuno Gomes directed goalwards only for Jääskeläinen to produce another wonderful stop. The 32-year-old produced two more fine saves to deny Quaresma before Finland launched a late bid to win it. However, the closest Roy Hodgson's team came was when Alves almost put through his own goal.

Serbia 2-2 Poland

Poland, having already qualified, confirmed themselves as group winners with a 2-2 draw away to Serbia.They were 2-0 up at half time through strikes from Rafal Murawski and Radoslaw Matusak.

The Serbs, knowing a win would give them a chance of qualification if Finland beat Portugal, rallied in the second half to produce finishes from Nikola Zigic and Danko Lazovic,but they did not have time to score a winner for their hopes.


Azerbaijan 0-1 Belgium

Luigi Pieroni scored the only goal in Baku to seal Belgium's fifth win of a disappointing UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign.

Azerbaijan bottom
The visiting side enjoyed the better of the play at the Tofikh Bakhramov-Republic Stadium and Pieroni got their reward on 53 minutes. René Vandereycken's team finish fifth in Group A, with Azerbaijan bottom on five points from their 12 games.

Belgium press
Belgium began positively and midfielder Gill Swerts came close on 17 minutes, Azerbaijan goalkeeper Farkhad Veliyev doing well to keep out his 20-metre drive. Veliyev saved again five minutes later, catching Daniel Van Buyten's header following Swerts's dangerous set-piece. Azerbaijan were largely restricted to shots from distance with forward Zaur Ramazanov going closest with a strike that flashed narrowly wide on 37 minutes.

Pieroni goal
Belgium broke the deadlock after the interval when Pieroni pounced with an opportunist goal. Azerbaijan defender Rail Melikov blocked a header but Pieroni seized on the rebound and turned the ball into the bottom left corner. The 27-year-old missed an opening to double the advantage in the 65th minute when he screwed a close-range attempt wide after finding space in the box.

Euro 2008: Azerbaijão 0-1 Bélgica

Late misses
Belgium controlled possession as the game wore on and it was not until the 85th minute that Azerbaijan finally worked a meaningful opportunity. Substitute Leandro Gomes got himself into a good position on the edge of the area yet shot wide. When, in added time, Branimir Subašić blazed over from a matter of metres, Azerbaijan's final chance had gone.



Armenia 1-0 Kazakhstan

Sergey Ostapenko's first international goal earned Kazakhstan a victory in Yerevan which took the visitors above Armenia in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group A.

Kazakh success
The 21-year-old's second-half strike came against the run of play and gave Kazakhstan only their second win of the qualifying campaign.

In control
Armenia had threatened to take control early on when Robert Arzumanyan shot wide following an Artur Voskanyan free-kick. Although Ostapenko tested Armenia keeper Roman Berezovsky's reflexes soon after, the home team continued to dictate matters. Karen Dokhoyan fired over when well-placed before an effort from Levon Pachajyan skimmed the top of the crossbar close to half-time.

Perfect response
The traffic carried on towards the Kazakhstan goal at the beginning of the second period, with a Samvel Melkonyan attempt flying just the wrong side of an upright. Ostapenko provided the perfect response for Arno Pijpers' men, first by demanding a save from Berezovsky following a Sergey Larin centre, then by blasting the ball beyond the Armenia keeper from the edge of the area.

Armenia low
Armenia came close to equalising soon after through an Artavazd Karamyan free-kick. However, the team now led by Vardan Minasyan following the death of coach Ian Porterfield could not prevent their campaign ending on a glum note. Armenia, who had won 2-1 in Kazakhstan in June, finished on nine points from 12 matches – having been unable to fulfil their two fixtures against Azerbaijan. The Kazakhs have ten points and a game still to play in Serbia.

Italy on top after France draw in Ukraine

Ukraine 2-2 France

Andriy Shevchenko's second-half header earned Ukraine a point from their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying Group B dead rubber against France in Kiev.

Frey error
The hosts had gone ahead early on through Andriy Voronin, but well-taken goals by Thierry Henry and Sidney Govou put France, who had already qualified for next summer's finals, in front. France goalkeeper Sébastien Frey failed to deal with Shevchenko's looping header in the opening minutes of the second half so the spoils were shared on a freezing night in the Ukraine capital.

Voronin strikes
France started well, dominating possession with Lassana Diarra and Claude Makelele bossing the centre of midfield. It was against the run of play that Ukraine, out of the running for qualification, broke the deadlock in the 14th minute. A cross from the right reached Oleh Gusev who laid the ball back for Voronin to score from 20 metres.

France danger
Les Bleus deservedly equalised six minutes later. Henry controlled Makelele's pass before finding space and curling a fine left-foot shot round goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov. Shevchenko had a stinging shot saved by Frey, but France still looked dangerous and they took the lead for the first time on 34 minutes. Govou spun his marker and played a one-two with Karim Benzema before bending a curling effort from the left into the corner.

Runners up
Ukraine were gifted an equaliser by Frey at the start of the second half. Shevchenko's looping header from a deep, left-wing cross looked harmless, but the ACF Fiorentina goalkeeper failed to catch the ball one-handed and tipped it into his own net. Both sides had chances before the end, but France had already done enough to claim the runners-up spot behind Italy in Group B.



Italy 3-1 Faroe Islands

Italy completed their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign by securing top spot in Group B with a 3-1 triumph over the Faroe Islands in Modena.

Faroes point-less
Defender Fródi Benjaminsen's own goal put the world champions in front after eleven minutes, Luca Toni doubled the lead on 36 minutes and Giorgio Chiellini's stunning strike four minutes before the break gave the Azzurri a commanding advantage. Rógvi Jacobsen's header reduced the deficit seven minutes from the end but the visitors ended the qualifying tournament without a single point.

Reshuffled side
Having already earned qualification for next summer's finals, Italy coach Roberto Donadoni made eight changes from Saturday's 2-1 triumph in Scotland but his reshuffled side did not take long to break the deadlock. Toni had already directed a close-range header just wide when Benjaminsen deflected Massimo Oddo's cross into his own net. Italy continued to press forward and shortly after the half-hour they increased their advantage, Toni getting on to the end of Fabio Grosso's cross before firing past Jákup Mikkelsen.

Reward
The home side continued to control possession and their efforts were rewarded again when Chiellini's 25-metre drive stunned Mikkelsen. At the other end, the Faroes threatened with Súni Olsen's shot from distance falling just wide of Marco Amelia's far post. Into the second half and Mikkelsen had to dive at full stretch to stop Toni's right-footed effort while Hanus Thorleifson made a goalline clearance from Italy substitute Fabio Quagliarella's powerful header.

Italia vs Far Oer 3-1 Qualif Euro2008

Job done
Jógvan Martin Olsen's team did not just defend, though, and on 83 minutes, they found the net when Jacobsen's powerful header towards the near post beat Amelia. Italy might have conceded a second had Amelia not saved Jóhan Davidsen's header but by then, the job was done.



Georgia 0-2 Lithuania

Lithuania rode their luck to beat Georgia in Tbilisi courtesy of second-half goals by Audrius Ksanavicius and Mindaugas Kalonas.

Second-half strikes
Ksanavicius put the visitors in front against the run of play on 52 minutes, before substitute Kalonas added a second deep into stoppage time to secure Lithuania's fifth victory of the UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign.

Home pressure
The hosts had begun positively, with David Kvirkvelia's 30-metre shot being well saved by Žydrunas Karčemarskas. From the resulting corner, Karčemarskas was called into action again to deny a David Siradze header, while Levan Kenia also threatened for Georgia with a close-range header that was blocked by Marius Stankevicius.

Key saves
Edgaras Jankauskas had Lithuania's first attempt on 26 minutes, a wayward drive from distance, while at the other end Georgia hit the post when Zurab Menteshashvili's inswinging free-kick narrowly evaded team-mates Kakha Kaladze and Lasha Salukvadze. Then Kenia played in Siradze whose effort from the left of the area was stopped by the legs of Karčemarskas. The Lithuania keeper would also thwart Kenia before the half-time whistle blew.

Points won
So Georgia had received little warning of danger when Ksanavicius beat Giorgi Makaridze with a low strike as he approached the home team's area. Stankevicius might have doubled the advantage in the 73rd minute as he volleyed Kalonas's corner over the bar, although Levan Mchedlidze went even closer for Georgia with an overhead kick. The next, deciding goal, however, went to Lithuania as Kalonas finished off good work down the right from Andrius Velička. The result left Lithuania on 16 points in Group B, six above the Georgians.

Sweden catch up with spain

Sweden 2-1 Latvia

Kim Källström's second-half strike ensured Sweden sealed their place at UEFA EURO 2008™ with victory against Latvia in Solna.

Perfect start
A Northern Ireland win in Spain in the night's other Group F match coupled with a Sweden defeat would have cost Lars Lagerbäck's side a place in Austria and Switzerland, but there was little chance of that as Sweden pressed forward from the start. Marcus Allbäck opened the scoring within a minute of kick-off, and though Swedish hearts were in mouths when Jurijs Laizans equalised after 26 minutes, Källström made sure of the points 12 minutes into the second half.

Laizans equaliser
Sweden enjoyed the perfect opening when Zlatan Ibrahimović crossed from the right for Allbäck to head in from close range. Latvia were being pinned back in their own half and Källström came close again before Ibrahimović fired wide. At the other end, Laizans twice served notice of his danger, first shooting wide from 20 metres, then bringing a fine save from Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson. Sweden would be breached before the half-hour though, as Laizans' deflected effort gave the sprawling Isaksson no chance.

Missed chances
The hosts hit back, subjecting Latvia's defence to wave after wave of attacks, but Mikael Nilsson and Källström both missed when presented with good opportunities. Sweden picked up where they had left off after the restart, continuing to squander presentable chances, with Ibrahimović and Allbäck both wayward from close range in quick succession.

2-1 Sweden vs. Latvia | EURO 2008 Q

Källström winner
The pressure finally told on 57 minutes. Fredrik Ljungberg on the right passed to Källström, who swept the ball in left-footed from 20 metres. Sweden had further invitations to add to their advantage, but two goals would be enough to make sure of a place in Austria and Switzerland.

Spain 1-0 Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's faint UEFA EURO 2008™ qualification hopes fizzled out as a deflected Spain goal condemned them to defeat in Gran Canaria.

Spain finish first
Xavi Hernández's second-half strike settled the contest although Sweden's 2-1 win against Latvia meant Nigel Worthington's team would not have progressed even had they won. The goal came when Xavi's long-range drive clipped off Sammy Clinghan's head to wrongfoot Maik Taylor and was enough to secure Spain first place in Group F, two points ahead of the Swedes. Northern Ireland, after a remarkable campaign, finished in third place.

Pressure
Spain started brightly and Xavi cracked a shot wide of Taylor's post after two minutes. The home side had claims for a penalty waved away by referee Herbert Fandel in the seventh minute after David Silva went to ground following a challenge from Stephen Craigan. Sergio Ramos found the side-netting in the 21st minute following a neat through-ball from Cesc Fabregas and as Spain stepped up the pressure, Taylor had to get down quickly to smother a shot from Daniel Güiza.

Taylor saves
A minute later Ramos came within a whisker of making the breakthrough, only for Clingan to clear off the line. Fabregas was next to threaten, the Arsenal FC midfielder stinging Taylor's fingers with a rasping drive from distance after 38 minutes. Spain kept coming, however, Taylor clawing away Andrés Iniesta’s deflected cross and then denying Marcos Senna and Silva.

Spain 1-0 Northern Ireland

Cursing their luck
Having stood firm for 53 minutes, Northern Ireland were cursing their luck when Spain went in front. Taylor seemed to have Xavi's 25-metre effort covered but he was left wrong-footed after it took a deflection of Craigan. Spain should have extended their lead when substitute Joaquín pulled the ball back from the byline. It looked a tap-in for Silva but he somehow managed to steer his shot wide of Taylor's post.


Denmark 3-0 Iceland

Denmark rounded off in style a mixed UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign as goals from Nicklas Bendtner, Jon Dahl Tomasson and Thomas Kahlenberg earned a 3-0 triumph against Iceland in Copenhagen.

Bendtner opener
With only pride to play for, this Group F dead rubber could have seen both teams going through the motions, but Denmark instilled early urgency and got their reward with three goals in a 25-minute period either side of half-time. Bendtner broke the deadlock on 34 minutes as he collected a Christian Poulsen pass and fired beyond Árni Arason and Tomasson made it 2-0 just before half-time. There was no way back for Iceland, whose disappointing campaign was compounded by Kahlenberg's strike seconds before the hour.

Euro 2008: Denmark 3-0 Iceland

Killer blow
It sealed a victory that had always seemed likely as the hosts drove forward from kick-off. Poulsen and Bendtner both went close before Daniel Jensen forced an Arason save as Morten Olsen's charges displayed greater purpose. Bendtner finally made the breakthrough eleven minutes before the interval and although Iceland rallied, with Veigar Páll Gunnarsson firing over, Tomasson hit a killer blow from close range on 44 minutes. Kahlenberg made it three following good work from Bendtner and the winning margin could have been more emphatic had Ulrik Laursen and substitute Simon Poulsen not been denied.

Turkey in Euro 2008

Turkey 1-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina

Turkey secured their place at UEFA EURO 2008™ after Nihat Kahveci's goal earned victory over stubborn Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Second place
Nihat struck at the end of a first half that Fatih Terim's team dominated, yet the hosts were unable to build on that lead and had to endure some tense moments. However, the win assured them of second place in Group C at Norway's expense.

Victory required
With Norway facing Malta in their final qualifier, and just a point separating the third-placed Scandinavians from Terim's men, Turkey needed to win to progress. Nihat, Arda Turan and Nihat again all forced early saves from goalkeeper Adnan Gušo, and with the exception of a wayward Branislav Krunić effort, the hosts dominated.

On target
Nihat, who was proving a constant thorn in the side of Fuad Muzurović's team, finally found a way through two minutes before half-time. Hamit Altıntop found space down the left and crossed for the Villarreal CF forward who finished from 12 metres.

Türkiye: 1 - 0 Bosnia

Resistance
A more positive Bosnia-Herzegovina began the second period. Edin Džeko drew a save from Rüştü Reçber and Turkish attempts to unsettle the visitors were now paying fewer dividends. Emre Belözoglu tried to ease nerves among the home supporters with a free-kick that flashed wide. Terim attempted the same thing by bringing on midfielder Gökdeniz Karadeniz for Nihat. The strategy worked as Turkey held out to pip Norway to second place behind Greece and a berth in Austria/Switzerland.

Malta 1 - 4 Norway

Steffen Iversen scored a first-half hat-trick as Norway crushed Malta – but it was not enough to propel Åge Hareide's side to UEFA EURO 2008™.

Iversen hat-trick
The Norwegians needed to win while hoping Bosnia-Herzegovina could break a losing streak against Turkey. In the event, Hareide's team comfortably kept their part of the bargain but Turkey did enough to finish second in Group C. Iversen broke the deadlock 25 minutes in, grabbed a second from the penalty spot three minutes later, then killed off the tie on the stroke of half-time. Michael Mifsud reduced the deficit after the break, though that was tempered by Andre Schembri's 67th-minute red card and Morten Gamst Pedersen's strike to make it 4-1.

Torrid opening
Iversen set the trend with a narrow miss one minute in and Jarl André Storbæk kept up the pressure with a 35-metre piledriver two minutes later. Attempts from Bjørn Riise and John Arne Riise followed as Norway put Malta through a torrid first ten minutes. And it was no surprise when Iversen headed the opener from Storbæk's right-wing cross. A second arrived soon afterwards when Jamie Pace brought John Carew down in the area, and Iversen netted from the spot.

Short-lived recovery
That sparked something of a resurgence from Malta, for whom Pace nearly amends when his 25-metre drive brought a fingertip save from Håkon Opdal. The fightback was short-lived, though, and truly quelled when Iversen smashed in his hat-trick goal from John Arne Riise's cross a minute before the interval. Mifsud pulled one back eight minutes after the restart with a low strike from the edge of the box. However, Schembri then saw red for a second bookable offence and Pedersen's header from Per Ciljan Skjelbred's centre 15 minutes from time ended the contest.


Hungary 1-2 Greece

Greece ended their successful UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign on a winning note after coming from a goal down to grind out a victory against Hungary in Budapest.

Basinas winner
Otto Rehhagel's men were fortunate to go in at half-time on level terms having fallen behind to Ákos Buzsáky's early deflected opener in a lacklustre start. Home defender Vilmos Vanczák threw the visitors a lifeline midway through the opening half when he headed past his own goalkeeper before captain Angelos Basinas scored a penalty a minute before the hour to complete a determined comeback from the European Champions.

Early opener
In the first minute Tamás Priskin broke clear after a mistake by Greek full-back Christos Patsatzoglou, but the defender was saved by goalkeeper Konstantinos Chalkias's fine block. Six minutes later, though, and the hosts' early pressure yielded the lead when Buzsáky went on a mazy run before firing in a shot which deflected off Konstantinos Katsouranis and over Chalkias.

Hungary chances
Greece levelled after 22 minutes with their first real attack of the match when Katsouranis's right-wing cross was flicked across goal by Alexandros Tziolis and headed into his own net by Vanczák. The visitors, so convincing in their 5-0 demolition of Malta on Saturday, were reduced to long-range efforts from Basinas while the home side continued to carve out decent chances. Péter Halmosi should have converted Buzsáky's cross after 31 minutes and midfielder Dániel Tőzsér was denied from 20 metres by Chalkias.

Basinas spot-kick
Greece, though, won a penalty following Hungary keeper Márton Fülöp's foul on Gekas and Basinas stepped up confidently to put Greece in front. Vánczak should have levelled again after 71 minutes but sent his free header straight at substitute goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis. It was to prove the last chance for Hungary who finished their campaign second from bottom of Group C.

Czech Republic sealed top spot

The Czech Republic sealed top spot in Group D with this comfortable UEFA EURO 2008™ victory in Cyprus.

Pole position
Daniel Pudil's goal gave the early initiative to Karel Brückner's side, before Jan Koller struck 16 minutes from time to secure the points. The result ensured that the Czechs would finish first in the group because of their better head-to-head record against also-qualified Germany.

Deadlock broken
The breakthrough hardly came against the run of play, as the Czechs had already threatened through Marek Matějovský, Tomáš Galásek and Michal Kadlec. In the event, it arrived via the left foot of 22-year-old midfielder Pudil, who found the bottom corner of Antonis Georgallides's goal from around 30 metres.

Dominance
Georgallides got closer to the next Czech attempts, saving from both Marek Kulič and Matějovský. By way of a first-half reply, Angelos Anastasiadis's team could only offer long-range efforts from Michalis Konstantinou and a wasted Efstathios Aloneftis free-kick.

Doubling up
Second-half substitute Milan Baroš then shot wide before strike partner Koller put the win beyond doubt. The totem connected with Jaroslav Plašil's 74th-minute corner for a headed goal. Georgallides then prevented Plašil turning from creator to scorer, and the Cyprus keeper also denied Martin Fenin late on. The defeat left the islanders with 14 points from their 12 games, 15 fewer than the Czechs.

San Marino 0 - 5 Slovakia

Marek Čech struck twice as Slovakia ended their Group D campaign with a resounding 5-0 win against San Marino in Serravalle.

Michalík breakthrough
Having restricted Wales to a narrow 2-1 victory in their last outing, San Marino must have held hopes of another close encounter as the teams approached half-time with the score goalless. However, Ľubomír Michalík made the breakthrough three minutes before the interval and from then on it was one-way traffic. Within 12 minutes of the restart it was 4-0 as Filip Hološko, Marek Hamšík and Čech all got their names on the scoresheet, and Čech rounded off the victory seven minutes from time. The result was enough for Slovakia to leapfrog Wales and Cyprus into fourth, with San Marino 14 points adrift at the foot of the table.

Selva denied
San Marino ended their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign with a 'goals against' tally of 57, yet things looked bright for Giampaolo Mazza's team in a lively opening. Andy Selva almost gave the hosts a shock lead when his free-kick struck the crossbar on five minutes and the same player tested Štefan Senecký with a long-range effort later in the half.

Floodgates open
After Michalík headed, however, in the floodgates opened. Six minutes after the restart Hološko nodded in Hamšík's corner to make it 2-0 and when Hamšík added a third from distance two minutes later, Slovakia were cruising. Čech quickly hit his first of the night and San Marino's misery was complete when the 24-year-old applied a crisp finish to Juraj Halenár's pass to make it 5-0.


Germany 0-0 Wales

Wales earned a creditable draw in Frankfurt to end their Euro 2008 campaign on a relative high note despite finishing fifth in Group D.

The Welsh central defensive trio of Danny Gabbidon, Lewis Nyatanga and James Collins all emerged with great credit after forming a watertight defensive shield in front of 20-year-old keeper Wayne Hennessey.

Both teams went into the game with little to play for. Germany had already qualified while Wales were out of the running, and the game developed along predictably tame lines.

Germany controlled possession throughout and ex-Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger was the creative force behind many of their moves in the first half, most notably in the 10th minute when he jinked past three challenges and laid off to Lukas Podolski, who blasted just over from 20 yards.

Wales were lucky to survive in the fifteenth minute when Tim Borowski's shot cannoned off the post, onto the back of Henessey's head, back onto the post and stayed spinning inches short of the line before Hennessey finally cleared.

Robert Earnshaw, playing as a lone stiker endured a difficult night as his team-mates struggled to retain possession long enough to get the ball up to him, and the Derby County front man was eventually substituted in the 55th minute.

David Edwards and Carl Fletcher both had half chances to score shortly before half-time but in truth Jens Lehmann had very little to do in the Germany goal.

The second half started slowly and petered out from there. Wales were obviously content to play for a point and dropped increasingly deep as time progressed. Germany continued to push for a winner, but it was their final ball and decision making in the final third that let them down time and time again.

Apart from the couple of moments of danger in the first half Wales never really looked like conceding despite the pressure and despite finishing so low in the Group D table, manager John Toshack will no doubt view such a solid performance as a positive to build on for the future.

Romania sign off in style

Romania 6-1 Albania

Romania completed their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying campaign in style with a comprehensive victory over nine-man Albania to finish top of Group G.

Second-half rout
After taking a first-half lead through Nicolae Dică, Romania scored five goals in a 20-minute second-half spell. Gabriel Tamas put the home side 2-0 up on 53 minutes before Debatik Curri was dismissed. Daniel Niculae added Romania's third and though substitute Edmond Kapllani pulled one back for Albania, Romania countered with further strikes from Niculae, Ciprian Marica and Dică, who registered his second from the penalty spot after Nevil Dede had been shown a second yellow card for bringing down Marica.

Tamas strikes
Romania started well and their pressure told on 22 minutes when Razvan Cocis crossed from the right to Dică who converted from close range. Albania almost equalised at the beginning of the second half when Kapllani centred for Erion Bogdani, but his attempt was superbly saved by Bogdan Lobont. Romania doubled their lead shortly after when Tamas drilled a low free-kick from 30 metres through a crowded area and into the bottom right corner.

Curri off
Albania's problems intensified on 61 minutes when Curri was sent off for a foul on Marica and three minutes later, before Albania could regroup, Dică chipped towards the far post where an unmarked Niculae shot powerfully into the roof of the net. Almost straight from the restart Albania gave themselves a glimmer of hope when Altin Haxhi played the ball into substitute Kapllani on the edge of the box and he turned his marker before finishing well.

Romania vs Albania 6-1

Group winners
Romania, however, extinguished that hope in ruthless fashion on 66 minutes. Cocis broke down the right and laid the ball across for Niculae to tap in. With 19 minutes remaining, Dede impeded Răzvan Raţ and Marica sent goalkeeper Arian Beqaj the wrong way to make it 5-1. Two minutes later Dede was penalised again for another foul in the area on Marica. Dede was red-carded and Dică stepped up to fire in the penalty. Romania top their group on 29 points, three above the Netherlands, as Victor Piturca's men progressed to their first major tournament since UEFA EURO 2000™. The match was the last to be played at Bucharest's Lia Manoliu Stadium, which will be demolished to make way for a new five-star arena to be opened in April 2010.

Belarus 2-1 Netherlands

Second-half goals from Vitali Bulyga and Vladimir Korythko ensured Belarus ended their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign with a famous win against the Netherlands in Minsk.

Qualification assured
The visitors had secured their place at next summer's finals with a 1-0 weekend defeat of Luxembourg, but this result left Marco van Basten's side in second place in Group G behind Romania. Belarus, meanwhile, climbed from sixth position at kick-off to fourth on 13 points, two above Albania and Slovenia.

Enterprising opening
The Netherlands started strongly at the Dinamo Stadium, with Danny Koevermans and Ryan Babel both missing the target when well-placed although visiting keeper Maarten Stekelenburg had to parry a Korythko shot and Aleksandr Hleb fired wide. It was Van Basten's team though – who had scored only 14 goals in their eleven fixtures, one less than their opponents – who were creating the better openings. Yegor Filipenko blocked another Babel effort, while Rafael van der Vaart and Wilfred Bouma tried their luck from distance.

Belarus in front
Maksim Romashchenko served notice of Belarus's threat in the closing seconds of the first period, and the Netherlands failed to heed the warning. The Oranje duly fell behind four minutes into the second half as Bulyga collected Korythko's through ball and slid a low shot past Stekelenburg. Although Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Van der Vaart hinted at an equaliser, Aleksei Skverniuk's powerful long-range drive almost doubled the hosts' lead and a second goal was not long in arriving. It was Korythko who curled it in from the edge of the area following Bulyga's pass.

Superb finish
Koevermans and Van der Vaart both spurned half-chances and the luckless Babel struck the crossbar, yet it was not until the 89th minute that the Netherlands finally unpicked the Belarus defence. Van der Vaart produced a superb finish, neatly chipping Yuri Zhevnov for a consolation goal as Bernd Stange's men held on for a morale-boosting victory.

Slovenia 0-2 Bulgaria

Late goals from Blagoy Georgiev and Dimitar Berbatov ensured Bulgaria ended their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign with a victory that left them one point off the qualifying places.

Jokič dismissed
Romania and the Netherlands had already secured the two available berths from Group G, with Bulgaria's hopes being finally extinguished last Saturday. Slovenia were reduced to ten men when Bojan Jokič was dismissed moments before half-time and Bulgaria eventually wore down the hosts to seal victory with two goals in the final nine minutes.

Early chances
Both sides had chances in the early stages. Slovenia goalkeeper Samir Handanovič did well to collect Velizar Dimitrov's early header after he had connected with Martin Petrov's cross. At the other end, Andraž Kirm's shot was blocked by Zhivko Milanov and Jokič's long-range effort was kept out by goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov. Klemen Lavrič's overhead kick following a corner also came close.

Handanovič saves
The momentum swung Bulgaria's way shortly before half-time when Jokič was sent off for pulling back Hristo Yovov as he bore down on goal. Handanovič easily dealt with Martin Petrov's subsequent free-kick, but Bulgaria would ultimately make their advantage tell.

Late flurry
Early in the second half Handanovič saved Yovov's angled shot then kept out Aleksandar Tunchev's header as the visiting team pressed. On 81 minutes Bulgaria finally made the breakthrough as Georgiev put his side in front with a volley. The points were made safe three minutes after that when Berbatov converted from close range after good play from Dimitrov.

Today EURO 2008 Qualifying Campaign Ends

Portugal, Turkey, England and Sweden are favourites to complete the 16-team lineup for the 2008 UEFA European Championship when the qualifying campaign all but concludes this evening.

Home draws needed
Portugal will go through from Group A with a draw against qualification rivals Finland in Porto, while Sweden and England are also in need of home draws against Latvia and Croatia respectively to advance from their sections. Like England, Turkey avoided elimination on Saturday and they now need to beat Bosnia-Herzegovina to go through. Anything less than a victory, though, would let Norway wrest back second spot in Group C with a win in Malta.

Twelve through
In addition to hosts Austria and Switzerland, ten teams are already assured of a place in the 2 December draw for the final tournament in Lucerne: Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Spain. uefa.com rounds up the state of play following the penultimate round of qualifiers on Saturday.

Group A
Poland's 2-0 defeat of Belgium on Saturday took them through. Portugal are one point back and in need of just a single point more after beating Armenia 1-0. However, Finland's 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan keeps them within three points of the Portuguese whom they could overtake by winning the sides' Porto showdown. There is also hope for Serbia who will take on Poland on Wednesday and Kazakhstan on Saturday after snow in Belgrade twice forced the game's postponement last weekend. Serbia would qualify with wins against Poland, on Wednesday, and Kazakhstan combined with a Portugal defeat against Finland.

Group B
Italy's 2-1 triumph in Glasgow lifts them to the top, one point clear of France and two above Scotland, whose brave bid for qualification is over.

Group C
Turkey took a massive step towards securing second place behind group winners Greece by beating Norway 2-1 in Oslo, a result that puts them a point clear of the Scandinavians and well placed to complete the job tonight when they entertain Bosnia-Herzegovina and Norway travel to Malta.

Group D
The Czech Republic and Germany had already secured qualification and they remain tied on points at the summit after both won at the weekend, the Czechs beating neighbours Slovakia 3-1 and Germany sweeping Cyprus aside 4-0.

Group E
Russia's 2-1 reverse in Israel means Croatia, three points clear at the top, are guaranteed at least second place despite going down 2-0 in F.Y.R Macedonia. It also restored England's hopes of progress for, with a two-point lead over Russia, they now need only a point at Wembley while the Russians face Andorra.

Group F
Spain booked their finals berth by beating Sweden 3-0 in Madrid. The Scandinavians are two points behind Spain in second place and will still qualify so long as they take a point from their concluding home game against Latvia. If Sweden lose, then third-placed Northern Ireland – 2-1 victors over eliminated Denmark – can pip them to second place on the head-to-head rule by winning in Spain.

Group G
The Netherlands' 1-0 home victory over Luxembourg ensured they cannot be caught by third-placed Bulgaria, who remain four points behind the top two despite beating an already qualified Romania side 1-0.

EPL week 13:Arsenal climb back on top

Arsenal FC returned to the top of the Premier League on Monday with a comfortable 3-1 victory away to Reading FC.

Flamini opener
Mathieu Flamini and Emmanuel Adebayor scored either side of half-time to put the game out of Reading's reach before Aleksandr Hleb added the third 13 minutes from time. Reading frustrated Arsenal for much of the first half but the visiting side still had the chances to win by a greater margin. As early as the third minute Adebayor raced clear of the Reading defence and beat Marcus Hahnemann with a low strike that hit the post. Reading’s best chance of the half came on 31 minutes when Brynjar Gunnarsson's strike from distance was palmed to safety by Manuel Almunia.

Adebayor scores
Arsenal stepped up the pressure as the half progressed and took the lead a minute before the interval. Adebayor set Hleb free down the right and he crossed low for Flamini to slide the ball into the net. Arsenal maintained the momentum after the break and soon added the second. They carved through the Reading defence with a lovely interchange of passes before Cesc Fabregas teed up Adebayor who side-footed the ball through a crowded penalty area and in at the far post.

Hleb strike
Adebayor had the ball in the net again three minutes later following a sweeping counter-attack led by Hleb but the attempt was ruled out for offside. The third goal was not long in coming with Hleb scoring from close range with 13 minutes to play. Reading pulled one back through Nicky Shorey, who had earlier hit the post from a free-kick, but Arsenal's win was never in doubt. Victory takes Arsenal top by virtue of having scored more goals than Manchester United FC. Both sides have 30 points though Arsenal have a game in hand. Reading are 12th, with 13 points from 13 games.

EPL week 13:Ronaldo double puts United on top

Manchester United FC moved to the top of the Premier League after victory against Blackburn Rovers FC on a busy day when a late goal by Tim Cahill earned Everton FC a point against Chelsea FC and Aston Villa FC beat west Midlands rivals Birmingham City FC.

Ronaldo double
Two quick goals by Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half proved enough to earn Manchester United maximum points against Blackburn at Old Trafford. The Portuguese international headed his first on 34 minutes before scoring with a right-footed shot just a minute later. Blackburn's misery was completed when David Dunn was sent off for two yellow cards eight minutes into the second half. The win moved United three points clear of Arsenal FC, although the London club can move back to the summit with victory against Reading FC on Monday.

Late drama
Australian international midfielder Cahill struck with a spectacular overhead kick in the final minute at Stamford Bridge to extend Everton's unbeaten run in all competitions to six games as they drew 1-1 with Chelsea. Avram Grant' side had taken the lead in the 70th minute when Didier Drogba headed in a corner but the UEFA Champions League contenders had to settle for a point, which was enough to take them up to third in the table, while Everton remain in ninth.

Villa joy
Sunday's lunchtime game between Birmingham and Aston Villa was decided three minutes from time by Gabriel Agbonlahor, who flicked in a header to earn a 2-1 win for the visitors. Villa had led after eleven minutes following a Liam Ridgewell own goal before Finnish striker Mikael Forssell equalised with a powerful header. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur FC claimed a welcome three points with a 4-0 win against Wigan Athletic FC to move up to 14th while Bolton Wanderers FC stay in the relegation zone afer drawing 0-0 against Middlesbrough FC. Manchester City FC remain third after their visit to Portsmouth FC also ended goalless.

Lazio tragedy causes postponement

The Serie A game between FC Internazionale Milano and S.S. Lazio was postponed after a Lazio fan was killed after being accidentally shot by a police officer attempting to break up an incident between Lazio and Juventus supporters at a motorway service station at Badia al Pino in Tuscany.

Postponed
Lazio fans were travelling to Milan for the game against Inter, while Juventus supporters were on their way to their league fixture against Parma FC when the incident occurred. After emergency talks between the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and the Italian government it was decided that Lazio's game with Inter should be postponed, with the kick-off in all of the other Serie A matches delayed by ten minutes. The match between Atalanta BC and AC Milan, meanwhile, was postponed after just seven minutes following disturbances between Atalanta fans and police.

'Tradegy'
Giancarlo Abete, president of the FIGC, said: "We decided to postpone the game between Inter and Lazio to mourn the death of the Lazio fan. We are still trying to discover what actually happened. At the moment it does not seem similar to other previous football-related incidents. Apparently it was a clash between two small groups of fans and probably not even for sporting reasons. The attempt to stop this clash became a tragedy." Chief of Arezzo police, Vincenzo Giacobbe said: "It was a tragic mistake. I want to express my pain and my commiserations to the family of the person."

LA LIGA Week 12

Real Madrid CF moved four points clear at the top of the Primera División after getting the better of a seven-goal thriller against RCD Mallorca while their city rivals Club Atlético de Madrid were held by UD Almería.

Seven-goal thriller
Spanish champions Madrid were handed the chance to extend their lead after FC Barcelona could only draw against Getafe CF on Saturday and got the perfect start when Robinho put them in front after ten minutes. Fernando Varela equalised just two minutes later before Robinho restored the home side's advantage with a third goal in five minutes. Mallorca stunned their opponents though when first Varela (37) hit a long-range effort in the top corner and then Daniel Güiza (59) gave them the lead. Madrid would not be denied an eighth home win in eight games this season, however, as Raúl González (63) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (73) struck to earn them maximum points.

Espanyol gain
Villarreal CF can cut Madrid's lead at the summit back to one point if they defeat Sevilla FC in Sunday's late game, but Atlético failed to put pressure on the top four after a goalless draw at Almería. They were replaced in fifth place by RCD Espanyol after the Barcelona-based side came from behind to beat Athletic Club Bilbao 2-1 where an own goal by goalkeeper Aitor Ocio in the last minute completed a fine comeback.

Racing boost
Real Zaragoza also squandered a lead as they were beaten 2-1 by second-from-bottom Real Betis Balmopié. Late goals from Xisco Muñoz (82) and Mariano Pavone (90) cancelled out Andrés D'Alessandro's opener (35) as Zaragoza were replaced in seventh place by Real Racing Club Santander, who were 1-0 winners at RC Deportivo La Coruña. Elsewhere, there were also 1-0 triumphs for 18th-placed RC Recreativo de Huelva against CA Osasuna and Real Valladolid CF, who are 17th, against lowly Levante UD.


FC Barcelona's travel-sickness continued on Saturday night as Manu Del Moral and Juan Albín struck to give Getafe CF a deserved, if unexpected 2-0 victory, as Valencia CF completed a routine 3-0 success against Real Murcia CF.

Manu strike
Manu put the hosts ahead after 27 minutes when he reacted first to Ikechukwu Uche's knock-down and, with Barcelona pressing forward for an equaliser, Albín struck in added time to deny Frank Rijkaard’s side any hope of going top of the Primera División. Barça had put on an excellent display to beat Rangers FC in the UEFA Champions League in midweek but their away form this campaign has been disappointing, the 2005/06 European champions managing just two wins on the road all season.

Worthy winners
Michael Laudrup's side, who were worthy winners, move up to eleventh place while their opponents, who squandered a 5-2 lead to lose 6-5 on aggregate against Getafe in the Copa del Rey semi-final last season, remain a point behind leaders Real Madrid FC, who play RCD Mallorca on Sunday.

Villa strikes
Valencia join the Blaugrana and Villarreal CF in joint-second place on 24 points after a comfortable 3-0 victory against Real Murcia. Los Che’s impressive start to the season had been undermined by six defeats from their last eight matches, but Iván Helguera helped his side get off to a promising start with an early goal at the Mestalla Stadium (12) before two goals by Spanish international striker David Villa (26, 51) rounded off a comfortable win.

SERIA A Week 12

ACF Fiorentina spurned the chance to move to the top of Serie A when they suffered their first defeat of the season against Udinese Calcio, who moved level on points with AS Roma and third-placed Juventus after the Bianconeri drew 2-2 at Parma FC.

End of run
Fiorentina celebrated a 6-1 UEFA Cup success against Elfsborg IF on Thursday but the unbeaten Viola were brought back to earth by Udinese, who took the lead when Fabio Quagliarella rose to head Simone Pepe's cross past Sebastien Frey midway through the first half. Fiorentina hit back within five minutes through Giampaolo Pazzini but the visitors took the points when Italian international striker Antonio Di Natale finished off a sweeping team move in the 62rd minute.

Juve rally
Juventus could have moved into second place with a win but were grateful for just the point after going two goals down at Parma. The hosts took the lead when Andrea Gasbarroni (42) converted a penalty following a foul on Reginaldo. Andrea Pisanu (58) doubled the lead for the Ducali but Juve hit back in a frenetic finale, Nicola Legrottaglie halving the deficit on 71 minutes before substitute Vincenzo Iaquinta struck the equaliser ten minutes from time. In a match high in tension, Parma's Domenico Morfeo and Ferdinand Coly and visiting defender Giorgio Chiellini were all dismissed. Elsewhere, AS Livorno completed their second league victory in three matches with a 3-2 win at AC Siena, bottom club Reggina Calcio won 2-0 against Genoa CFC while Torino FC and Calcio Catania drew 1-1.

Supporter death
The Serie A programme was overshadowed by events in Tuscany where an S.S. Lazio supporter was killed following an incident. Consequently, the match between FC Internazionale Milano and Lazio was postponed, while Atalanta BC v AC Milan was abandoned after eight minutes due to crowd disturbances. Second-placed AS Roma's home match against Cagliari Calcio, scheduled for Sunday evening, was also postponed for security reasons.

Giovanni Tedesco scored twice as US Città di Palermo came from behind to complete a 2-1 win against SSC Napoli following UC Sampdoria’s 3-0 win against Empoli FC.

Tedesco strikes
Napoli were hoping to bring their poor away form to an end in Sicily and when Mariano Bogliacino broke the deadlock ten minutes after the break the promoted Serie A side were on course for only their second away win of the season. However, their lead lasted just two minutes as Tedesco struck his first goal of the season and then doubled his tally midway through the second half to end Palermo's run of seven matches without a win.

Samp success
Sampdoria secured their third victory in five matches as they eased past Empoli. The Blucerchiati took an early lead when Uruguayan international Guillermo Giacomazzi turned the ball into his own goal after six minutes. Vincenzo Montella then scored his third league goal of the season five minutes before half-time and Paolo Sammarco completed his side's second 3-0 win in as many matches in the final minute.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Week 13

Late goals by substitute Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard gave Liverpool FC a 2-0 win against Fulham FC on a day when West Ham United FC hit five goals past Derby County FC and Sunderland AFC and Newcastle FC drew.

Impact substitution
Liverpool dominated proceedings against Fulham but looked destined for a draw until Torres came off the bench to break the deadlock nine minutes from time. The hosts had gone close when Peter Crouch headed against the bar just before half-time and both Andriy Voronin and Yossi Benayoun were denied by goalkeeper Antti Niemi after the restart. Torres, on for Voronin, then made an immediate impact, chesting down Pepe Reina’s long punt before turning inside his marker to apply a cool finish. Gerrard ended the contest with a penalty four minutes later ensuring Liverpool moved into fourth place in the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea FC, who play Everton on Sunday, on goal difference.

Biggest win
West Ham United completed their biggest league win since returning to the top-flight two years ago when they crushed bottom club Derby County 5-0 at Pride Park. Three of West Ham's goals came in an eight-minute spell in the second half as Billy Davies's side recorded their fifth successive game without a goal, their worst run since 1920. Lee Bowyer put West Ham ahead after 42 minutes before Matthew Etherington (51), an own goal from Eddie Lewis (55), a second from Bowyer (59) and a free-kick by Nolberto Solano (69) piled on the home team's misery.

Derby draw
In the lunchtime kick-off Sunderland AFC drew 1-1 with Newcastle United FC in the northeast derby at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland, without a league win in their last six games or a home win against Newcastle since April 1980, went ahead after 52 minutes when Danny Higginbotham scored his first goal for the club with a header. The visitors equalised 13 minutes later when James Milner's cross-cum-shot went in off the far post.

Bundesliga Week 13

Bayer 04 Leverkusen claimed three points at VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga to move up to fifth place in the standings on a day when DSC Arminia Bielefeld continued 1. FC Nürnberg's disappointing start to the season.

Leverkusen fifth
Leverkusen bounced back from their 2-1 defeat against FC Spartak Moskva in the UEFA Cup on Thursday to claim league three points away against Wolfsburg. Paul Freier gave the visitors the lead eight minutes before half-time and seven minutes after the break they doubled their advantage as Stefan Kiessling scored his eighth goal of the season. Wolfsburg did set up an exciting finish after Manuel Friedrich turned the ball into his own net, but they could not muster an equaliser as Leverkusen claimed only their second Bundesliga win in six games.

Nürnberg woe
Meanwhile, Nürnberg remain in the bottom three after failing to prevent their eighth league reverse of the campaign. Hans Meyer's German Cup holders, who were beaten 2-0 in the UEFA Cup by Everton FC this week, have endured a miserable season to date and it is showing no sign of improvement following their visit to Arminia. Nürnberg did find themselves in front when Andreas Wolf struck two minutes before half-time but second-half efforts by Rüdiger Kauf (64), Artur Wichniarek (76) and Sibusiso Zuma (90) gave Arminia three points to lift them up a place to 14th.

Mario Gómez scored twice as VfB Stuttgart inflicted a first defeat of the season upon FC Bayern München, their 3-1 win enabling Werder Bremen to move to within a point of the leaders after hitting four goals against Karlsruher SC.

Bayern defeat
Bayern were hoping to end a run of three consecutive draws against the German champions, who lost 4-2 against FC Olympique Lyonnais in the UEFA Champions League in midweek, but Ottmar Hitzfeld's side were unable to build on their Bundesliga lead after conceding three goals in the first 42 minutes.

Gómez goals
Gómez put the hosts ahead on ten minutes, Yıldıray Baştürk made it 2-0 on the half-hour mark, and, as he did against Lyon on Wednesday, Gómez doubled his tally three minutes before half-time for his eleventh goal of the campaign. Although Luca Toni scored late on for the visitors, Bayern's miserable afternoon was epitomised by Lucio's 70th-minute dismissal and Stuttgart held on for their third consecutive win.

Bremen boost
Hamburger SV were unable to take full advantage of Bayern's defeat as they were held at FC Schalke 04, who took the lead 12 minutes in through defender Mladen Krstajić. Croatia striker Ivica Olić hit back for the visitors ten minutes before the break but they were unable to build on their foothold and had to settle for the point.

Diego double
Hamburg's draw was Bremen’s gain as Thomas Schaaf's side edged into second place on goal difference after a comprehensive 4-0 win against Karlsruhe. Bremen cast aside the memories of their midweek UEFA Champions League loss at S.S. Lazio as Diego (25, 45) struck twice. Hugo Almeida made it 3-0 midway through the second period and Naldo completed the rout (76) to move his side within a point of Bayern.

Kern treble
Elsewhere, Hertha BSC Berlin moved into seventh place after Brazilian striker André Lima gave them a 1-0 success against fifth-placed Hannover SC, an Enrico Kern hat-rick earned FC Hansa Rostock a 3-2 win against bottom-placed FC Energie Cottbus, while BV Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt shared a 1-1 draw.

Barcelona & Lyon gets their wins

Barcelona 2-0 Rangers

FC Barcelona established themselves as favourites to win UEFA Champions League Group E with a 2-0 victory against Rangers FC which was sealed by a five-star performance from Ronaldinho.

Creator-in-chief
The No10 had a creative hand in the Blaugrana's two first-half goals, scored by Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi, and supplied immense creativity throughout. Only a night to remember from Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor kept the scoreline to a minimum in this top-of-the-table encounter.

Early goal
Frank Rijkaard had asked his players to impose themselves with crisp play and, ideally, to score early. His esteem for Scottish club football, as well as the teams' goalless draw in Glasgow on Matchday 3, meant the Dutchman wanted Barcelona to prevent the opposition from breaking up their rhythm. His wish was granted when Henry struck his 44th UEFA Champions League goal after only six minutes.

Rare header
Ronaldinho caused the initial danger by wriggling free on the left wing. His cross was met by the diminutive Messi whose header back across goal beat goalkeeper McGregor, rebounded back off the far post, and was touched in by Henry – for his second goal in as many games – as the Frenchman slid in with defender Carlos Cuéllar. From that moment Barcelona's play became as incisive and high-tempo as at any time this season, though the visitors refused to wither.

Passing game
In Spain, Scottish sides have a reputation for resorting to direct football but Rangers' response to going one down flew in the face of such stereotyping. Barry Ferguson, Alan Hutton and Lee McCulloch all managed possession of the ball with economy and Rangers weathered the storm. Nonetheless, there were moments of menace. An electrifying and mazy run from Messi was thwarted by David Weir, only for Andrés Iniesta to take the loose ball in his stride and shave Rangers' left-hand post with a curling shot.

CL: Barcelona 2-0 Rangers

Tactical decisions
Rangers' 4-1-4-1 formation, built to withstand attrition but maintain parity, made it difficult to seek the equaliser. DaMarcus Beasley increasingly pushed forward to accompany Daniel Cousin up front, yet the next score always seemed likely to come from the irresistible hosts. Ronaldinho took charge, first drawing a top-class save from McGregor just before the half-hour, then helping his team to double their lead. Half-time loomed when the Brazilian jinked from left to right, played a wall-pass with Messi and shot hard at goal. McGregor saved again but the Argentinian gobbled up the rebound and made it 2-0.

Increased pressure
Barça offered no respite in the second half and peppered McGregor's goal. The overlapping Carles Puyol's right-wing cut-back found Xavi Hernández on the edge of the area yet his strike flew wide. Then the same midfielder threaded a pass through a wall of defenders for Messi to slip the ball between Weir's feet and shoot against the excellent McGregor's outstretched legs.

Ecstatic applause
Ronaldinho's man-of-the-match display would end without the goal it merited, but when he was withdrawn to give 17-year-old Bojan Krkić more UEFA Champions League experience, it was to a standing ovation. Rangers substitute Jean-Claude Darcheville registered their only meaningful shot on target just before full time, as Walter Smith's men departed to warm applause from their fans yet with no points to show for their efforts.

Lyon 4-2 Stuttgart

Olympique Lyonnais kept alive their hopes of reaching the knockout stage for a fifth consecutive year by defeating VfB Stuttgart 4-2 in a pulsating match at the Stade de Gerland.

Ben Arfa double
Early goals from Hatem Ben Arfa and Kim Källström suggested a comfortable evening for Alain Perrin's men but that was far from the case as Group E's bottom club showed admirable spirit. Mario Gómez pulled one back and, though the hosts led 3-1 at the break courtesy of another strike from the excellent Ben Arfa, Gómez again halved the deficit before earning a penalty that was squandered by Thomas Hitzlsperger. Juninho Pernambucano rounded off the win with a simple late tap-in as Lyon moved a point behind second-placed Rangers FC – assuring themselves of UEFA Cup qualification at least – while Stuttgart, still point-less, dropped out of contention entirely.

Delightful flick
The Bundesliga title-holders were strengthened by the return of several key figures, including captain Fernando Meira, but soon found themselves in difficulty as Lyon, unchanged from their 2-0 victory in Germany a fortnight ago, scored from their first meaningful attack. Karim Benzema's deft flick started a delightful move that saw the ball switched swiftly from right to left by Sidney Govou and Källström before Ben Arfa struck a left-footed shot inside the far post via a deflection off Andreas Beck.

Källström volley
Benzema then screwed an effort wide after latching on to Juninho's delicate pass but the second goal was not long in coming. Govou skilfully found space before lobbing a cross to Källström on the edge of the penalty area and the Swedish international, after turning past Sami Khedira, volleyed home emphatically on 15 minutes.

Vercoutre saves
Stuttgart might have been forgiven for fearing the worst, yet to their credit they bounced back instantly, Hitzlsperger seeing his long-range drive spilled by Rémy Vercoutre, allowing Gómez to turn in the rebound. The goal sparked the visitors into life and they were soon peppering shots in on Vercoutre's goal. The Lyon custodian atoned for his earlier mistake, however, saving low to deny Cacau as the Brazilian raced clear on 21 minutes, then parrying ferocious strikes from Meira and Khedira.

Sublime strike
If Lyon looked vulnerable at the back, they remained dangerous on the counterattack. Stuttgart keeper Raphael Schäfer produced a fine stop to deflect Benzema's shot over, only to be beaten again eight minutes before half-time. There was little Schäfer could do about Ben Arfa's sublime strike, the 20-year-old bamboozling Ludovic Magnin on the right and unleashing a right-footed attempt high into the top corner.

Penalty save
Stuttgart came out fighting after the interval and were rewarded with a second goal on 56 minutes, Meira threading the ball through to a marauding Beck whose low cross was turned in by Gómez. Suddenly the French champions appeared edgy and Gómez broke clear again moments later, only to be clipped by Fábio Santos as he shaped to shoot. The referee pointed to the penalty spot but Hitzlsperger's powerful shot was brilliantly kept out by Vercoutre. The keeper frustrated Hitzlsperger again as Stuttgart pressed forward, but Lyon finished the stronger and after substitute Kader Keita had been denied, Juninho sealed the victory.

Manchester smashes Kyiv & Roma gets a point by Polga

Manchester United FC secured their passage to the UEFA Champions League last 16 with two games to spare thanks to a 4-0 victory against FC Dynamo Kyiv. After Gerard Piqué and Carlos Tévez had found the net before the break – the first for each in the UEFA Champions League – Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo added late goals as the dominant hosts made it four wins from four and confirmed Dynamo's elimination in the process.

Strength in depth
Sir Alex had reflected before this match on the strength of his squad and the fact United were able to win so comfortably while giving an evening off to Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs and Owen Hargreaves bore testament to this. At the same time, it also underlined the lack of confidence in the ranks of a Dynamo side playing their first match under temporary coach Oleh Luzhny but who never looked like getting their first points of an ill-starred campaign.

~CL~ Manchester U 4-0 Dynamo Kiev

Slow start
United started with an unfamiliar-looking back four including Danny Simpson and Piqué – two players with ten minutes' action between them previously this term – and for the opening quarter, their play lacked its customary spark. Indeed Dynamo's Carlos Corrêa might reflect he could have done better than fire wide when allowed a clear sight of Edwin van der Sar's goal. At the other end Rooney showed some invention with a teasing ball across goal, leading to a Nani shot deflected behind, but otherwise United were making little of their abundant possession against opponents seemingly set on containment.

Opening goal
That changed with Piqué's 31st-minute opener even if it came with a slice of luck, Michael Carrick's header from a Ronaldo free-kick deflecting off the back of Tévez's head and to the Spaniard, who headed the ball back into the opposite corner. Tévez got United's second in the 37th minute, when, after winning the ball inside his own half, he raced forward, exchanged passes with Rooney and let fly. Olexandr Shovkovskiy got his hands to the ball but could not keep it out.

Chances aplenty
Although Ruslan Rotan blazed wide from close range just before the break, Sir Alex felt secure enough to remove Van der Sar in place of Tomasz Kuszczak for the second half. His faith was justified as the substitute soon made a fine stop to deny Dynamo replacement Diogo Rincón. There followed chances aplenty at both ends, not least for Tévez who could have had a hat-trick. At the other end Rincón just failed to connect with Marjan Marković's fierce cross-shot while Kuszczak denied Tiberiu Ghioane.

Rooney volley
Rooney added a third with a 76th-minute volley from Nani's cross before, in the closing moments, Ronaldo broke in from the left and found the far corner. The best Dynamo can hope for now is third place – a far cry from Luzhny's own days in the team when they were semi-finalists in 1999. That, of course, was the year Sir Alex first tasted UEFA Champions League glory and after his side's best start to a European campaign in five years he can already start planning with confidence for a renewed assault on his favourite trophy in the spring.

Sporting 2-2 Roma

A last-gasp own goal from Anderson Polga denied Sporting Clube de Portugal a vital victory against AS Roma and left the Italian side well placed to progress from UEFA Champions League Group F.

Late drama
The visitors made a spectacular start in Lisbon as Marco Cassetti gave them a fourth-minute advantage with a stunning shot but Liedson brought Sporting level midway through the opening half and when he headed the home side in front four minutes past the hour it looked as if Sporting would join their opponents on six points with two games remaining. In the 89th minute, however, David Pizarro collected a short pass and unleashed a long-range effort that Polga inadvertently headed into his own net to left goalkeeper Tiago helpless and Roma jubilant.

Roma reshuffle
Already without Francesco Totti and Christian Panucci, the Giallorossi were dealt another blow when Max Tonetto damaged a thigh in the warm-up so Ludovic Giuly came into the side with Cassetti moving across to left-back. Rather than hinder the visitors, the reshuffle seemed to inspire Roma, who took the lead with the first attack of the match as Cassetti made full use of his stronger right foot, cutting inside to rifle an unstoppable shot into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

Liedson leveller
Sporting had also fallen behind early on at the Stadio Olimpico but drew level within three minutes on that occasion and swiftly rallied again, Doni spilling Abel's long-range shot and only being spared by the referee's whistle as Liedson challenged. The home side did not have long to wait for an equaliser, however, Philippe Mexes and Doni colliding as they attempted to cut out Marat Izmailov's low right-wing cross, leaving Liedson to roll his 100th goal for Sporting into the empty net.

Sporting chances
Sporting continued to press forward, Djaló heading João Moutinho's corner wide and the latter going even closer as another Izmailov cross unsettled the Roma defence, side-footing past the post. After his part in Liedson's equaliser Mexes had only been able to continue following lengthy treatment and failed to re-emerge after half-time, Matteo Ferrari coming on in an attempt to bring some stability to a defence which had conceded 18 goals in its last ten matches.

SPORTING 1-1 AS ROME

Well-worked goal
The change initially served its purpose as Roma held the home attack at bay in the early stages of the second period, although Miguel Veloso sliced wide having deftly worked a metre of space. Roma came unstuck four minutes past the hour, however, as a neat short corner gave the busy Izmailov the time and space to deliver a pinpoint cross to the far post, where the unmarked Liedson finished off with a fine diving header.

Sporting - Roma 2-1

Last-gasp heartbreak
Izmailov nearly got the goal his tireless performance had deserved goal a few minutes later, but was just unable to gather the return pass after combining well with substitute Simon Vukčević. Mancini threatened an equaliser but, just as it looked as if Sporting would hold on, they were denied at the last and stay three points behind Roma in the race for second place behind Manchester United FC.

Sporting - Roma 2-2

Internazionale & Fenerbahçe wins

Internazionale 4-2 CSKA

FC Internazionale Milano are on the brink of the UEFA Champions League first knockout round after recovering a two-goal deficit to complete a thrilling comeback against PFC CSKA Moskva, who now have no chance of progress from Group G.

Fine recovery
Inter remain top of the section with nine points and are all but assured of a place in the last 16 after a dramatic revival against a CSKA side who went 2-0 up after 31 minutes thanks to well-worked goals from Jô and Vágner Love. Zlatan Ibrahimović and Esteban Cambiasso brought the Nerazzurri back into the match with two strikes in three minutes, and the same players scored again after the break to earn a fine victory.

Maicon strike
Inter began brightly with Maicon and Javier Zanetti, in particular, combining well down the right. The Italian title-holders won three early corners, the last of which found Walter Samuel, who failed to apply a finish of the quality of his winning goal in Moscow a fortnight ago. Maicon was also allowed too much room to roam on the quarter-hour, CSKA's five-man midfield inviting him to try a shot from range which swerved a metre wide.

Jô opener
The Russian team, though, were lively coming forward, with Daniel Carvalho and Dudu looking to pick out the runs of Jô and Love. The latter had sent an effort fizzing just wide on eight minutes and Love had also tried his luck to no avail before the Brazilian partnership linked up for the opening goal. Jô skilfully turned Samuel on the halfway line and left him trailing in his wake before exchanging a one-two on the edge of the area with Love and curling a delightful 20-metre shot into the net.

Skill and composure
Inter came forward to make amends, Ibrahimović looping a volley over following a goalmouth scramble, yet the hosts were caught cold on the counterattack for a second time. Carvalho dissected the Inter back line with a long ball to Love, who showed extraordinary skill and composure to deceive Maicon and Samuel before letting fly a fierce shot high beyond Júlio César.

INTER MILAN 2-2 CSKA MOSCOW

Inter rally
With the exception of a hundred or so travelling supporters in the corner of the Curva Sud, the San Siro had been silenced, but it came back to life within 60 seconds when Ibrahimović arrived unmarked at the far post to side-foot Cristian Chivu's free-kick past Igor Akinfeev. On 34 minutes it was all-square. The excellent Maicon threaded a ball into the box, Hernán Crespo supplied the dummy and his compatriot Cambiasso did the rest, firing across Akinfeev for the equaliser.

Inter 3-2 CSKA

Carvalho effort
Valeri Gazzaev's half-time team talk almost produced an immediate response as Carvalho and Love both tested Júlio César, although the first clear chance fell to the unmarked Cambiasso who nodded a free header back across the open goal and wide. The Argentinian made amends when applying a crisp finish to Julio Cruz's clever free-kick from a Chivu corner on 67 minutes, and with a quarter of an hour to go Ibrahimović capped a fine performance by shooting high into net from distance. The knockout rounds beckon for Roberto Mancini's men.

Inter 4-2 CSKA

Fenerbahçe 2-0 PSV

Two goals in three first-half minutes took Fenerbahçe SK within sight of a place in the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds for the first time as they moved four points clear of PSV Eindhoven in Group G.

Four-point gap
Kazım Kazım's shot was turned into his own net by PSV defender Dirk Marcellis on 28 minutes, and Semih Şentürk swiftly finished off a fine move to seriously dent the hopes of their Dutch rivals. A win at FC Internazionale Milano or at home to PFC CSKA Moskva would be enough for Fenerbahçe to banish memories of four group-stage exits.

Fan factor
The Fenerbahçe fans relished their usual noisy pre-game warm-up, and the home players were suitably inspired as they started the brighter, hoping for a repeat of the performance which defeated Inter on Matchday 1. However, PSV caretaker coach Jan Wouters had stated that his team's first task was to silence the crowd, and they were certainly blunting Fenerbahçe's forward moves. Roberto Carlos waited 23 minutes to take a free-kick, but when he did his low effort zipped just past the post.

Quickfire goals
All PSV's good work was undone in a two-minute spell leading up to the half-hour. First Semih and Alex worked the ball right to Kazım Kazım, and the English-born forward's shot from the corner of the penalty area deflected in off Marcellis. The celebrations went up a notch two minutes later as a fine exchange of passes with Alex set up Semih to break into the box and shoot past Heurelho Gomes.

Alex effort
It was a fine reward for some hard work by the striker, leading the line in the absence of perhaps Fenerbahçe's star man of the campaign so far, Deivid, suspended along with Lugano and PSV's Eric Addo following the goalless draw in Eindhoven a fortnight ago. Still the attacks came as Alex chipped just over, although at the other end Timmy Simons got on the end of a free-kick and forced Volkan Demirel to save.

Fenerbahce 2-0 PSV

Gomes saves
Wouters sent on Mike Zonneveld for Jan Kromkamp at half-time in a defensive reshuffle, but Fenerbahçe were not about to give up the initiative. After a one-touch passing move akin to those that made the first two goals, Kazım Kazım produced another fine angled effort that Gomes was able to parry, and the goalkeeper then smothered Mehmet Aurélio's follow-up.

Close again
Alex, as always, was the fulcrum of Fenerbahçe's forward moves and a curling free-kick just past the hour drew another save from Gomes. PSV, with Danny Koevermans now added to the attack, were not giving up, but nor were they really troubling the home defence. Semih's menace had not diminished, though, forcing a flying Gomes stop and from the resulting corner Alex headed over.

Omens
A Gökçek Vederson effort flew past the far post, but Fenerbahçe's job was done. The two previous occasions PSV have come to Fenerbahçe in the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the home team have won but not gone through. On this evidence, that could be another run coming to an end.

Sevilla wins & Arsenal draw

Steaua 0-2 Sevilla

A goal in each half from Brazilian midfielder Renato moved Sevilla FC to the brink of qualification for the knockout stage and left FC Steaua Bucureşti still searching for their first point in Group H.

Renato double
Steaua had already withstood some early pressure before Sevilla deservedly took the lead after 25 minutes when Renato tapped in after Robinson Zapata had kept out Christian Poulsen's header. The 28-year-old added his and Sevilla's second on 65 minutes, charging into the penalty area to meet Jesús Navas' cross with a flying header to move Manolo Jiménez's side to nine points, five clear of third-place SK Slavia Praha who drew 0-0 with Arsenal FC.

Early pressure
Marius Lăcătuş attempted to create a solid defence with both Ovidiu Petre and Florin Lovin acting as sweepers, while the creative influence was entrusted to wingers Bănel Nicoliţă and Marius Croitoru. Sevilla, though, looked more likely to score from the start. Tom De Mul had the first sight of goal but dragged his shot wide from the edge of the penalty area on his UEFA Champions League debut. Renato then curled a shot just wide of the far post after a clever lay-off from Frédéric Kanouté.

Opening goal
The Malian striker should have given his side the lead shortly after when Daniel Alves found him in space in the box, but Kanouté lost his footing and was penalised for handball. The visitors did not have long to wait to break the deadlock. Poulsen was allowed a free header on goal from Navas' corner and, although Zapata parried the initial effort, Renato calmly dispatched the loose ball into the empty net.

Steaua - Sevilla 0-1

Sevilla domination
Poulsen came close to scoring again when he redirected Navas' miscued volley centimetres wide of the far post as the Spanish side threatened to take the game beyond the hosts. Steaua finally gave Andrés Palop something to worry about just before the break when Nicoliţă's diving header skipped past the near post but Kanouté ensured the away side finished the half on a high when he burst through again only to sweep his finish past the upright.

Steaua changes
Lăcătuş realised changes were required to prevent Sevilla coasting to victory and the coach attempted to alter the pattern of the game by replacing Croitoru with Valentin Badea at the start of the second half, but they continued to be restricted to long-range shooting that failed to trouble Palop. Just as the Romanian side began to think an equaliser might be forthcoming, Sevilla secured the win with a sublime second goal.

Steaua - Sevilla 0-2

Outstanding move
Alves quickly exchanged passes with Renato and surged to the byline before a cute backheel took out two defenders, giving Navas time to fire in a cross that Renato met with a diving header to make it 2-0. Renato was denied his hat-trick shortly after by Zapata. Badea finally called Palop into action on 81 minutes but the routine nature of the save summed up Steaua's lack of a cutting edge throughout the match.



Slavia 0-0 Arsenal

Arsenal FC secured their place in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, but were fortunate to pick up a point with a goalless draw at SK Slavia Praha as goalkeeper Manuel Almunia twice denied the Czech side revenge for their 7-0 thrashing two weeks ago.

Slavia battle
Slavia coach Karel Jarolím had urged his side to be more exacting in one-on-one situations than they had been a fortnight previously against the Group H leaders, and from the way his players snapped busily at their opponents in the opening exchanges, it was evident his message had been received. Abou Diaby – one of seven changes to Arsenal's starting lineup from the previous encounter – was the only man able to escape the shackles as he roamed forward promisingly from midfield.

Arsenal static
With their defence keeping Arsenal at arm's length, Slavia's confidence slowly grew and should have resulted in them taking a shock lead with 14 minutes on the clock after Zdeněk Šenkeřík's persistence had earned the hosts a corner. Daniel Pudil's pacy delivery left the Arsenal rearguard static, but having escaped the attentions of Alexandre Song, Slavia midfielder Mickaël Tavares was unable to keep his header down.

Intermittent threat
The threat from Arsenal – spearheaded by Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo da Silva as Emmanuel Adebayor dropped to the bench – was intermittent as Diaby's influence faded. Slavia found their own brand of passing football could stretch the group leaders and a swift move down the left involving Vladimír Šmicer and the tireless Šenkeřík saw a Tavares shot blocked on 35 minutes.

Almunia saves
Barely 60 seconds later, Šenkeřík, who was proving a tailor-made replacement for injured top scorer Stanislav Vlček, almost took advantage when William Gallas slipped on the rain-sodden surface, though Almunia produced a fine flying stop to tip over the Slavia forward's fiercely-struck effort.

Slavia determined
A half-time downpour did little to dampen the buoyant atmosphere inside the sold-out Evzena Rošického Stadium nor diminish Slavia's determination when they returned to the pitch. Šmicer, leading the side on his first appearance in this season's group phase, whipped in a menacing ball which required a solid defensive header from Lassana Diarra three minutes after the restart.

Penalty appeal
Diarra was involved again just two minutes later when Slavia felt they were denied a penalty. Slovak international Matej Krajčík made a penetrating burst down the right before feeding the onrushing Šmicer. The former UEFA Champions League winner was unable to control the ball, but deflected it into the path of Šenkeřík. As the Slavia forward appeared poised to shoot he was clumsily barged into by Diarra, but referee Bertrand Layec waved away Slavia's penalty appeals.

Courageous block
Krajčík was the architect of Slavia's most dangerous move of the game 15 minutes from time as his pinpoint pass found Šenkeřík bursting past Gallas, though Almunia again came to Arsenal's rescue with a courageous block. The Gunners could have broken the deadlock themselves late on through Adebayor, but the substitute's header was comfortably gathered by Slavia keeper Michal Vorel.

Liverpool crush Besiktas & porto win over Marseille

Liverpool 8-0 Besiktas

Liverpool shrugged aside the pressure which had dogged their preparations for Tuesday's Champions League tie with Besiktas by romping to an 8-0 demolition of the Turkish side.

Yossi Benayoun netted a hat-trick, Peter Crouch and substitute Ryan Babel both grabbed braces and there a goal for skipper Steven Gerrard as Liverpool leapfrogged their opponents into third place in Group A.

Elsewhere, Porto beat Marseille 2-1 to take over top spot in the group, Tarik Sektioui and Lisandro Lopez finding the target for the Portuguese side to deepen the French club's current crisis of confidence.

At Anfield, if Rafael Benitez's side were feeling the strain of a nation's scrutiny, it did not show as they put in a wonderful free-flowing, attacking performance to which a poor Besiktas side simply had no answer.

From the first whistle, the Anfield crowd were treated to a feast of offensive football as finally the summer's big spenders clicked as a unit and showed their American owners exactly what they are capable of.

Dirk Kuyt was left on the bench after a miserable performance at the weekend, and with record signing Fernando Torres still out injured, Crouch partnered Andriy Voronin in the latest attacking blend preferred by Benitez.

And the pair combined well as early as the 4th minute to fashion a chance, Crouch using his height well to nod down to his strike partner. But the Ukrainian was harried out of his shot by a posse of Besiktas defenders and the chance went begging.

Crouch again caused problems with his aerial presence just minutes later, heading wide of the mark from a Fabio Aurelio cross when he perhaps should have done better.

On the other flank, Alvaro Arbeloa was also a major cause for concern for the Turkish side, and he got forward at every opportunity, effectively being employed as a second right midfielder.

It was the Spaniard who burst through unchallenged after ten minutes but just as it seemed he was about to pull the trigger, Lamine Diatta, the Senegal defender, moved across to stamp out the danger.

Arbeloa then fed Benayoun at the near post three minutes later, but the Israeli fired wide before Crouch also went wide from a Voronin cross from the other flank.

Liverpool's dominance finally paid off in the 19th minute, Crouch justifying his selection with a determined finish at the second attempt following Hakan Arikan's intial save, after hesitation in the Bestiktas defence had allowed him a run through on goal.

The hosts went two up just after the half-hour mark as Benayoun netted the first of his three, taking a touch to control Voronin's far post cross before rifling into the back of the net.

Two up at the break and Liverpool looked comfortable, but nothing could have prepared Besiktas for the onslaught they were about to face in the second half.

Memories of the Turkish side's victory in Istanbul a fortnight ago rapidly vanished as the Reds ran riot.

Benayoun started the second period rout, finishing into an empty net after keeper Hakan Arikan spilled Jon Arne Riise's shot into the Israeli's path in the 53rd minute.

Liverpool-Besiktas

The midfielder then completed his hat-trick three minutes later with a carbon copy finish, this time after Arikan found Gerrard's free-kick too hot to handle.

Gerrard got in on the act on 69 minutes when he finished off a superb passing move involving Javier Mascherano and Voronin before ten minutes later Babel on as a substitute for Fabio Aurelio flicked home from close range to make it six.

Babel got his second soon after, although the Dutchman had an element of fortune to thank after Ibrahim Toraman's attempted clearance hit Babel on his back before looping over Arikan and into the back of the net.

The summer signing from Ajax could himself had a hat-trick, but his header thudded against the cross bar with six minutes remaining, but the last word went to Crouch, who headed home from Benayoun's cross as time ran out.

Besiktas striker Bobo registered the visitors' one threatening moment, bringing a save out of an otherwise redundant Jose Reine with a diving header moments before Babel hit the bar at the other end.


porto 2-1 Marseille

Goals from Tarik Sektioui and Lisandro López earned FC Porto a narrow victory against Olympique de Marseille that took the Portuguese side to the top of UEFA Champions League Group D.

Porto press on
Sektioui strode clear to give Porto a 27th-minute lead with a fine solo strike, although that advantage was wiped out by Mamadou Niang's diving header two minutes into the second period. Just as it looked as if the sides would play out another 1-1 draw following their Matchday 3 result, however, López headed in the decisive goal with 12 minutes remaining to take his team above their opponents at the summit.

Enterprising opening
Perhaps buoyed by the Lucho González penalty that rescued a point at Marseille a fortnight ago, Porto started on the front foot, and in the very first minute stand-in captain Bruno Alves flicked an unorthodox effort over the crossbar following Ricardo Quaresma's free-kick. The visitors did not take long to get into their stride either, Lorik Cana striding away from two defenders to unleash a shot that Helton beat away, before the alert Milan Stepanov cleared Mathieu Valbuena's right-wing cross with Niang ready to pounce.

Solo strike
That promising opening proved to be somewhat misleading, as both teams adopted a cautious approach with Marseille frustrating the attacking ambitions of the home team by retaining possession in midfield. However, out of nowhere the deadlock was broken in considerable style in the 27th minute, Sektioui picking up the ball just inside his own half and displaying a terrific burst of pace to glide away from three challenges before rounding the advancing Steve Mandanda and calmly rolling the ball into the unguarded net.

Marseille caught cold
The Moroccan midfielder nearly undid the visitors' defence again with another pacy burst in the 34th minute, his fine foray forward almost creating an opportunity for Marek Čech but the pass was fractionally overhit. Marseille finally managed to regroup as half-time approached and carved out a presentable opening for Niang, who could only drag his shot into the side-netting. The Senegalese forward made amends in perfect fashion two minutes into the second half, however, diving in front of Stepanov to head Laurent Bonnart's right-wing cross past Helton.

FC.Porto 2-1 Marseille

Porto pressure
Porto swiftly replied, a Raul Meireles cross just evading López, although Cana might have put Marseille in front, heading Samir Nasri's free-kick narrowly wide. That escape prompted Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira to replace midfielder Čech with a forward, Hélder Postiga, although it was a player who was already on the pitch who came closest to restoring the home side's lead, López heading Quaresma's cross against the top of the crossbar from close range with 19 minutes left.

López delight
It mattered not as the home side regained the lead on 78 minutes, López providing the perfect finish to Quaresma's pinpoint cross. The home team almost added gloss to their win in the final ten minutes, Postiga and Fucile both going close from range, but Porto had already done enough.

Chelsea draw with Schalke & Rosenborg welcome Koeman

Schalke 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea FC missed the chance to book their place in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League but maintained a four-point cushion to third-place FC Schalke 04 with a draw at the Arena AufSchalke.

Schalke chances
Heiko Westermann brought two fine saves from Petr Čech in a first half the German side dominated, although Didier Drogba also called home goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into action twice. Rafinha and Peter Løvenkrands came closest to breaking the deadlock after the break when their respective shots cannoned back off the crossbar and post for Schalke, who moved above Valencia CF in Group B with their point.

Injury concerns
The omens were not good for the home side with a spate of injuries, including influential strikers Kevin Kuranyi and Halil Altıntop, leaving them only able to name five substitutes. Even so, Schalke began brightly with Ivan Rakitić firing over a free-kick after Gerald Asamoah had been fouled 20 metres from goal by Alex. Chelsea responded by creating an excellent chance in the sixth minute when Marcelo Bordon gave away possession cheaply but Didier Drogba's low drive was well tipped wide by Manuel Neuer after Joe Cole had put the striker through.

Schalke press
Čech's first action of the game came after 18 minutes when he comfortably gathered a low effort from Mesut Özil and moments later he was forced to tip a bouncing drive from Westermann wide. From the resulting corner, Søren Larsen bundled a shot into the side-netting at the far post with Čech struggling to get across his goal. Westermann brought another good save from the Chelsea stopper after an identical run and shot before Bordon headed Rakitić's corner over from close range.

Schalke 0-0 Chelsea FC

Drogba chance
On 27 minutes an inspired Schalke came even closer when Özil's corner was dropped by Čech under pressure only for Juliano Belletti to bail out his goalkeeper with a goalline clearance from Westermann. Chelsea stood firm in the face of the onslaught and nearly took a lead into the interval when Cole slipped in Drogba on 41 minutes only for Neuer to deny the striker with his chest.

Cudicini on
Schalke began the second half on the offensive and carved out another good chance on the counterattack. Rakitić found Özil who bustled past Belletti and swept in a shot from the edge of the area which was saved by Carlo Cudicini, a half-time replacement for Čech. The Italian goalkeeper was called into action again on 58 minutes when he parried Rakitić's low drive after a short corner routine involving Asamoah.

Schalke come close
Schalke coach Mirko Slomka was forced into a change with Løvenkrands replacing Özil while Chelsea introduced John Obi Mikel for Belletti as they tried to instigate a change of fortune. The visitors then had a sustained spell of possession, but with the game beginning to drift Schalke suddenly rattled the crossbar when Rafinha's chip deceived Cudicini and Essien was on hand to thwart Løvenkrands' follow-up. With 90 minutes almost up, Løvenkrands beat Cudicini from a narrow angle only for the post to deny the home side victory.

Valencia 0-2 Rosenborg

The Ronald Koeman era at Mestalla began disappointingly as Valencia CF succumbed to a rampant Rosenborg BK to leave their UEFA Champions League qualifying prospects hanging in the balance and the Norwegian side dreaming of reaching the knockout stages of the competition for the first time since 1996/97.

Famous wins
The visitors - who also overcame the Spanish side 2-0 in Trondheim a fortnight ago - defended heroically and then broke away twice to score through Steffen Iversen and make it a happy debut in the competition for new coach Trond Henriksen. It was only Rosenborg's second UEFA Champions League away win in 21 outings; before Matchday 3 they had only a single victory in their last 21 games in the competition.

Adventurous approach
Rosenborg's approach was refreshing; while a draw would have been considered a good result they were intent on making the most of their possession and pushed forward at every opportunity. It made for an interesting first half with Valencia probing down the flanks, although Joaquín's corners seemed most likely to provide a breakthrough. Twice Iván Helguera got on the end of them, the second time drawing a splendid save from Lars Hirschfeld.

Valencia - Rosenborg (first goal)

Villa threat
David Villa, back after an ankle injury, added vital sharpness to the Valencia attack, expertly collecting a long pass from Luis Miguel only to shoot hastily wide. Rosenborg countered with pace and showed they had the means to worry Valencia at the back. When Abdou Razack Traoré swung over a cross, Iversen pursued it beyond the far post and struck the upright with his attempted knock-back.

Iversen breakthrough
It was therefore less of a surprise than it might have been when the visitors took the lead in the 31st minute. Per Ciljan Skjelbred started the move after another Valencia attack had fizzled out and Marek Sapara carried it on, passing to Iversen who turned to crack a low shot beyond Timo Hildebrand and in off the post. Stung, Valencia rallied with Hirschfeld smothering at Villa's feet but Rosenborg promptly broke with menace again, the unmarked Yssouf Koné heading down and over the bar. On the stroke of half-time Hildebrand denied the same player with his legs while Hirschfeld was at full stretch to keep out a Villa thunderbolt.

Morientes off
With Valencia commtted to attack, Rosenborg were finding ample space when they had the ball and with their confidence at a high level they looked capable of punishing the home team again. Koeman had withdrawn Fernando Morientes at the break, the striker seemingly affected by an early challenge which left him requiring treatment. Valencia's frustration mounted; there was little fluency to their game now and their fans sensed more disappointment was round the corner.

Valencia - Rosenborg (second goal)

Two for Iversen
It arrived in the 58th minute as Hildebrand missed Mikael Dorsin's corner, allowing Iversen to head his second goal. The final score might have been even worse for Valencia, Iversen and Yssouf Koné being denied by Hildebrand and the post respectively in the same second-half move and the latter spurning two golden opportunities - although a famous Rosenborg win was already secured.

Lazio gets their first Win while Real Madrid draw

Lazio 2-1 Bremen

S.S. Lazio leapfrogged Werder Bremen in Group C and gave themselves a fighting chance of making the knockout stages after two second-half Tommaso Rocchi goals proved good enough for three points in Rome.

Cool finish
The Italian slid in to score after his own penalty had been saved three minutes before the hour before applying a cool finish after 68 minutes for what proved to be the decisive goal. Emílson Sánchez Cribari was sent off for Lazio in the 86th minute, and Diego converted a penalty for the visitors two minutes later before seeing red himself as Bremen dropped to the bottom of the section. Lazio, meanwhile, join Olympiacos CFP on five points following the Greek club's goalless draw with leaders Real Madrid CF.

Static defenders
With both sides knowing a defeat would seriously complicate progression from the group stage, the match began in attacking fashion. Lazio, who had lost their previous four matches at the Stadio Olimpico, immediately found Bremen's high back line to their liking. On six minutes, Mourad Meghni sent Tommaso Rocchi running past static defenders but the Lazio forward shot wildly wide instead of squaring to the unmarked Stephen Makinwa.

Frantic
Two minutes later the in-form German side signalled their own threat as Clemens Fritz hared down the wing. The returning right-back's deep cross was just too high though and Hugo Almeida headed over. It was a frantic opening and back at the other end, centre-back Guglielmo Stendardo, up for a corner, met a swirling Cristián Ledesma centre but his close-range header landed at goalkeeper Tim Wiese's feet.

High and wide
The home side poured forward and the Bremen defence was again stretched on 13 minutes. Rocchi fed the overlapping Luciano Zauri but the left-back's right-foot shot from the edge of the box was brilliantly turned around the post by Wiese. Makinwa, in for the injured Goran Pandev, should have given the home side the lead midway through the first half. Superbly found by Ledesma, the Nigerian expertly broke the offside trap but after delaying his first shooting opportunity rushed his effort and Wiese was able to stand big and parry.

Lazio - Werder 2-1

Sweetly struck
Skippers Zauri and Frank Baumann were both casualties of the early first half pace but it was Bremen who almost broke the deadlock on 50 minutes when Diego flashed a shot wide after a flowing move. A minute after almost winning a penalty themselves, Bremen conceded one when Meghni was bundled over by Naldo. Rocchi's first effort was saved but he bravely followed up and managed to score with the ball trickling in off the post and ending up behind the sliding Italian and goalkeeper Wiese.

Flying veteran
Naldo, rapidly becoming a pivotal figure in the match, almost made amends on 66 minutes but the Brazilian's venomous 20-metre free-kick was brilliantly turned aside by the flying 43-year-old Marco Ballotta. Two minutes later and the centre-back was caught napping by Meghni's speculative pass. Rocchi latched on to the ball and expertly clipped it over the advancing Wiese for his and Lazio's second. There was late drama as Cribari and Diego were sent off either side of the Bremen spot-kick, although Lazio's work was done.


Olympiacos 0-0 Real Madrid

Olympiacos CFP produced a determined display to earn a point against Real Madrid CF as their Group C contest at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium ended in a goalless draw.

Lazio win
Madrid were twice denied by the woodwork and created a string of chances but the group leaders failed to break the resistance of their resolute Greek hosts. Madrid remain unbeaten and on top of a competitive pool with eight points, while Olympiacos stay firmly in contention despite being joined on five points by their next opponents, S.S. Lazio, who won 2-0 home at home to Werder Bremen.

Character
Despite being deprived of four first-team regulars Olympiacos made a confident start, Lomana LuaLua registering the first effort on goal with an audacious overhead kick in the second minute. Sergio Ramos then launched an early raid down the right for Madrid but his shot from distance was well wide. The Olympiacos coach Panagiotis Lemonis had urged his players to show character and his goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis did just that on 13 minutes when diving low to deny Robinho after the Brazilian was sent clear by a typically crisp Wesley Sneijder pass.

Absorbing contest
Next it was Michał Żewłakow who saved the home team with a brilliant last-ditch tackle on Ruud van Nistelrooy six minutes later as Madrid began to dominate. As vulnerable as Olympiacos looked, Darko Kovačević might have given them the lead had he connected with Predrag Djordjević's cross after 21 minutes. The match was by now end to end, and an absorbing contest. Seven minutes later Ieroklis Stoltidis deflected Sneijder's corner on to the post and Madrid came close again on 35 minutes when Sniejder dissected the Greek side's defence to free Van Nistelrooy who cleared Nikopolidis with a deft chip but not the bar and the ball was headed to safety.

Bravo injury
In between those opportunities, LuaLua incurred the wrath of Djordjević when he fired wide when a simple pass to his on-rushing captain was a better option. No one in red and white was keener to impress than Raúl Bravo, and the former Madrid defender signalled his intent with a rasping long-range drive late in the half which fizzed narrowly wide of Iker Casillas's goal. That proved to be the Spaniard's last noteworthy contribution, as he hobbled off in the 53rd minute to make way for debutant Rodrigo Javier Archubi.

Impressive Nikopolidis
The change did not initially affect Olympiacos as LuaLua had a shot blocked and Luciano Galletti miskicked the rebound with Casillas exposed, although Madrid were on top from the hour mark when Van Nistelrooy narrowly failed to connect with a Sneijder free-kick. Still, the home team were not without chances and LuaLua volleyed over on 67 minutes when well placed. Robinho was also guilty of profligacy, although Nikopolidis was the busiest man on the pitch as he repelled Madrid on a number of occasions to keep the scores level.

Milan & Celtic get their Wins

Shakhtar 0 - 3 Milan

AC Milan moved clear at the Group D summit as three second-half goals saw them claim a flattering 3-0 victory away to FC Shakhtar Donetsk on a night when Filippo Inzaghi equalled Gerd Müller's record of 62 UEFA club competition goals.

Proven class
Goalless at half-time, the UEFA Champions League holders made their class tell after the restart, and it was substitute Inzaghi that did much of the damage. Entering the fray on 63 minutes he took just three minutes to find the breakthrough, thrashing the ball into the corner of the net after being released by Andrea Pirlo. Kaká added a second soon after before Inzaghi rounded off the win in added time.

Liedholm honoured
The crowd observed an impeccable minute's silence in honour of Rossoneri legend Nils Liedholm who died on Monday at the age of 85. In freezing temperatures in Donetsk it was stirring stuff and both teams began with purpose. Serginho warmed Andriy Pyatov's hands with a long-range effort before the home side began to pose a threat themselves. Having warned his side before the game about the need to improve their defending at set-pieces, Mircea Lucescu's charges twice went close themselves from dead-ball situations.

Dead-ball threat
Răzvan Raţ fizzed a free-kick just wide from nearly 30 metres on eight minutes though when Milan committed a foul nearer the touchline soon after it was Jadson that took the honours. The 24-year-old delivered a pinpoint cross that Dmytro Chygrynskiy, in space, contrived to direct straight into the arms of Dida. Milan were lacking their usual creativity but a simple long ball almost proved deadly as Alberto Gilardino collected the ball inside the box but his shot was well blocked.

Shakhtar Donetsk 0-3 Ac Milan

Serginho struggle
Gilardino went close again midway through the half, Serginho's cross just evading him but gradually Shakhtar came into their own as memories of the 4-2 defeat in the reverse fixture a fortnight ago faded. Milan left-back Serginho was struggling to cope with the presence of Darijo Srna and Ilsinho and the latter released Cristiano Lucarelli, whose effort was blocked by Alessandro Nesta. Srna forced Dida to tip his screaming goal-bound effort out. The visitors ended the half on top and although Shakhtar briefly redressed the balance soon after the restart when Fernandinho squeezed an effort just the wrong side of the upright, Milan began to make their class tell.

Warning
Massimo Ambrosini gave significant warning when he hit the post after Pirlo's free-kick on 56 minutes, yet Shakhtar did not heed it and were soon punished as Inzaghi pounced. Forced into action the hoses went close when Brandão tested Dida with a header but on 72 minutes Kaká made theirs an almost impossible task as he fired in after being teed up by Inzaghi. With Ukraine prime minister Viktor Yanukovich in the crowd, Shakhtar refused to wilt as Jadson, Srna and substitute Olexandr Gladkiy all went close before Inzaghi completed their misery in the third minute of added time, collecting the ball from Kaká and firing in as Milan went three points clear in Group D.

Celtic 1-0 Benfica

A deflected shot from Aiden McGeady at the end of the first half kept Celtic FC's qualification hopes alive following their 1-0 victory against ten-man SL Benfica, who had Augustin Binya sent off four minutes from time.

McGeady impresses
The Republic of Ireland midfielder had been given the playmaker's role in the absence of the injured Shunsuke Nakamura and the 21-year-old rose to the challenge by scoring his first UEFA Champions League goal to move Celtic on to six points and into a share of second place in Group D.

Boruc saves
Gordon Strachan kept faith with the same team that beat Kilmarnock FC at the weekend but the Celtic manager made a tactical alteration with McGeady deployed on the left. Within the first few minutes he had escaped the attentions of right-back Luís Filipe before sending in some tempting early crosses. However, it was the visitors who had the first goalscoring opportunity after seven minutes when Óscar Cardozo turned his marker inside the area before unleashing a left-foot shot which Artur Boruc parried to safety.

End to end
Two minutes later John Kennedy should have scored at the other end when he found himself unmarked at the back post from Paul Hartley's free-kick, but the centre-back headed wide with the goal at his mercy. Within seconds Boruc had produced a fingertip save to deny the Paraguayan Cardozo again as the game swung relentlessly from end to end. Scott Brown was the next to try his luck, bursting forward from central midfield and forcing Quim to save his left-foot shot at the expense of a corner.

McGeady strikes
The aerial ability of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink was causing problems for the Benfica defence and the striker's knockdown on 17 minutes presented Brown with another opening only for the Scotland international to spurn the chance by miskicking from close range. Celtic looked the likelier to break the deadlock at this stage and Quim kept his side in contention with two saves from Scott McDonald. Eventually the pressure paid off and right on the stroke of half-time Celtic made the breakthrough courtesy of McGeady, who cut in from the left and his right-foot shot took a deflection off Luisão that left Quim helpless.

Celtic 1-0 Benfica

Open game
The game continued in the same vein after the break with both sides creating openings. Jiří Jarošík was becoming more influential on the right flank for Celtic, while McGeady was proving to be a constant thorn on the other side. In a bid to add more vim to the attack, Benfica coach José Camacho introduced Angel Di María for Maxi Pereira on the hour and the change almost produced an immediate dividend when Cardozo headed wide from Léo's cross.

Binya off
As the game entered the last quarter Edcarlos had a header cleared off the line by Lee Naylor before Brown forced another save by Quim. Camacho sacrificed Cardozo for Nuno Gomes as the Eagles chased the elusive equaliser but their frustration got the better of them when Binya was dismissed for a high tackle on Brown.

SERIA A week 11

Giampaolo Pazzini took advantage of a defensive mistake to score the only goal as ACF Fiorentina maintained their unbeaten start to the season and left S.S. Lazio floundering in the lower half of the Serie A table.

Second place
The Viola broke the deadlock on 19 minutes when Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta failed to deal with a weak Emílson Sánchez Cribari back-pass and Pazzini was able to roll the ball into an empty net. The former Italy Under-21 striker hit the bar following a swift counterattack in the second half, and Lazio’s misery was completed when Massimo Mutarelli was dismissed just before the end. Fiorentina are now just a point behind leaders FC Internazionale Milano ahead of the champions' trip to Juventus on Sunday.

Home drought
In the later match, AC Milan failed to build on their 5-0 midweek victory at UC Sampdoria as they drew 0-0 at home against Torino FC. Alberto Gilardino saw a first-half chance saved well by Matteo Sereni and then shot wide from a promising position after the break, while substitute Filippo Inzaghi found himself one-on-one with Sereni but could not find the net having pushed the ball too far wide. The European champions remain winless at San Siro in Serie A this season, taking just three points from six games. Incredibly, Milan have scored ten goals in their last two away trips in the league but have not registered in three home fixtures and are still searching for a first success since a 3-1 defeat of Cagliari Calcio on 21 April.

La Liga week 11

Sevilla FC moved into the top half of the Spanish Primera División in style on Saturday, defeating the leaders Real Madrid CF 2-0 to the delight of new coach Manolo Jiménez.

Best form
Appointed as a replacement for Juande Ramos last Saturday, Jiménez started with a 3-0 win at Valencia CF before going down 4-3 at Club Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday. Yet again, though, Sevilla saved their best form for the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán as Seydou Keita, with his first league goal since his summer move from RC Lens, and Luis Fabiano scored within the space of two first-half minutes against the champions.

Keita strike
Keita was the first to make his mark, beating Iker Casillas with a superb half-volley from 25 metres in the 18th minute. Madrid were stunned, and were undone again soon after as Frédéric Kanouté showed tremendous skill to bring down a long ball and unleash a shot which Casillas saved. Luis Fabiano was first to the rebound and drilled it in for his sixth goal in four league games. Madrid's former Sevilla favourite Sergio Ramos then was sent off in the 51st minute.

Morientes double
Valencia also have a new coach following the sacking of Quique Sánchez Flores, although Ronald Koeman was only in the stands as the east-coast club defeated RCD Mallorca 2-0. Fernando Morientes scored both goals, the second a lovely finish from David Silva's fine pass. The home side threw everything forward to try to rescue the match but Timo Hildebrand thwarted late efforts from Daniel Güiza, Juan Arrango and Héctor Berenguel.

Words of praise
Valencia's caretaker coach Óscar Fernández said: "My team responded extraordinarily well to the challenges this game threw up. I only have words of praise for everyone especially for their part in the last 25 minutes of the first half when we played with order, concentration and with everyone perfectly placed on the pitch. My first line of defence was Fernando Morientes and my last was Timo Hildebrand."

Frank Rijkaard conceded that second-from-bottom Real Valladolid CF were "a very strong side on their own turf" after FC Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw at the Estadio Municipal José Zorrilla on Thursday night.

Smart equaliser
Barça lost ground on Primera División leaders Real Madrid CF as struggling Valladolid made life uncomfortable for them. Joseba Llorente put Los Pucelanos into the lead with a 16th-minute strike but Ronaldinho finished smartly just before half-time to secure a share of the points for Rijkaard's team. The result leaves Barça second in the table, level with Villarreal CF on 21 points but four points adrift of Madrid.

Coach disappointed
"Out on the pitch you can't say anything about quality if you don't work as hard as your opponents," said the Dutch coach. "When you say that [defender Gabriel] Milito and [goalkeeper] Víctor Valdés were our best players that says it all. Valladolid demonstrated that they are a very strong side on their own turf. In the second half they worked better as a team than we did." RCD Espanyol drew 0-0 against Real Murcia CF in the night's other game.

Bundesliga Week 12

Hamburg took advantage of FC Bayern München's goalless home draw against Eintracht Frankfurt to move to within two points of the leaders after beating Hertha BSC Berlin 2-1.

Great start
Hamburg made a great start in front of 52,000 fans as Paolo Guerrero struck after just four minutes. Although Patrick Ebert drew the capital club level just short of the hour mark, Bastian Reinhardt had the final say for Huub Stevens's side when he scored the decisive goal in the 80th minute. HSV have 26 points from 12 games, while Bayern remain unbeaten at the summit but with a lead of just two points after failing to break down Eintracht in Munich.

Stuttgart mark
Stuttgart's renaissance continued as they made it three wins from as many games - and first away from home this season - by defeating 1. FC Nürnberg. Hans Meyer's team beat the champions home and away in the Bundesliga last term and in the German Cup final but had no reply to Mario Gómez's goal after 25 minutes. A solitary goal was also enough for Werder Bremen toom, as Hugo Almeida's 39th-minute goal against FC Hansa Rostock kept them in third spot.

Hannover climb
Hannover 96 are up to fourth, leapfrogging FC Schalke 04 (beaten by FC Energie Cottbus on Friday) and Karlsruher SC (home to MSV Duisburgon Sunday), after defeating BV Borussia Dortmund 2-1, while Bayer 04 Leverkusen were the big winners of the day as Sergej Barbarez and Theofanis Gekas both scored twice without reply at home to DSC Arminia Bielefeld.

FC Schalke 04's challenge for the Bundesliga title was dealt a further blow on Friday night as they became the first team this season to lose in the league to the bottom club FC Energie Cottbus.

Bassila winner
French defender Christian Bassila scored the only goal of the game a minute into the second half to hand Schalke a defeat that leaves the fifth-placed side nine points adrift of leaders FC Bayern München in the standings, a deficit which could rise to 12 this weekend. Energie might have led in the first period when Dennis Sørensen clipped the top of the bar, but after Marcelo Bordon did likewise for Schalke just before the break they took the lead when Bassila made the most of a mix-up in the visitors' defence just after the restart.

Missed chances
Schalke, who face Chelsea FC in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, put pressure on Energie in search of an equaliser. Twice midfielder Jermaine Jones went close - directing a close-range header wide on the hour before hitting a volley against the underside of the bar seven minutes later. Substitute Søren Larsen also missed a good chance when scooping a shot over on 77 minutes, but Energie held on for a win that moved them to within a point of 1. FC Nürnberg, VfL Bochum 1848 and MSV Duisburg.

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Week 12

Arsenal FC remain unbeaten and ahead of Manchester United FC at the Premier League summit after coming from behind to draw 2-2 with the champions in London this afternoon.

Gallas the hero
William Gallas was the Arsenal hero, showing a striker's instincts to volley the ball in following a scramble with 90 seconds remaining. The Arsenal captain made amends for an earlier own goal, as he inadvertently turned a Wayne Rooney shot into his own net after the England forward had beaten the Frenchman to a Cristiano Ronaldo cross in added time at the end of the first half. The champions' lead was to last just two minutes, though, as Cesc Fabregas continued his marvellous form in front of goal by collecting a pass from Bacary Sagna near the penalty spot and dispatching the ball into the corner of the United net for his eleventh goal of the season.

Ronaldo goal
United went ahead for a second time in the 81st minute after a long kick from Edwin van der Sar had found Louis Saha deep in Arsenal territory. The French substitute played a delicious reverse pass to countryman Patrice Evra who was able to charge into the area and pick out Ronaldo who dispatched the ball with ease into the empty net. Evra almost put through his own net straight after, although there was still time for another goal as Gallas kept his cool to keep Arsenal ahead of their great rivals on goals scored but with a game in hand.

Chelsea climb
With Manchester City FC not in action until Monday, Chelsea FC claimed third spot by winning 2-0 at Wigan Athletic FC, Frank Lampard and Juliano Belletti scoring in a seventh successive victory. Portsmouth FC also rose by winning 4-1 at Newcastle United FC – three goals coming in the first eleven minutes – while Aston Villa FC (2-0 v Derby County FC), Everton FC (3-1 v Birmingham City FC) and ten-man Fulham FC (3-1 v Reading FC) also won. Juande Ramos failed to inspire Tottenham Hotspur FC to victory in his first Premier League match in charge as they drew 1-1 at Middlesbrough FC.The only goalless draw was at Ewood Park where Blackburn Rovers FC and Liverpool FC failed to find the net in the late kick-off.

LA LIGA Week 10

Primera División leaders Real Madrid FC stormed to a 5-1 win at Valencia CF on a night when Ronald Koeman was confirmed as the new coach at Mestalla.

Madrid power
Departing PSV Eindhoven chief Koeman will take over on Friday following Quique Sánchez Flores’s sacking but his new team under caretaker Óscar Fernández were 4-0 down at half-time tonight. Within two minutes Raúl González had struck from distance, and Ruud van Nistelrooy produced two neat finishes either side of Sergio Ramos's angled shot. Miguel Ángel Angulo pulled one back just before the hour but Robinho made it 5-1 and Valencia had Raúl Albiol sent off late on.

Atlético pip Sevilla
Sevilla FC won their first game under Juande Ramos’s replacement Manolo Jiménez against Valencia on Sunday but it was tougher tonight as they lost 4-3 at Club Atlético de Madrid, who moved ahead of Los Che into fourth. Maniche struck for the home side in the opening seconds but Luis Fabiano equalised and although Sergio Agüero restored Atlético's lead, Zé Castro's own goal made it level at the break. Maxi Rodríguez put the capital club back ahead with 21 minutes left and substitute José Manuel Jurado made it safe as the game entered added time despite Luis Fabiano's subsequent strike.

Villarreal rise
Villarreal CF moved up to second, within four points of Madrid, as they gained a 3-0 derby victory against winless bottom side Levante UD with goals from Guillermo Franco, Giuseppe Rossi and Pascal Cygan. FC Barcelona can move back to within two points of Madrid on Thursday if they win at lowly Real Valladolid CF while RCD Espanyol welcome Real Murcia CF.

Zaragoza success
Real Zaragoza are seventh after they overcame UD Almeria 1-0 and RCD Mallorca were held 1-1 at RC Deportivo La Coruña. Struggling Getafe CF were boosted by a 2-0 win against Athletic Club Bibao, while CA Osasuna defeated hosts Real Betis Balompié 3-0 and Real Racing Club Santander drew 0-0 at RC Recreativo de Huelva.

SERIA A Week 10

AC Milan returned to their best Serie A form with a 5-0 victory at UC Sampdoria tonight, while AS Roma won an exciting derby against S.S. Lazio to stay within three points of leaders FC Internazionale Milano.

Milan cruise
All 20 top-flight teams were in action on Wednesday and it was an important day for Milan who had won just once in five league games. That was a 5-1 success at Lazio and although they were goalless at half-time against Sampdoria, Kaká put Milan ahead in the 47th minute. Alberto Gilardino scored two more before the hour mark and substitute Yoann Gourcuff and Clarence Seedorf completed the victory.

Roma delight
Milan are up to eighth but Roma remain second after a 3-2 home triumph over their neighbours. Lazio had led on 12 minutes through Tommaso Rocchi but Mirko Vučinić swiftly levelled and Mancini put Roma in front at the break. Simone Perrotta doubled Roma's advantage on 66 minutes and although Cristián Ledesma set up a close finish, Lazio could not equalise and are only two points above the relegation zone.

Inter prevail
Inter stay on top thanks to a 4-1 defeat of Genoa CFC at San Siro. Iván Córdoba scored in the eighth minute and Esteban Cambiasso got another early in the second half. Although Abdoulay Konko pulled one back, David Suazo immediately replied and Julio Cruz converted a late penalty.

Trezeguet hat-trick
It was a good day for the rest of the leading five as Inter and Roma's feats were matched by Juventus overcoming Empoli FC 3-0 at home with a 19-minute second-half David Trezeguet hat-trick, ACF Fiorentina overcoming visitors SSC Napoli 1-0, and hosts Udinese Calcio beating Torino FC 2-1. AS Livorno Calcio ended their ten-game wait for a 2007/08 league victory as they secured a 3-1 win at Reggina Calcio to join their opponents on five points at the bottom. Atalanta BC were held 2-2 by Cagliari Calcio and it was 1-1 between US Città di Palermo and Parma FC as well as in Calcio Catania's trip to AC Siena.