Champions League A-D: Real & Dortmund Through to Last 16

Posted by: Omaku Cephas on November 4, 2014

Real Madrid qualified for the knockout stage of the Uefa Champions League after edging Liverpool by a lone goal at the Santiago Bernebeu on Tuesday.

Borussia Dortmund are also through to the round of 16 following a 4-1 home win over Galatasaray. Arsenal now need just a point from their remaining two matches to join the German outfit in the next round after blowing a 3-0 lead away, at the Emirate Stadium to draw 3-3 with Anderlecht.
Veteran midfielder Andreas Pirlo scored a delight of a goal from deadball as Juventus earned a valuable win over Olympiakos.
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid climbed to the summit of Group A after a 2-0 win over Malmo.

Ciro Immobile Celebrates After Scoring Dortmund’s Third of the Night. Image: AFP.

Group A Malmo 0-2 Atletico
Hosts Malmo managed plenty of shots but failed to convert them as last season’s finalists Atletico grabbed a vital win to move top of their pool.
Koke placed Diego Simeone’s men ahead on the half-hour mark, when he raced into the penalty area to flick home a cross from Juanfran Torres.
Raul Garcia doubled the Spanish side’s lead in the 78th minute after some sluggish defending by the home team.
Atletico moved three points clear at the top of the standings on nine points, six points ahead of the Swedish club.

Juventus 3-2 Olympiakos
Italian champions Juventus edged an entertaining game in Turin courtesy of Paul Pogba’s winner 6 minutes after the hour mark.
Pirlo, who was making his 100th appearance in the Champions League, opened scoring for the ‘Old lady’ in the 21st minute looping a stunning free-kick past goalkeeper Roberto from 25 yards.
The Greek champions responded three minutes later, as defender Alberto Botía arrowed a header into the far corner.
DR Congo midfielder Delvin N’Dinga pulled the visitors ahead on the hour mark but Massimiliano Allegri’s men turned the game on its head in a minute, with Roberto scoring an own goal on 65 minutes and Pogba sealing three points 60 seconds later.
Despite the win, Juve trail Olympiakos in third place on goal-difference as both teams are tied on six points.
Group B
Basel 4-0 Ludogorets
Basel climbed to second after a comfortable 4-0 thrashing of Ludogorets Razgrads at St. Jakob-Park.
First-half strike by 17-year-old Breel Embolo set the tone for an emphatic win. It was the teenage forward’s first goal in Europe’s elite competition. He also teed up Shkelzen Gashi for the Swiss champions third.
Derlis Gonzalez doubled the hosts’ lead four minutes to the break and Marek Suchy completed scoring for Paulo Sousa’s team- a second home victory from as many matches.
Basel maintain a three point cushion in second-place ahead of Liverpool and Ludogorets, whose only win came a fortnight ago in the first leg of this tie.

Real Madrid 1-0 Liverpool

Karim Benzema Has Now Score In All of Real Madrid Group Stage Games So Far. Image: Getty.

Reigning champions Real advanced into the knockout stages of the Champions League with two more matches to spare as Karim Benzema broke Liverpool’s resilience to maintained his goal-scoring prowess. The win was Carlo Ancelotti men’s fourth on the trot so far in the group stages and their 17th in their last 19 Champions League matches.
A much-rested Liverpool 11, which sat back, soak pressure and waited to no avail for a chance to counter the ‘Los Blancos’, were praiseworthy for their defensive capabilities.
Benzema broke the deadlock just before the half-hour, stretching at full stride to turn Marcelo’s cross at the far post.
With Kolo Toure, Simon Mignolet and co at their best on the night, Cristiano Ronaldo was denied several opportunities of grabbing that solitary goal required of him to equal Raul Gonzalez’s competition record of 71 goals, but it was goalkeeper Iker Casillas who attained another laudable landmark having made a record 144th appearance in the competition on the night.
Liverpool need win their remaining two matches to stand a chance of advancing into the last 16.
Group C

Zenit 1-2 Leverkusen
Bayern Leverkusen retained poll position as Heung-Min Son’s second-half brace secured a 2-1 win at Zenit St. Petersburg earlier on Tuesday.
Son broke the deadlock in the 70th minute, lashing home one-time from inside the far post an assist from Germany international Karim Bellarabi following a Hakan Calhanoglu disguised free-kick.
The South Korean doubled his tally moments later, holding off the challenge of Domenico Cristico to slot the ball past goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin.
Jose Rondon netted a late consolation for Zenit but it was too little to deter the Bundesliga outfit from their third straight win in Europe’s elite competition.
Benfica 1-0 Monaco
Portuguese giants Benfica left it late to seal a vital three point at home to Moncao. Brazilian midfielder Talisca broke the deadlock with eight minutes left to the dead, heading home from a corner at the far post.
Benfica have now recorded four points from as many matches and sits bottom of the standings while Monaco are second with five points- three points shy of leaders Leverkusen.
Group D
Arsenal 3-3 Anderlecht

Alexis Sanchez Celebrates Arsenal’s Second Against Anderlecht. Image: Getty.

Arsenal watched a 3-0 lead slip as Aleksander Mitrovic’s last-minute header leveled scores for the visiting Anderlecht on the nick of full-time. Mikel Arteta converted from the penalty spot after Danny Welbeck was bundled over by Chancel Mbemba.
In-form Alexis Sanchez doubled the Gunners’ lead four minutes later, smashing a volley past Silvio Proto’s into the bottom right corner of goal after his free-kick had bounced back to him off the wall.
Arsenal increased the tempo of the game in the second-half and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain added the third two minute to the hour mark, when he raced clear down the left and blasted into the far corner a low shot.
With the rain pouring down at the magnificent Emirates Stadium, Anderlecht fought their way back into the contest. First Anthony Vanden Borre tapped in substitute Andy Kawaya’s low cross, before the defender then thumped home a penalty after Nacho Monreal had hauled down Mitrovic.
Mitrovic sealed a deserved point for the Belgian outfit in the 90th minute, guiding Andy Najar’s well-weighted cross into the net via a diving header.
Third-placed Anderlecht must now win their remaining games and hope Arsenal lose theirs to stand a chance of progressing.
Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Galatasaray

Marco Reus After Scoring the Opener Against Gala. Image: AFP.

Dortmund marched on to the second round of the European Champions League for a third consecutive season following a 4-1 win over Galatasaray. The 2012-13 finalists maintained their 100 per cent record in the competition to advance as Marco Reus, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, Ciro Immobile and an own goal from Semih Kaya all but end Galatasaray’s hopes of a last 16 berth.
Hakan Balta’s consolation in the wake of Papastathopoulos’ effort was insufficient for the Istanbul side. Galatasaray could nonetheless do themselves some good, batting it out with Anderlecht for qualification into the Uefa Europa League.