Di Matteo Finds Abramovich's Holy Grail

It went to the wire, but Chelsea become the first London club to win the UEFA Champions League. The game finished 1-1 after extra time and the dreaded penalty shoot-out would have to be the way to settle to two sides.  It was quickly advantage Bayern Munich when Juan Mata's opening penalty was saved after Philipp Lahm had scored.

But Ashley Cole planted his effort into the corner after substitute Ivica Olic had had his penalty saved to make it 3-3, Mario Gomez, David Luiz, Manuel Neuer and Frank Lampard had also all converted by that stage. Bastian Schweinsteiger then saw his effort rebound off the post, allowing Chelsea's cup hero, Didier Drogba, to score the winning penalty and give Roman Abramovich what he had been searching for since his takeover.

For long periods of the game, it wasn't looking like it was going to be Chelsea's year. Neuer was very much a spectator for the majority of the game as Chelsea played a very defensive, a la Barcelona, style of football. Their negativity almost looked like it would cost them when Thomas Muller headed a cross past Petr Cech with seven minutes remaining.

Overall, Chelsea's defending had been top class throughout the night and deserved something from the game. Drogba then forced the game into extra time when he headed a Mata corner home in the final minute of normal time. But the hero almost became the villain four minutes into the extra time when he tripped Franck Ribery. Former Chelsea man, Arjen Robben, stepped up but he penalty was weak was easily saved by Cech. From there the game looked to peter out into that dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Chelsea surely have to look to Roberto Di Matteo as a full time manager. In his brief spell in 'interim' charge, he has already brought two trophies to Stamford Bridge and would definitely be looking to build on that next season.

Chelsea v Bayern Munich (Villa In Trouble Too)

The Champions League semi-finals have been concluded and Bayern Munich will host Chelsea at the Allianz Arena. Chelsea travelled to Camp Nou with a 1-0 lead to protect. The lead was ruled out though when Sergio Busquets scored via a low cross ten minutes before half-time. It would then get worse for Chelsea when John Terry stupidly kneed Alexis Sanchez in the back and was shown a red card two minutes after going behind. Andres Iniesta then made it 2-0 Barcelona with two minutes of the first half to play, which would put Barcelona through. But, out of nowhere, Chelsea caught the Spaniards on the break and Ramires chipped Victor Valdes to make it 2-1 on half-time, a scoreline which would put Chelsea through on away goals.

Barcelona dominated much of the second half and it looked like they would again take the lead on aggregate when Didier Drogba brought Cesc Fabregas down three minutes into the second half. Lionel Messi stepped-up and uncharacteristically hit the cross bar, his first missed penalty (not saved) in his career. The Argentine then thought he had redeemed himself, but his 83rd minute effort came back off the post. Then the unthinkable happened, substitute Fernando Torres received the ball from a clearance and quickly found himself one-on-one with Valdes. He then took it around the keeper before nestling his eighth Camp Nou goal into the net in injury time. Chelsea draw 2-2 on the night but win 3-2 on aggregate. The bad news for Chelsea is that they will be without Terry, Ramires, Raul Meireles and Branislav Ivanovic due to suspension, Gary Cahill will be assessed after limping off early in the first half.

Bayern Munich will join them after progressing past Real Madrid after a nervy penalty shoot-out. Munich had a 2-1 lead to take with them to the Bernabeu. But that was instantly demolished when Luis Gustavo was adjudged to handball a cross in the box whilst he was slipping, it looked harsh and ended up receiving a yellow card which has ruled him out of the final. Cristiano Ronaldo stepped-up and converted his 25th consecutive penalty after just six minutes. The Portuguese then made it 2-0 after just 14-minutes to turn the tie on its head. But Bayern were allowed back into it when Mario Gomez fell under a Pepe push. Arjen Robben also converted the spot-kick against his former club on 27-minutes to level the aggregate.

The game would eventually fall into extra time and then into penalties. David Alaba was the first to step up to the plate and placed in coolly into the bottom corner. Ronaldo followed but Manuel Neuer prevented him from making it 26 consecutive scored penalties with a great right hand. It was deja vu when Kaka missed in the exact same way after Gomez had made it 2-0. Toni Kroos would then have his penalty saved by Iker Casillas before Xabi Alonso posted Madrid onto the ball. Philipp Lahm then took a soft penalty which Casillas easily saved, allowing Sergio Ramos the chance to equalise. But the defender smashed the ball high over the ball and Bastian Schweinsteiger won it for the German side.

Back in England, Aston Villa faced Bolton in the replay of their postponed match. The match saw three goals in two minutes to shake up the relegation battle. Stephen Warnock put Villa ahead just after the hour mark, they were dominant in the first half and finally took their opportunity. But their lead only lasted a minute when Carlos Cuellar tripped Mark Davies and Martin Petrov converted it. David N'gog then made it 2-1 Bolton a minute later to give them a crucial three points. They are now a point from safety with a game in hand, Villa have now slipped to just three points ahead of the relegation zone. 

2011/2012 CL Semi-Finals 1st Leg

A late goal from Mario Gomez gives Bayern Munich a slight advantage going into the second leg. The Allianz Arena was the venue for the last time before the final and hosts Munich took the on 17-minutes when Franck Ribery managed to squeeze a shot into the bottom corner. Real Madrid have secured an away goal as Mesut Ozil equalised eight minutes into the second half on his return to his homeland. But Gomez won the game for Munich with three minutes remaining to give them something to protect in the Bernabeu.

Chelsea will also be heading to Spain with an advantage. They became only the fifth team this season to prevent Barcelona from scoring and a first half injury time goal from Didier Drogba gave the Chelsea the vital victory. Alexis Sanchez did hit the crossbar early on in the first half before Pedro hit the post in the dying seconds, but a great all-round defensive display from Chelsea earns their 1-0 aggregate lead going to Camp Nou.

2011/2012 CL Quarter Finals 2nd Leg

Lionel Messi once again rewrote history, this time becoming the youngest player to reach 50 goals in the Champions League. It came courtesy of two penalties as Barcelona edged past AC Milan at Camp Nou. The first penalty was awarded after ten minutes when Luca Antonini tripped Messi, the Argentinian made no mistake from the spot despite Christian Abbiati guessing the right way. Milan would level and get that sought after away goal on 32-minutes when Antonio Nocerino was put through on goal and smashed the ball past Victor Valdes. But Barcelona would regain the lead four minutes before half-time when Alessandro Nesta pulled Sergio Busquets to the ground from a corner. Again Messi stepped up and went the opposite way with the same outcome. Andres Iniesta sealed Barcelona's fifth consecutive semi-final place in the competition with their third just eight minutes after the restart.

Barcelona will meet Chelsea in the semi-finals after the English side squeezed past Benfica. Chelsea held a 1-0 lead going into the second leg and their advantage was soon doubled when Javi Garcia fouled Ashley Cole in the box, Frank Lampard stepped-up and converted the spot-kick on 21-minutes. Maxi Pereira received a yellow card for dissent when the penalty was awarded and he made Benfica's task even harder by receiving a second yellow five minutes before half-time. Javi Garcia made up his error by pulling a goal back five minutes from time but it was too little too late and Raul Meireles sealed the victory in injury time.

Bayern Munich made a short task of Marseille after carrying two away goals back to the Allianz Arena with them. Ivica Olic was chosen ahead of top scorer Mario Gomez and the little Croatian proved he was the right man for the job. He put Munich ahead after just 13-minutes to make it 3-0 on aggregate before adding a second eight minutes before half-time.

The German side will meet the other competitors from El Classico as they swept Cypriot minnows, Apoel, aside. Real Madrid had a 3-0 aggregate lead going into the second leg and Cristiano Ronaldo began the build the advantage on 26-minutes, Kaka then made it 2-0 ten minutes later. Gustavo Manduca now has a story to tell his grandchildren, as he scored at the Bernabeu on 67-minutes to give the Cypriot side some consolation. Ronaldo then made it 3-1 on 75-minutes before rising star, Jose Callejon, added a fourth five minutes later. Apoel managed to score a second goal when substitute Esteban Scolari netted from the spot with eight minutes remaining. But the last word came from Angel Di Maria who would make it 5-2, 8-2 on aggregate, two minutes after Apoel's penalty.            

2011/2012 CL QF 1st Leg pt.2

Barcelona have won every game so far in this season's Champions League, apart from the 2-2 draw at the San Siro in September. AC Milan have won every home game so far in this season's Champions League, apart from the same 2-2 draw against Barcelona. Tonight it was Milan Barca part three, but it wasn't as exciting as their previous two encounters. The pair traded blows but neither could break the deadlock. In theory it is advantage Barcelona going into the second leg, but Milan have become the first in the Champions League to prevent the Champions from scoring in two and a half years.

Bayern Munich have seemingly made it one step closer to the final which is on their home soil. They travelled to Marseille and Mario Gomez gave the German side the lead just before half-time. Arjen Robben doubled Munich's advantage after 69-minutes to give them two away goals as they go back to the Allianz Arena, potentially four games away from winning the Champions League at that very venue.

2011/2012 CL QF 1st Leg pt1 & FA Cup QF Replay

The first two quarter final first legs took place as Apoel Nicosia hosted Real Madrid and Chelsea visited Benfica. There was no surprise to see Real Madrid take an advantage back to the Bernabeu but all credit to Apoel as it took 73-minutes before Karim Benzema finally broke the Cypriot hearts. Kaka then added a second nine minutes from time before Benzema added his second in the final minute of normal time. It looks very likely that Jose Mourinho's side have booked their place in the last four.

Chelsea will also take an advantage back home with them, although it's much tighter than Madrid's. The only goal of the game came with 16-minutes remaining, Salomon Kalou scoring a vital away goal for the English side. Chelsea could have potentially one foot in the semis but the job is definitely not complete just yet.

Back in England, there was the matter of two FA Cup quarter finals to be settled. Everton travelled to Sunderland to contest their replay with Tottenham once again hosting Bolton in the rearranged tie. Everton were very much the better team throughout the match with Martin O'Neill's men falling short in their defensive and creative capacities. Nikica Jelavic made it three goals in five starts, tapping home a Magaye Gueye low cross after 23-minutes. Substitute David Vaughan failed to clear a ball and as he trapped it with his attempted clearance, his trailing came through and somehow managed to put the ball into his own net to set up the Merseyside derby in the semis just 11-minutes into the second half.

It was an emotional White Hart Lane as Bolton returned to contest the quarter final after that shocking Fabrice Muamba collapse. Unfortunately, the heart didn't rule over the football and Tottenham took the lead 17-minutes from time, Ryan Nelsen heading a corner home for his first Spurs goal. Gareth Bale then made it 2-0, slotting a one-on-one past Adam Bogdan just three minutes later. Kevin Davies did pull a goal back for Bolton in the final minute of normal time, but any hopes of a miracle comeback were dashed when Louis Saha made it 3-1 in injury time. Tottenham now set up a London derby against Chelsea at Wembley.  

2011/2012 CL: Quarter Final & Semi Final Draw

Apoel Nicosia v Real Madrid
Olympique Marseille v Bayern Munich
Benfica v Chelsea
AC Milan v Barcelona

Marseille/Munich v Nicosia/Madrid
Benfica/Chelsea v Milan/Barcelona

2011/2012 CL: 2nd Round 2nd Leg pt2

Anything Barcelona can do, Bayern Munich can do better as they smashed seven past Basel to book their place in the last eight. Basel did have a 1-0 lead going into the second leg but that was cancelled out after 11-minutes when Arjen Robben broke the deadlock. There was quiet between the two until Thomas Muller made it 2-0 three minutes before half-time with Mario Gomez adding a third two minutes later. Gomez then went into riot mode, scoring Munich's fourth five minutes into the second half then scoring his hat-trick just after the hour mark and then scored his fourth six minutes later. Basel's embarrassment was completed nine minutes from time when Robben scored his second to make it 7-0 on the night and 7-1 on aggregate.

There was drama in Italy as two injury time goals ended up causing Inter Milan to exit the competition. Marseille had a 1-0 lead going into the San Siro but Diego Milito levelled he score when he put Inter ahead on 75-minutes. But Inter's hopes of progressing were dashed when substitute Brandao equalised in the second minute of injury time. Steve Mandanda then conceded a penalty for bringing substitute Giampaolo Pazzini down and subsequently received his second yellow card. Pazzini dispatched the penalty to win the game for Inter but with the aggregate at 2-2, Marseille go through on away goals.

Real Madrid faced a tough task against CSKA Moscow but ended the night with a comfortable victory. It was 1-1 going into the Bernabeu and the Russians had several chances to take the lead. It didn't happen and Gonzalo Higuain put Madrid ahead on 26-minutes. Cristiano Ronaldo hit a 35-yard shot that Sergei Chepchugov didn't deal with and palmed it into the net, making it 2-0 ten minutes into the second half. Karim Benzema came off the bench and within two touches, Madrid were three ahead courtesy of the Frenchman. Zoran Tosic arguably scored the pick of the bunch for Moscow 13-minutes from time which did cause Madrid to become nervous. But again Moscow couldn't take any chances which allowed Benzema to play the ball across to Ronaldo and the Portuguese rolled the ball home for his second in injury time.

There will be an English representative in the quarter finals as Chelsea required extra time to overcome Napoli. The Italians had a 3-1 advantage to take to the Bridge but Roberto Di Matteo was able to continue his 100% to his managerial term. Didier Drogba headed Chelsea ahead just before the half-hour mark. John Terry then scored with his head from a corner three minutes into the second half to make it 3-3 on aggregate, a scoreline which would put Chelsea through. Gokhan Inler looked to destroy Chelsea's hopes with a goal seven minutes later to make it 4-3 to Napoli. Chelsea were then awarded a penalty when Andrea Dossena was perceived to have handballed it. Frank Lampard stepped up and smashed it past Morgan De Sanctis to make it 3-1 with 15-minutes left. This meant the game would go into extra time with the aggregate and away goal scores level. The winner came just before half-time when Branislav Ivanovic smashed home Drogba's cut-back, putting Chelsea into the quarter finals.    

2011/2012 CL: 2nd Round 2nd Leg pt.1

If Arsenal were to be in the draw for the Champions League quarter finals, they would have pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in sporting history. AC Milan were so confident of their progression, Massimiliano Allegri named two goalkeepers on the bench. But Milan's confidence may have been misplaced as Laurent Koscielny headed the opener from a corner after just seven minutes. Milan's performance was extremely underwhelming and Arsenal created a whole host of chances. Tomas Rosicky has been in great form as of late and made it 2-0 with a beautifully placed shot on 26-minutes. Milan may have began having flashbacks to that infamous Liverpool comeback when Djamel Mesbah brought Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain down in the box. Robin Van Persie stepped up and made it 3-0 with two minutes of the first half left. Unfortunately for Arsenal, they couldn't find that elusive goal in the second half as Milan stumble into the quarter finals.

Zenit travelled to Portugal to protect a 3-2 advantage over Benfica. The Russians' resistance only lasted 45-minutes however as Maxi Pereira broke the deadlock. As it stood, Benfica would go through on away goals but they weren't content with that. Substitute Nelson Oliveira netted a second in second half injury to ensure the Portuguese giants their passage into the last eight.

Lionel Messi once again made history as Barcelona destroyed Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniards had a 3-1 lead to protect at Camp Nou, but they weren't going to sit back and defend. Messi opened the scoring after 24-minutes with an audacious chip over Bernd Leno. The Ballon D'Or winner then made it 2-0 with a curling left footed strike three minutes before half-time. The little Argentine was in again just four minutes after the restart and, with another little chip, he bagged his eighth hat-trick of the season. Barcelona then brought on their latest youth product, Cristian Tello, within a minute of coming on he found himself on the score-sheet to make it 4-0. Shocking defending allowed Messi to get between two defenders and score his fourth on 58-minutes via an acute angle. Tello hit a second just four minutes later to make it six although Leno will be extremely disappointed that he didn't save it. History was then made five minutes from time when Messi became the first player to score five in a Champions League match with another left footed curler from outside the box. Leverkusen did score an injury time consolation with substitute Karim Bellarabi scoring a Barcelona-esque goal but it only made the aggregate score 10-2.

History was also made in Cyprus as Apoel Nicosia became the first Cypriot team to make it into the quarter finals. Lyon held a 1-0 aggregate lead going into the second leg but that was wiped out after just nine minutes with Gustavo Manduca scoring the goal. The game then fell into extra time and Manduca received a second yellow card with five minutes remaining. But Lyon couldn't take advantage and the teams had to be decided by penalties. Lisandro Lopez hit the post with his penalty but it rebounded off Dionissis Chiotis and into the net. Alexandre Lacazette scored Lyon's goal in the first leg but failed to convert his spot kick to give Apoel a 4-3 advantage. Michel Bastos had his penalty saved to earn Apoel's spot in the quarter finals.        

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: 2nd Round 1st Leg pt.2

Favourites Real Madrid haven't completed the job just yet over CSKA Moscow. Cristiano Ronaldo put the visitors ahead on 28-minutes. But Moscow will take a goal with them to the Bernabeu as Pontus Wernbloom equalised in the third minute of injury time. Real Madrid are still the strong favourites to go through with that crucial away goal.

England's Champions League hopes got even slimmer as Chelsea failed to get the desired result away to Napoli. Juan Mata did put Chelsea ahead on 27-minutes before Ezequiel Lavezzi equalised 11-minutes later. Edinson Cavani shouldered Napoli ahead just before half-time and Chelsea couldn't recover. Lavezzi then made it 3-1 on 65-minutes to give the Italians a big chance of making into the quarter finals in their debut campaign. But Chelsea do have an away goal which could prove to be an important factor.    

Perhaps the biggest shock at the half-way stage came from Switzerland. Basel met Bayern Munich and it took 86-minutes before either team secured an advantage. Valentin Stocker scored the only goal of the contest to give Basel the slender lead. But Munich are still probably the favourites when the pair meet again in the Allianz Arena.

It took even longer in France for either team to give themselves an advantage. Under-fire Claudio Ranieri will have to work hard as Andre Ayew fired Marseille ahead in injury time to take a lead to the San Siro. Again, Inter should have the advantage in the second leg but have failed to get an away goal.

2011/12 CL Round-Up: 2nd Round 1st Leg pt1

The Champions League returned this week as the knock-out phase commenced. Favourites Barcelona will take three away goals with them for the battle at Camp Nou. Barca travelled to Germany to take on Bayer Leverkusen and took the lead five minutes before half-time through Alexis Sanchez. Michal Kadlec equalised six minutes after the restart but it was cancelled out by Sanchez's second just three minutes later. Lionel Messi put the icing on the cake with Barca's third three minutes before the end. Leverkusen have it all to do if they are to turn the 3-1 deficit around.

It'll be a little bit more tense in Cyprus when Apoel Nicosia host Lyon in their second leg. The pair are separated by just the one goal, Alexandre Lacazette giving Lyon a slight advantage 12-minutes into the second half.

It will be just as tense in Portugal, although Benfica will have two away goals to carry with them when they face Zenit St.Petersburg again. Maxi Pereira gave the visitors the lead after 20-minutes before Roman Shirokov equalised six minutes later. Sergei Semak then gave Zenit the lead with 20-minutes to go. Oscar Cardozo thought he'd rescued a point with Benfica's equaliser four minutes from time however, Shirokov returned to give Zenit the slender lead two minutes later.

Any hopes of an English winner may now fall onto Chelsea as AC Milan handed out a footballing lesson to Arsenal. The deadlock was broken in the San Siro after 14-minutes with Kevin Prince-Boateng firing a superb shot home. Robinho made it 2-0 when the ball was put on a plate by an originally offside Zlatan Ibrahimovic eight minutes before half-time. The Brazilian then added Milan's third just three minutes into the second half with Ibrahimovic finishing the job from the spot with 12-minutes remaining.    

2011/2012 UEFA Champions League 2nd Round Draw

Olympique Lyonnais v Apoel Nicosia
Napoli V Chelsea
AC Milan v Arsenal
FC Basel v Bayern Munich
Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona
Moscow Madrid
Zenit St Petersburg v  Benfica
Olympique de Marseille v Inter Milan

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday 6 Groups A-D

Group A: Manchester City did what needed to do, but it wasn't enough to see them progress. David Silva put City ahead against an under strength Bayern Munich side eight minutes before half-time. Yaya Toure gave City the victory seven minutes into the second half but it turned out not be enough and City will now play in the Europa League.
Napoli take City's place in the knock-out phase with a 2-0 win over pointless Villarreal. Gokhan Inler put Napoli ahead after 65 with Marek Hamsik securing Napoli's second round place twelve minutes later. Table:
Bayern Munich   13
Napoli                11
Manchester City 10
Villarreal              0

Group B: Lille and Trabzonspor played out a 0-0 draw to see the French side out of contention for progression. For Trabzonspor to qualify, they had to hope Inter Milan didn't lose to CSKA Moscow in the San Siro. Seydou Doumbia put the visitors ahead five minutes into the second half before Esteban Cambiasso equalised a minute later. But Vasili Berezutskiy gave CSKA the win and their place in the next round three minutes from the end. Table:
Inter Milan           10
CSKA Moscow    8
Trabzonspor          7
Lille                       6

Group C: Manchester United failed to do what they needed to avoid Europa League football and it may cost them dear. Marko Streller put Basle ahead after just nine minutes and with United only requiring a draw, Alexander Frei made it 2-0 with six minutes left. Phil Jones did pull a goal back five minutes later but it was too little too late for United. Worse news for them is that Nemanja Vidic looks to have suffered a dislocated knee.
Benfica confirmed top spot with a win over Otelul Galati. Oscar Cardozo scored the only goal of the game after seven minutes to make Galati finish with no points in their début campaign. Table:
Benfica                   12
FC Basle                11
Manchester Untied   9
Otelul Galati             0

Group D: Lyon needed a seven goal swing to progress, and they somehow managed it with a 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb. Jerko Leko received his second yellow card after just 28 minutes but Mateo Kovacic put them ahead four minutes before half-time. Bafetimbi Gomis equalised just before half-time before Maxime Gonalons put Lyon ahead two minutes after the restart. Gomis made it 3-1 two minutes later before scoring his third just seven minutes into the second half. Lisandro Lopez came off the bench to make it 5-1 after 64 minutes with Gomis scoring his fourth six minutes later. Jimmy Briand finished off the rout with fifteen minutes remaining.
This meant Lyon only required Real Madrid to beat Ajax 1-0 for the French side to progress. Jose Callejon put Madrid ahead after thirteen minutes. Gonzalo Higuain made it 2-0 four minutes before half-time before Callejon finished their 100% group campaign in second half injury time. Table:
Real Madrid             18
Olympique Lyonnais  8
Ajax                         8
Dinamo Zagreb         0

2011/2012 CL Round-UP: Matchday 6 Groups E-H

Group E: Bayer Leverkuesen secured their place by picking up a point against Genk. The Belgian hosts took the lead through Jelle Vossen on the half hour mark. Eren Derdiyok rescued the point eleven minutes from time to see the German side progress.
Chelsea did what they had to do and have ended up winning the group. Didier Drogba gave Chelsea the lead at home to Valencia after just three minutes. Ramires made it 2-0 after 22 minutes before Drogba added his second and Chelsea's third fourteen minutes from the end. Table:
Chelsea                      11
Bayer Leverkuesen     10
Valencia                       8
Genk                            3

Group F: As Arsenal were already guaranteed top spot, Arsene Wenger decided to play his 'Carling Cup' side against Olympiacos. It backfired however and the Greek hosts took the lead with Rafik Djebbour scoring after sixteen minutes. David Fuster doubled their lead nine minutes before half-time before Yossi Benayoun pulled a goal back twelve minutes after the restart. Francois Modesto secured the win in the final minutes of normal time to give Olympiacos Europa League football.
Marseille came from 2-0 down to secure second in the group against Borussia Dortmund. The German hosts took the lead through Jakub Blaszczykowski after 23 minutes before Mats Hummels made it 2-0 from the penalty spot nine minutes later. Loic Remy made it 2-1 right on half-time before Andre Ayew equalised with five minutes remaining. Substitute Mathieu Valbuena then stole the points two minutes later to secure progression. Table:
Arsenal                       11
Olympique Marseille   10
Olympiacos                  9
Borussia Dortmund      4

Group G: Zenit secured a point that ensured their progression at Porto's expense.The game between the two of them finished goalless. Apoel Nicosia win the group despite losing 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk. Adriano  broke the deadlock after 62 minutes with substitute Yevgen Seleznev winning it twelve minutes from time. Table:
Apoel Nicosia          9
Zenit St Petersburg   9
FC Porto                 8
Shakhtar Donetsk    5

Group H: With the group already settled, Barcelona still cruised past BATE to win the group. Sergi Roberto opened the scoring for Barca ten minutes before half-time. Martin Montoya made it 2-0 on the hour before Pedro added a third three minutes later and then a fourth from the spot in the final minute.
Plzen secured Europa League football with a surprise point against AC Milan. Alexandre Pato gave Milan the lead two minutes into the second half with Robinho doubling their lead a minute later. But Plzen pulled a goal back through David Bystron in the final minute before substitute Michal Duris equalised in injury time. Table:
Barcelona        16
AC Milan         9
Viktoria Plzen   5
BATE Borisov  2

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday 5 Groups E-H

Group E: Chelsea face a win or bust final match against Valencia after a last gasp defeat to Bayer Leverkuesen. Chelsea took the lead through Didier Drogba just three minutes into the second half before substitute Eren Derdiyok equalised on 73 minutes. Manuel Friedrich then won the game in injury time for the German side. Leverkuesen are now top on nine points with Chelsea on eight.
Valencia are also on eight points and now have an improved goal difference after thrashing Genk at home. Jonas broke the deadlock after ten minutes before Roberto Soldado made it 2-0 three minutes later. Soldado then completed his hat-trick with his second on 36 minutes and his third three minutes later. Pablo Hernandez made it five after 68 minutes with substitute Artiz Aduriz making it six two minutes later. Tino Costa wrapped things up nine minutes from time to set up the win or bust match against Chelsea.

Group F: Olympiacos kept their qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 away win over Olympique Marseille. Substitute Fetfatzidis Ioannnis scored the winner eight minutes from time. Olympicaos are now on six points with Marseille on seven.
Arsenal became the first English side to progress and win their group with a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Who else but Robin Van Persie would give Arsenal the lead four minutes into the second half before he doubled his tally four minutes from the end. Shinji Kagawa pulled a goal back in injury time but it wasn't enough. Dortmund sit on four points and need a miracle to progress.

Group G: Zenit St. Petersburg and Apoel Nicosia played out goalless draw in Russia. Nicosia only require a point to secure qualification on nine points but Zenit sit only a point behind them on eight.
Porto sit on seven points to set up a nervy final round of games. A Hulk goal after 79 minutes and a Razvan Rat own goal in injury time gave them a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Group H: Viktoria Plzen beat BATE in the battle for Europa League. Marek Bakos scored the only goal of the match three minutes before half-time to put Plzen two points ahead of BATE.
Barcelona edged a five goal thriller over AC Milan in the fight for top spot. A Mark Van Bommel own goal gave Barca the lead after fourteen minutes before Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalised six minutes later. Messi made it 2-1 from the penalty spot just after the half hour mark but it was again cancelled out, this time by Kevin-Prince Boateng nine minutes into the second half. Xavi then won the game on 63 minutes to ensure top spot for the Champions.

2011/2012 CL Round-Up - Matchday 5 Groups A-D

Group A: Manchester City are in real trouble after losing 2-1 away to Napoli. Edinson Cavani put the hosts ahead on seventeen minutes after some poor defending. Mario Balotelli equalised after 33 minutes, tapping in from short range. But Napoli won the game four minutes into the second half when an unmarked Cavani fired a second goal home. City must now beat Bayern Munich in the final game and hope Napoli fail to win to qualify, Napoli just need to equal City's result to relegate City into the Europa League.
Bayern Munich have won the group with another win over pointless Villarreal. Franck Ribery got the ball rolling after just three minutes for the hosts. Mario Gomez made it two after 23 minutes before Jonathan De Guzman pulled one back five minutes into the second half. Ribery then netted for a second time on 69 minutes to guarantee the win and top spot in group A.

Group B: Lille go level on points with CSKA Moscow after beating them 2-0 in Russia. Vasili Berezutski lobbed his own keeper four minutes into the second half to give Lille the lead before Moussa Sow doubled the score on 64 minutes. Both teams have five points going into the final match.
Inter Milan have won the group despite a 1-1 draw against Trabzonspor. Ricardo Alvarez gave Inter the lead after eighteen minutes before Halil Altintop equalised five minutes later. The point sees Trabzonspor move to six points knowing that a win away to Lille will secure qualification. They'll also progress with a draw as long as CSKA fail to beat Inter in the San Siro.

Group C: Benfica secure their place in the next round with a 2-2 at Old Trafford. Benfica took the lead after three minutes when Phil Jones put through his own net. Manchester United equalised with a Dimitar Berbatov header on the half hour mark. United then took the lead just before the hour mark through Darren Fletcher but it was cancelled a minute later after poor defending left Pablo Aimar with a tap in. Benfica qualify based on a better head to head record. United only need a draw in Basle to secure their place.
      Basle need to beat United in the final game to gain a shock qualification place after beating Otelul Galati. Fabian Frei gave Basle the lead ten minutes before Alexander Frei made it two four minutes later. Marco Streller then looked to have the game beyond all doubt eight minutes before half-time. But Galati fought back Gabriel Giurgiu made it 3-1 with fifteen minutes left before Liviu Antal made it 3-2 six minutes later. Basle were able to hold on to set up a last match day show down with United in Switzerland.

Group D: Lyon and Ajax played out a 0-0 draw in France. Ajax remain three points ahead of Lyon and the French side must beat Dinamo Zagreb and hope Ajax lose to Real Madrid, with a seven goal swing, to give Lyon a chance of progressing.
Madrid continued their 100% group phase with a thrashing over Zagreb. Madrid were 3-0 within nine minutes, Karim Benzema after two, Jose Callejon after six and Gonzalo Higuain getting the goals. Mesut Ozil then made it four after twenty minutes. But Zagreb managed to get a 2-2 draw in the second half, Callejon made it 5-0 just four minutes after restart before Benzema also added a second after 66 minutes. Fatos Beciraj made it 6-1 eight minutes from time before substitute Ivan Tomecak added a second in stoppage time.

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday 4 Groups A-D

Group A: Bayern Munich manage to hold off a spirited Napoli fightback to remain at the top. Mario Gomez wowed the crowd with a first-half hat-trick, opening the scoring after seventeen minutes, following it up six minutes before making it 3-0 three minutes before half-time. Federico Fernandez pulled one back right on half-time but were dealt a blow when Juan Zuniga received his second yellow with nineteen minutes left. Holger Badstuber then levelled the playing field by receiving his second yellow card after 77 minutes, Napoli then made it 2-0 two minutes later through Fernandez again. Napoli remain on five points whereas Munich are on ten.
Villarreal remain pointless and are almost guaranteed fourth after defeat to Man City. Yaya Toure put City ahead on the half hour mark before Balotelli made it 2-0 from the spot on half-time. Yaya Toure then scored his second nineteen minutes from time to ensure City moved up to seven points and second in the table.

Group B: Trabzonspor and CSKA Moscow played out a goalless draw in Turkey to move both teams to five points. Inter now top the group on nine after beating Lille. Samuel gave Inter the lead after eighteen minutes before Diego Milito doubled the score after 65. Lille pulled a goal back through substitute Tulio de Melo seven minutes from time but it wasn't enough to move them off two points.

Group C: Basle prevented Benfica from qualifying by holding them to a 1-1 draw in Portugal. Rodrigo Machado put Benfica ahead after four minutes but Huggel equalised after 64 minutes. Benfica are now on eight points with Basle on five.
Man United join Benfica on eight points after squeezing past Otelul Galati at Old Trafford. United did take the lead after eight minutes through Valencia but the rest of the game was not easy viewing for United fans. But they got their rest bite when a Rooney shot took a wild deflection off Sarghi, three minutes from time to leave Galati without a point and almost certainly with fourth place.

Group D: Ajax moved three points ahead of Lyon in second place after thrashing pointless Zagreb. Van der Wiel got the ball rolling after twenty minutes before Miralem Sulejmani doubled the score five minutes later. Siem de Jong made it three after 65 minutes with Nicolas Lodeiro coming off the bench to finish the rout in injury time.
Real Madrid, like Barcelona, have progressed through the knock-out phase with a 2-0 win over Lyon. A double from Ronaldo, first after 24 minutes and a penalty after 69 minutes, sees both Spanish giants ease into the second round.

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday 4 Groups E-H

Group E: Chelsea have to wait to be guaranteed qualification after being held by Genk in Belgium. Genk responded to their 5-0 hammering at Stamford Bridge by scoring their first goal of the tournament. Ramires had given Chelsea the lead after 25 minutes but Jelle Vossen equalised just after the hour to give Genk their second point of the campaign.
But Chelsea move two points clear at the top as Valencia beat Bayer Leverkuesen at home. Valencia took the lead in the opening minute through Jonas but that was cancelled out by Kiessling just after the half hour mark. Valencia then retook the lead through Soldado after 65 minutes before Adil Rami made it 3-1 ten minutes later. Valencia are now just a point behind Leverkuesen on five points.

Group F: Arsenal also missed out guaranteed qualification after playing out a 0-0 draw against Marseille at the Emirates. Arsenal sit on eight points with Marseille on seven.
Borussia Dortmund kept their hopes of qualification alive with their first win of the tournament at home to Olympiacos. Kevin Grosskreutz scored the only goal of the game after seven minutes to see the German side move up to four points.

Group G: Shakhtar Donetsk are almost out of contention after suffering defeat to Zenit in Russia. Lombaerts scored the only goal just before half-time to move Zenit up to seven points but Donetsk still searching for their first win.
Apoel continued their unbelievable form going with a win over Porto in Cyprus. Apoel took the lead from the penalty spot three minutes before half-time through Ailton. Hulk then thought he'd earned a point with a Porto penalty in the final minute of normal time but Gustavo Manduca made it 2-1 in injury time, moving Apoel to eight points.

Group H: AC Milan now require a single point to qualify after being held by BATE. Ibrahimovic initially gave Milan the lead after 22 minutes but Renan Bressan scored the equaliser from the spot ten minutes into the second half.
Barcelona became the first team to qualify for the knock-out phases with a 4-0 win over Plzen. Plzen challenge got even harder after 22 minutes when Marian Cisovski was sent off for bringing Messi down in the box, Messi then converted the subsequent spot kick two minutes later. Messi then made it 2-0 just before half-time with Fabregas scoring the third after 72 minutes, Messi then completed his hat-trick to end the rout in injury time.

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday Three Groups E-H

Group E: Bayer Leverkuesen made it two wins in two games after a win at home to Valencia. It was actually the visitors who took the lead through Jonas after 24 minutes. Andre Schurrle equalised for the Germans seven minutes into the second half before Sidney Sam won the game four minutes later. Valencia remain on just two points.
Chelsea move onto seven points with a crushing victory over Genk who are still yet to score in their début Champions League campaign. Raul Meireles got the ball rolling for Chelsea after just eight minutes before Torres made it two just three minutes later. Torres then scored a second after 27 minutes with Ivanovic making it 4-0 three minutes before half-time. Kalou wrapped things up with Chelsea's fifth seventeen minutes from time.

Group F: Arsenal stopped Marseille's 100% start to the tournament in dramatic fashion. Arsenal were denied a penalty in the first half when they had a clear case for hand ball. It took Aaron Ramsey to steal the game in stoppage time to see Arsenal move one point above Marseille.
Olympiacos recorded their first win of the campaign at home to Dortmund. Jose Holebas gave the Greek side the lead after eight minutes before Robert Lewandowski equalised after 26. Rafik Djebbour then gave Olympiacos the lead four minutes before half-time with Francois Modesto sealing the victory with eleven minutes left.

Group G: Apoel made it five points from their three games with yet another surprise result, a 1-1 draw against Porto in Portugal. Hulk gave the hosts the lead after thirteen minutes but it was cancelled out just six minutes later by Ailton.
Shakhtar made it two points in two games with a draw against Zenit. Willian gave the Ukrainian hosts the lead after a quarter of an hour before Roman Shriokov equalised after 33 minutes. Adriano returned the lead to Shakhtar just before half-time but it was cancelled out again, this time by Viktor Faitzulin on the hour mark.

Group H: Again Barcelona and AC Milan match each other's scores as they both win 2-0. Goals from Ibrahimovic after 33 minutes and Kevin-Prince Boateng with twenty minutes to play saw Milan beat BATE. Whilst goals from Iniesta after ten minutes and Villa eight minutes from saw Barcelona see off Plzen 

2011/2012 CL Round-Up: Matchday Three Groups A-D

Group A: Napoli and Bayern Munich continued their unbeaten starts to the campaign with a draw in Italy. Munich took the lead after just two minutes through Toni Kroos before Badstuber scored an own goal six minutes before half-time to equalise. Napoli are on five points with Munich on seven.
Manchester City earned their first win of the campaign against Villarreal who remain pointless. It was the Spanish visitors who took the lead after just four minutes after Cani followed up a parried shot from Rossi. City found their equaliser two minutes before half-time when Marchena put through his own net. Substitute Sergio Aguero won the game in injury time to take their tally to four points.

Group B: Inter Milan made two wins in a row after a tight contest against Lille. Pazzini made it two goals in two games by scoring the winner after just 21 minutes. Lille remain on two points but Inter go top of the group.
CSKA Moscow ended Trabzonspor's unbeaten start in the early kick-off in Russia. Seydou Doumbia broke the deadlock just before the half hour mark. Aleksandrs Cauna doubled the score after 76 minutes before Doumbia wrapped the match up with his second four minutes before the end. Both teams have four points after their three games.

Group C: Manchester United also accumulated their first win of the campaign in a disappointing performance against minnows Otelul Galati. Despite having a very strong side out, United were lacklustre in the final third and a little guilty of the over play in defence. United then broke the deadlock on 64 when Rooney dispatched a penalty for handball. Three minutes later and Nemanja Vidic received a straight red for a high tackle to leave United with ten men. It was then ten a side just before injury time when Milan Perendija was shown a second yellow. United then wrapped the game up when Rooney was brought down in the box, he stepped up and scored his second to win. United go up to five points with Galati yet to score.
Benfica went top of the group with a 2-0 in Switzerland over Basle. Bruno Cesar opened the scoring after twenty minutes before substitute Oscar Cardozo rounded it off fifteen minutes from the end. Emerson then received a second yellow four minutes from time but it didn't change the outcome.

Group D: Real Madrid continued their 100% start with a 4-0 thrashing over Lyon. Benzema broke the deadlock after eighteen minutes. Khedira then made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half before Hugo Lloris scored an own goal eight minutes later. Sergio Ramos finished the game off nine minutes from time. Lyon remain on four points.
With Dinamo Zagreb and Ajax both yet to score this campaign, not many people would have predicted a 2-0 scoreline. But that's what Ajax did to go level with Lyon on four points. Derk Boerrigter put Ajax ahead four minutes into the second half before Christian Eriksen scored the second in injury time.