Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris
Saint-Germain followed Atletico
Madrid's lead by making it three wins
out of three in the UEFA Champions
League on Wednesday evening and all
but securing their places in the Round
of 16. The evening's eight games also
produced a glut of goals, with 27 being
scored in all, an average of 3.37 per
match.
The big match
Real Madrid 2-1 Juventus
Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo 4 and 28 pen
(Real Madrid); Fernando Llorente 22
(Juventus)
Carlo Ancelotti is starting to make his
mark at Real Madrid. Focused on
defensive solidity last season, Los
Merengues are now giving free
expression to their attacking skills,
moving the ball around with pace and
precision while still enjoying the
sharpest of cutting edges up front in
the shape of Ronaldo. Juventus held
their own for the opening half-hour,
with Llorente cancelling out the
Portuguese's opening goal. The Italian
champions had no answer to Ronaldo's
surging runs, however, and were
reduced to ten men when Giorgio
Chiellini was sent off for checking his
progress at the start of the second half.
The final score did not reflect the home
side's domination, though Juve
continued to cause concern on the
counter, with Iker Casillas in the
Madrid goal looking vulnerable at
times. Having collected a mere two
points from their opening three games,
the Turin giants have much to do.
The other games
Group A
Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 Shakhtar
Donetsk
Manchester United 1-0 Real Sociedad
After looking comfortable for the first
twenty minutes or so, Shakhtar
crumbled as Bayer overran them.
Stefan Kiessling grabbed a brace,
Simon Rolfes another from a penalty
and Sidney Sam completed the scoring
for a Leverkusen side who move into
second place behind United. Sociedad
travelled to Old Trafford more in hope
than expectation and after falling
behind to an early Inigo Martinez own-
goal, rarely threatened. Wayne Rooney
was again in inspiring form and forced
the error for the game's only goal.
Group B
Galatasaray 3-1 Copenhagen
Galatasaray's experienced European
campaigners were the difference on
the night as the Turkish side wrapped
things up in the first half. Felipe Melo's
headed goal was followed by strikes
from Wesley Sneijder and Didier
Drogba. Copenhagen notched a
consolation in the second half but it
was a case of too little, too late for the
Danes. Galatasary now stand two
points clear of Juventus, behind Real
Madrid.
Group C
Anderlecht 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain
Benfica 1-1 Olympiakos
PSG, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in
particular, were in stunning form
against Anderlecht. The imperious
Swede bagged four goals, with partner
Edinson Cavani adding another.
Gregory van der Wiel also stood out,
creating chance after chance with his
buccaneering runs down the right
flank.
Benfica staged a late comeback to
secure a point against Olympiacos,
who led after half-an-hour though an
Alejandro Dominguez goal. After being
frustrated by a well-marshalled Greek
defence all night, Paraguayan Oscar
Cardoza finally equalised with seven
minutes remaining. The return match
could well decide which of the two
sides make it to the knockout phase of
this year's competition.
Groupe D
CSKA Moscow 1-2 Manchester City
Bayern Munich 5-0 Viktoria Plzen
Despite conceding five times, Plzen
goalkeeper Matus Kozacik was in
heroic form to prevent the European
champions from notching many more
on the night. Bayern were
irrepressible, and with two-goal Franck
Ribery pulling the strings, they laid on
some fabulous entertainment for their
adoring fans. Sergio Aguero found the
net twice in the space of eight minutes
before half-time for Manchester City,
who were glad to escape from CSKA's
Arena-Khimki with all three points. Joe
Hart's superb reflex save from Keisuke
Honda with virtually the last touch of
the match secured the spoils for
Manuel Pelligrini's side.
The players
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano
Ronaldo have enjoyed many a prolific
evening in the Champions League and
were at it once again on Wednesday.
The scorer of a brace against Benfica
earlier in the group, the Swede was up
to his usual tricks when PSG visited
Anderlecht, converting the second of
his four goals with an improvised back-
heel flick and then completing a first-
half hat-trick with a thundering drive
from 30 metres out. Not to be outdone,
Cristiano Ronaldo struck fear into the
hearts of the Juventus defenders,
finding the back of the net twice in the
first half and also forcing Chiellini's
dismissal. Ronaldo is now the
competition's top scorer with seven
goals in three games, followed by
Ibrahimovic with six and Lionel Messi
with four.
The goal
CSKA Moscow 1-0 Manchester City
(Zoran Tosic, 32)
Igor Akinfeev's long clearance was
flicked on by Keisuke Honda into the
path of Serbian wide man Zoran Tosic,
who shrugged off the attentions of a
City defender and lobbed the ball
neatly over advancing keeper Hart.
The stat
9 - The number of games Manchester
United had gone in the competition
since their last clean sheet in
September 2012, an unwanted run
they brought an end to against Real
Sociedad.
Have your say
Who will advance from Group B with
Real Madrid?
Add your comment.
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