Bayern Munich, Chelsea reach Champions League round of 16
On the day that its former coach, Juergen Klinsmann, was named technical advisor to Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC, Bayern Munich on Wednesday powered its way into the last 16 of the European Champions League.
The German club, a four-time European champion and runner-up behind Inter Milan in last season’s tournament, brushed aside CFR Cluj, 4-0, in Romania and is the first team to reach the knockout stage.
Joining it in the final 16 a little later Wednesday night was Chelsea, the runner-up to Manchester United in 2008. The Blues followed their 2-0 win over Spartak Moscow in Russia two weeks ago by defeating the Russian club, 4-1, at Stamford Bridge.
Also going through was Real Madrid, which relied on an injury-time goal by Pedro Leon to tie AC Milan, 2-2, in Italy. No matter what the results of the final two rounds of group-stage matches are, Real cannot finish lower than second in its group.
The night’s eight Champions League matches were not without a surprise, however, as Arsenal, which also could have advanced to the next phase by winning, instead was upset, 2-1, by Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.
Bayern Munich’s victory saw much-criticized German national team striker Mario Gomez score a hat trick as Coach Louis van Gaal’s team won for the fourth time in four Champions League matches this season. Thomas Mueller added the fourth goal in the final minute.
Cluj Coach Sorin Cartu called it “a shameful score,” but Van Gaal, who has been feuding with Uli Hoeness, the team’s president, over player selection, was delighted.
“Tonight I am happy and Uli is happy,” Van Gaal said.
In the other game in the group, AS Roma took a significant step toward the next round by beating FC Basel, 3-2, in Switzerland.
Jeremy Menez, Francesco Totti and Leandro Greco scored to lift the Italian side from fourth place to second. Alex Frei and Xherdan Shaqiri got Basel’s goals.
Chelsea, the defending English Premier League champion, is intent on winning the European title this season and on current form it stands a good chance. On Wednesday, the Blues, with one English player on the field, got two goals from Branislav Ivanovic and one apiece from Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba.
Nikita Bazhenov scored for Spartak when the outcome was already beyond doubt. It was the first goal yielded in more than 15 hours of play by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Bayern Munich and Chelsea are the only remaining unbeaten and untied teams in the competition.
The loss dropped the Russian team into third place in the group as Olympique Marseille swept into second place with a 7-0 rout of Zilina in Slovenia.
Andre-Pierre Gignac had a hat trick for the French champion, Lucho Gonzalez scored twice, and Gabriel Heinze and Loic Remy each added a goal.
“We were terrible in every aspect of the game,” Zilina Coach Pavel Hapal said.
Meanwhile, the clash between clubs that between them have 16 European titles — AC Milan, with seven, and Real Madrid, with nine — ended in a tie in Italy.
It was the first return to the San Siro Stadium for Real Coach Jose Mourinho since he led Inter Milan to the European, Italian league and Italian Cup titles last season. He was booed by the more than 70,000 AC Milan fans, who were less than amused when Mourinho held three fingers aloft to remind them of last season’s triumphs by rival Inter Milan.
Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain gave Real Madrid the lead just before halftime, but two goals by substitute Filippo Inzaghi turned things around in the second half before Pedro Leon scored the tying goal in injury time to send Real Madrid into the last 16.
“My team still has to learn how to play Champions League football,” Mourinho said. “In the second half we needed to finish the game off, but instead we nearly lost. It is therefore a big lesson for us.”
In the same group, previously winless Auxerre of France overcame Ajax Amsterdam, 2-1, on goals by Frederic Sammaritano and Steven Langil to deal a severe blow to the Dutch club’s hopes of advancing. Toby Alderweireld scored for Ajax.
Arsenal traveled to Ukraine with high hopes of securing its place in the knockout stage, having won three of three and having outscored its opponents, 14-2. Things looked even better after winger Theo Walcott gave the Gunners the early lead.
But goals by Dmytro Chygrynskiy and former Arsenal player Eduardo da Silva gave the home team the comeback victory and kept it on course to advance.
Arsenal Coach Arsene Wenger blamed his players’ “lack of maturity” for their failure to protect the lead.
Portugal’s Braga also stayed in the hunt in the group with a 1-0 victory over Partizan Belgrade on a headed goal by Moises. The Serbian team has lost all four of its games.
Champions League play resumes Nov. 23.
