UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Wenger the joker who fielded THIRD choice keeper and inexperience youngsters is complaining that Bitter gourd is bitter.

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Lack of experience hurts Gunners
7 December 2011

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger bemoaned his side's lack of experience at the back after their 3-1 loss to Olympiakos on Tuesday.Wenger's men had already qualified on top of Group F ahead of their trip to Piraeus and the French manager took the opportunity to try several of his second-string players in Greece.

But the experiment backfired as Olympiakos capitalised on some, at times, calamitous defending from the Gunners to win 3-1 in a performance that disappointed Wenger."Those players haven't played a lot together," Wenger told Sky Sports. "(There was a lack of communication)...particularly in the defence many times, they looked at each other.""Many of them have no experience in the Champions League as well so (they were) a bit surprised by the pace of the game."

The Arsenal boss felt his side made a poor start to the match, insisting their tactical approach in the first half was wrong."In the first half it was very difficult for us and I don’t think we had the right tactical approach, we played too many short balls," Wenger said."Unfortunately in Europe if you are not at 100 percent at the start of the game it is very difficult to win and tonight Olympiakos had a good chance to qualify and were 100 percent up for it.""We had the early chances in the game and we didn't score. Physically I think they gave absolutely everything."

Wenger admitted that left-back Andre Santos had suffered a serious ankle injury and that he would be sidelined for some time, which will test the depth in Arsenal's squad."Santos suffered a bad ankle injury," he said. "It looks like he will be out for a while. We have (Kieran) Gibbs coming back in two to three weeks.""Hopefully Santos will not be too long but, for Saturday against Everton, he looks to be struggling."

jw5 · Dec 7, 2011

Mesut Özil said:
Wenger the joker who fielded THIRD choice keeper and inexperience youngsters is complaining that Bitter gourd is bitter. [/SIZE][/FONT][/B][/COLOR]

He fielded his second choice lah. Got injured and the third choice came on. Alumnia is now 4th choice. :biggrin:

He has this habit of thinking too highly of his own players. Fergie has the same problem. :biggrin:

CheesePie · Dec 7, 2011

jw5 said:
He fielded his second choice lah. Got injured and the third choice came on. Alumnia is now 4th choice.

He has this habit of thinking too highly of his own players. Fergie has the same problem.

I know their pecking order and saw the substitution. Still it's third choice.

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Villarreal star laughs off cash incentive claims

7 December 2011

Villarreal midfielder Borja Valero has dismissed rumours claiming Manchester City have offered his side money to beat Napoli on Wednesday. Villarreal have lost all five of their group fixtures so far in the competition, but their match against the Italians has a huge bearing on who will qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League from Group A.City need to beat Bayern Munich and hope Villarreal can avoid defeat at home to Napoli.

"We don't like the rumours from Italy about a possible offer from Manchester City for us to win against Napoli on Wednesday," Borja told Goal.com in an exclusive interview."Firstly, because it's not true and secondly, because we are professionals with pride.""Villarreal have a good image in Europe and to end the group stage with no points, or with one point, would be very painful - and that's why it's important for us to give ourselves a boost and win this match."

Borja's comments come after Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis suggested that the English club's wealthy Arab owners could be offering cash as an incentive to Villarreal's players."I can feel strange things going on surrounding the Villarreal game – princes and sheikhs are getting agitated. To think about it would be evil. But sometimes you can guess what might be happening," De Laurentiis said.

But Borja, 26, does not care which team advances to the last 16 alongside group winners Bayern."This war of nerves between City and Napoli has nothing to do with us," he said."I don't care who goes through - I just want us to say goodbye to the Champions League with a win at home.""The Italians and the English should have made sure they qualified earlier - we don't want to be involved in any of this."

Valero also claims his side could do with the financial boost of a win on matchday six and hopes success against the Italians can kick-start the club's ailing season, which sees them just two points clear of the relegation zone in La Liga after 14 games."Apart from the moral question, there are the economic prizes from UEFA for winning and these days, Villarreal need the money like everyone else," he said.

"We are going through a bad patch in the Spanish league and injuries have been destroying us since the summer, but we are getting some of our players back little by little and I hope a victory over Napoli can see us start to win games and climb up the table."

Meanwhile, the former Real Madrid youth product says he is happy at Villarreal, despite reported interest from the Premier League."I'm not concerned by the reports in newspapers or whether I am being followed or not in the Premier League," he said."I'm just focused on Villarreal at the moment."

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Eh big mouth Mancini, don't talk cock and talk big after so many embarrassing defeats. Talk big only after you produce victories for your club.

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Every club in Europe wants Manchester City out of Champions League, says Roberto Mancini

The Italian claims the top clubs are scared of the Blues, who have to beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday and hope that Napoli do not pick up three points against Villarreal

7 Dec 2011 08:35:00

By Ross Jackson

Getty Images

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini believes Europe’s top clubs will be hoping his side are eliminated from the Champions League tonight. City are set to entertain Bayern Munich at the Etihad Stadium knowing their destiny is out of their hands, as even a win against the German outfit could see them drop out of Europe’s top competition.

The Italian believes Europe’s elite will be rooting for his side to be eliminated, as they see City as a real threat. The 47-year-old told reporters: "I think every team is worried about Manchester City now, because already - and certainly in the future - we are a team that could be one of the top clubs in the world.

"Napoli want us out, but Bayern want us out too and all the other top clubs will be hoping we go out of the Champions' League because they fear what we can achieve.” The Blues go into the game knowing they need Spanish side Villarreal to do them a favour and take points off Napoli, or any result against Bayern Munich will be in vain.

Despite their predicament, Mancini is adamant his side will be fully focused on the task in hand, and says if they do progress, his players will cause problems for a lot of teams. He continued: "It is hard - this is the hardest group.

"But we have belief, I am very happy with the belief we have in the team. We have to beat Bayern first, that is the key, and then we can worry about the other result. "We are facing a difficult situation in our group, we have only perhaps a 30 per cent chance, but if we go through we will be a big problem for the others teams.

"If we can get through this then it will be an important moment. We are progressing, and we have a lot of good players - can we win the trophy? We have to get through first and then we will speak, but the other clubs will be hoping we are out."

Earlier in the week, Napoli chairman Aurelio de Laurentiis suggested Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour could be tempted to use his financial muscle to offer Villarreal an incentive to take points from Napoli. The 62-year-old was quoted as saying: "I can feel strange things going on surrounding the Villarreal game - princes and sheikhs are getting agitated.

“To think about it would be evil, but sometimes you can guess what might be happening." However, Mancini laughed off such speculation, saying: "Fortunately Sheikh Mansour is not Italian, and I don't think he is like this - so I can't think about this stupid situation.

"The Italian president [de Laurentiis] has to respect Villarreal first, because they are a serious club, and they always play to win. “And after, Sheikh Mansour is a very good man, who is not Italian."

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Cole urges Lille to answer critics

7 December 2011

Lille midfielder Joe Cole believes that his side have what it takes to defy their critics and progress from Champions League Group B.

The French champions host to Trabzonspor on Wednesday, and must win if they are to progress to the knockout stages.Cole, currently on loan from Liverpool, told French TV programme Telefoot that while a win is crucial for their hopes of making an impact in the latter stages of the competition, it would also prove the doubters who previously wrote off the French club wrong.

"I think it's a very important game for the club to show its progress by playing in the Champions League," Cole said."I think we were not very lucky at the start of competition. People doubted us but we have the opportunity to change course and to qualify, which would be a great achievement for Lille.""Everyone wants to ensure that happens and we are very motivated by this challenge."

Lille have accumulated five points from as many matches, one point less than their Turkish opponents.

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Emery eyes Europa success

7 December 2011

Valencia boss Unai Emery has given his side the goal of winning this season's Europa League title.

The La Liga outfit were defeated 3-0 by Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday, which confirmed their departure from Europe's top competition.

Didier Drogba's third-minute goal set Chelsea on their way and the forward bagged another – sandwiched by Ramires' strike - as the Blues celebrated a comfortable home win.

"The game could've changed if we had scored the first goal,'' Emery said afterwards. "Conceding early made it very difficult for us.''

But after finishing third in Group E, the club will still be involved in European football as they drop into the last 32 of the Europa League - a tournament Emery wants his club to win.

"My goal now is to win the Europa League," he said."I have nothing to reproach about. No player can be blamed (for our exit), and both Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea have deservedly progressed.

Now we must think ahead."Valencia sit third in La Liga - seven points behind league leaders Real Madrid - and face Real Betis in domestic action on Saturday.

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

AVB: We gave critics ´a slap in the face´

7 December 2011

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas felt his team defied their critics as they beat Valencia 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.The Blues have struggled to keep clean sheets this season, but have improved recently keeping three in their previous four Premier League games.

And Villas-Boas was keen to point out this fact and his side's improvement after Didier Drogba's brace fired them to the top of Group E."To be fair, in the Premier League games we have kept three clean sheets in four games so our defence is not that bad," Villas-Boas told Sky Sports.

"We have been improving a lot. There has been a lot of criticism of our players and I think they gave everyone a slap in the face today.""It really doesn't matter what they (the critics) say about me, it matters that Chelsea finishes top of the group and manages to obtain the objectives that we set out to get." "We managed to qualify in first position and we wait for the draw to see how far we can go in the competition."

The Portuguese boss also expressed his delight for his playing group and admitted Drogba's third-minute goal was a huge boost to his side."In terms of the result, I'm very happy for the players," he said."They worked very hard for this win. We managed to get a result that made us proud at half-time, and guess what, we have finished top of the group against all odds.""It was good to score straight away.

Valencia started a bit uncomfortably, they lost possession a couple of times. We were available for transitions after that and we scored from one of them.""Our strategy was always to keep our line of defence near to our goal, and we managed to get a fantastic result and finish top of our group."

Striker Drogba has enjoyed something of a return to form in recent weeks, with four goals in his last four games, but the Ivorian was happy to pass the credit on to midfield team-mate Juan Mata."Last week I spoke about how good he is and how important he is for the team,"

Drogba said."You know I will keep saying it because he is really good for the team and he is wearing the number 10 well."Chelsea's next test will be at home to Manchester City in the Premier League on Monday.

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Ferguson: Rooney will play his part

7 December 2011

Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions that Wayne Rooney might be distracted in Basel on Wednesday.Ferguson scoffed at thoughts that the striker's impending UEFA appeal will have a negative effect on Manchester United when they face Basel in the Champions League.With Javier Hernandez and Dimitar Berbatov out injured, Rooney is a key figure for United in what is a massive fixture, with a point still needed to qualify for the knockout stages.

On Thursday, he will find out whether his three-match ban for kicking an opponent during England’s qualifier against Montenegro will be reduced, which would let him play a greater part in Euro 2012.But his club manager says any thoughts about the appeal will not be in his mind when he steps on to the pitch to take on the Swiss side.

"I don't think that comes into it at all," Ferguson told reporters when asked if the hearing was likely to affect Rooney's focus.United go into the match hoping not to repeat their performance six years ago where they lost in Portugal to Benfica and crashed out at the group stages.However, Ferguson is confident that history will not repeat itself once again.

"The side that played then was a very young team that suffered with a lot of injuries," he said."That period was disappointing. But it is six years ago. Our record since then has been outstanding.""People say we are not doing well but we are second in the league and we are at a stage where we could be qualifying for the next phase of the Champions League. The pressure won't affect us."

"Look at the number of big games these players play in. Every year for the last few years they have been involved in finals and semi-finals and quarter-finals and big games in the Premier League.""Wednesday is exactly the same situation. It is another big game. But we have a strong squad and that squad will see us through without question."

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Wenger: Players will learn from defeat
Arsene Wenger believes his young Arsenal players will have grown from the experience of a 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos in Athens.

Kompany: City still in for Champs League
Captain Vincent Kompany is convinced Manchester City can still play a big part in the Champions League this season.

AVB: Lampard still key despite axing
Andre Villas-Boas played down the significance of Frank Lampard's axing for Chelsea's do-or-die Champions League victory over Valencia.

UCL D-day for Manchester duo
Both Manchester United and Manchester City face the unthinkable prospect on an early exit in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Dutt 'annoyed' with Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt was frustrated with his side after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Genk in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Allegri slams Milan 'complacency'
AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri spared no prisoners in his assessment of his side's performance in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Viktoria Plzen.

Guardiola proud of Barca youngsters
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was delighted on Tuesday after his second-string side cruised to a 4-0 win over BATE Borisov in the Champions League.

Klopp: Dortmund will be back
Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp has promised his side will make a return to the Champions League after they bowed out of the competition on Tuesday.

Emery laments Valencia profligacy
Valencia coach Unai Emery believes his side's inability to take their chances was the reason behind Tuesday's 3-0 Champions League loss to Chelsea.

AVB: We slapped critics in the face
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas believes his side produced the perfect reply to the recent criticism thrown at them in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Valencia.

Jones: United thrive under pressure
Champions League rookie Phil Jones expects Manchester United's plight to bring the best out of his team-mates on Wednesday night.

Wenger: We got our tactics wrong
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admitted his side deserved to lose as they went down 3-1 to Olympiacos in Greece in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Terry: Chelsea are on the rise

John Terry hopes Chelsea's dip in form is over after they avoided an early Champions League exit and advanced to the knockout stage with a 3-0 win over Valencia.

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Wednesday 7th December 2011

UCL D-day for Manchester duo

Both Manchester United and Manchester City face the unthinkable prospect on an early exit in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

United are currently second in Group C, level on points with table-topping Benfica but behind in the standings due to an inferior head-to-head record, and they take on Basel at St-Jakob Park on Wednesday knowing they will progress to the knockout round if they avoid defeat.

Benfica will definitely top the group if they beat Otelul Galati in Group C's other match. United's arch-rivals City are also starring down the barrel in Group A, where they need to beat Bayern Munich and hope Napoli fail to win against Villarreal. However, due to their head-to-head record, Napoli will go through regardless of their result against Villarreal should City fail to beat Bayern.

In Group B, Inter Milan have already sewn up top spot, but there's plenty still to play for with just one point separating the other three teams. Trabzonspor are currently second on six points and play third-place Lille on Wednesday knowing victory will seal their progress to the next round.

CSKA, who face a tough trip to Inter, must beat the Nerazzurri and hope Lille and Trabzonspor draw for them to make the last 16.

Finally in Group D, group winners Real Madrid will be looking to make it six wins from six in their game against Ajax, who will qualify for the next round if they beat Los Blancos, or if Lyon fail to defeat Dinamo Zagreb in the other match.

Wednesday's
UEFA Champions League Fixtures

Group A

Man City vs Bayern Munich

Villarreal vs Napoli

Group B

Lille vs Trabzonspor

Inter Milan vs CSKA Moscow

Group C

Basel vs Man United

Benfica vs Otelul Galati

Group D

Ajax vs Real Madrid

Dinamo Zagreb vs Lyon

Mesut Özil · Dec 7, 2011

Villarreal's Juan Carlos Garrido intends to field under-strength side against Napoli

The coach has confirmed that he will rest a number of key players against the Serie A outfit but insists his side will be determined to end their difficult campaign on a high

6 Dec 2011 19:51:00

By Mark Doyle

Getty Images

Manchester City’s hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League have been dealt a blow with the news that Napoli will be facing a weakened Villarreal team at the Madrigal on Wednesday night.

With the Spanish side struggling in the wrong half of La Liga and in with no chance of even finishing third in Group A to reach the Europa League, coach Juan Carlos Garrido has decided that he will rest key players against the Partenopei.

“We are in a recovery phase so we have to give some players a few minutes playing time to introduce them gradually into the team,” the Villarreal boss said during his pre-game press conference.

“We will field the players who are in the best condition, the ones who can last for 90 minutes.

“We will use this match to restore our players' confidence, and obviously to get strength for the rest of the season.”

Garrido’s decision is a blow for City, who need to defeat Bayern Munich and hope that Villarreal take at least a point off Napoli in order to pip the Serie A side to second in the pool.

Garrido, though, insists that the Yellow Submarine are determined to finish what has been an arduous campaign on a high.

“We have been in the strongest group in the history of the Champions League and we want to leave the pitch knowing that we have played quality football,” he claimed.

“We want to finish this race showing our strength and that, even with so many injured players, this team can still play the same brand of good football that everyone expect from Villarreal.

“We do not care what Manchester City and Napoli do; we want to play well and have the satisfaction of having beaten a great team.”

Villarreal, who are 15th in La Liga and have lost all five of their previous games in Europe, have won just three games so far this season.

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Champions League Group A wrap: Napoli win sends Man City out

8 December 2011

Napoli's 2-0 victory over Villarreal sent Manchester City tumbling out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

Roberto Mancini's men needed to defeat Bayern Munich and hope Villarreal could earn at least a point at the Madrigal to qualify for the knockout stages from Group A. And although City eased past an under-strength Bayern 2-0, goals from Gokhan Inler and Marek Hamsik in Spain kept Napoli in second place and sent them into the last 16.

Napoli made a bright start and missed a glorious opportunity to take the lead in the fifth minute.Ezequiel Lavezzi's curling cross found Juan Zuniga in plenty of space yet the Colombian hit the ball straight at Diego Lopez from six yards out.With everything to play for, Napoli continued to look the livelier of the two sides, but could not breach the Villarreal defence in the first half.

That changed on 65 minutes when Inler picked up a loose ball 25 metres from goal before drilling an unstoppable effort into the far corner, leaving goalkeeper Diego Lopez rooted to the spot.The Italian club secured the three points in the 76th minute after some slack Villarreal defending from a corner. Ezequiel Lavezzi's ball into the box evaded every yellow shirt and fell to the feet of Hamsik, who bundled it home from two yards out to confirm Napoli's place in the knockout stages.

The news of Napoli's success was a blow for Manchester City fans, who watched their team score an ultimately meaningless 2-0 win over group leaders Bayern. David Silva put his team in the lead with a terrific strike following a smart touch from Edin Dzeko, before Yaya Toure doubled City's advantage after a nexus of intricate passes which resulted in the Ivorian calmly slotting home in the second half.

Although City put pressure on the German giants from the start, the game started fairly quietly. Mancini's men began to dictate the tempo; dominating possession as Bayern struggled to get into the game. City then took the lead via a stunning goal by Silva. The Spaniard was lurking at the edge of the area as Dzeko touched on Gareth Barry's pass from the right wing. The ball sat up perfectly for the Spaniard who lashed the ball home into the bottom corner.

The second goal came just after half time; an exquisite passing move by Mancini’s charges which saw Toure a play a one-two with Silva and then with Dzeko, resulted in the Ivorian finding himself free in the area to tuck the ball under Hans-Jorg Butt.In the end City's efforts came to nothing though, with Napoli's victory consigning the Sky Blues to third place in the group and a Europa League berth.

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Champions League Group B wrap: CSKA late show sinks Inter

8 December 2011

Russian outfit CSKA Moscow progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League with a last-gasp 2-1 win at Inter Milan on Wednesday.

With top spot in Group B already confirmed, Inter boss Claudio Ranieri took the opportunity to rest the likes of goalkeeper Julio Cesar and star forward Giampaolo Pazzini. But the Italian still named a strong side against a CSKA outfit who started the final of matchday at the bottom of Group B with five points, one behind Lille and Trabzonspor and five behind Inter.

Leonid Slutsky's team knew that all they could do was win and hoped that things in France would go their way and end in a draw, and they made a bright start at the San Siro with Seydou Doumbia going close early.Inter enjoyed the lion's share of possession but struggled to create chances and when they did, they were often fluffed.

The visitors should have taken the lead 11 minutes before the break when Vagner Love missed everything from six yards.Love made up for it early in the second half though, playing a brilliantly weighted ball for Doumbia who produced a neat first-time finish to give the Russians the lead.

Inter responded within a minute though, as Esteban Cambiasso pounced on a loose ball after CSKA goalkeeper Vladimir Gabulov could only parry Andrea Ranocchia's header from a corner.Love and Doumbia combined brilliantly again shortly after, but once more Love's finishing let him down and Diego Milito nearly made them pay with four minutes left.

The Argentine had the goal at his mercy but could only direct his header against the bar and CSKA shot down the other end and grabbed a winner with Vassili Berezutski heading past Inter shot-stopper Luca Castelazzi.That goal earned them victory and the celebrations started when they found out Lille had been held to a scoreless draw by Trabzonspor.

Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard was the star for the hosts and he went close to scoring twice in the first half, while Moussa Sow and Liverpool loanee Joe Cole also wasted chances.Trabzonspor also came close to scoring in the first half with Burak Yilmaz skimming the top of the net with his ambitious strike.

There was less goalmouth action in the second half and without the knowledge of CSKA's late goal, Trabzonspor - who began the matc second in the group - started wasting time towards the end in farcical circumstances. Little did they know that they needed a late goal and the final whistle was blown shortly after, signalling an end to both sides' Champions League campaign.

Trabzonspor will drop into the Europa League after finishing third in Group B while Lille bow out of European competition altogether.

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Champions League Group C wrap: Man Utd suffer shock exit

8 December 2011

Manchester United failed to qualify for the Champions League last 16 for the first time in six years after a 2-1 defeat at Basel on Wednesday.

Strikes from Marco Streller and Alexander Frei gave the hosts a 2-0 advantage, and although Phil Jones scrambled a late goal for United, they failed to find the equaliser they needed to claim second in Group C.The result sees United crash out of Europe's premier club competition at the group stage for the first time since 2005, and Basel equal their best performance in the tournament since 2003.

Furthermore, United's long term prospects suffered a further blow with the loss of captain Nemanja Vidic to what appears to be a serious knee injury.United began with intent, and their extra man in the middle enabled them to dominate the early exchanges.But having weathered the early storm, the Swiss champions then began to gain a foothold, and quickly broke the deadlock with less than 10 minutes on the clock.

A dangerous cross Xherdan Shaqiri was poorly dealt with by Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, and Streller gleefully half-volleyed the ball home through the legs of Patrice Evra to give his side the lead.The goal sparked Sir Alex Ferguson's men into action, and they dominated possession for the rest of the half, but failed to break down a well-organised Basel defence.

The second half began as the first had ended, with United pouring forward and Basel sitting deep.Markus Steinhofer nearly gifted United a way back into the match when his attempted clearance from a Nani crossed slammed into the crossbar, but the ball was eventually cleared after a desperate scramble in the penalty area.

Soon after Basel struck at the other end, when defender Chris Smalling naively let Shaqiri's in-swinging cross run across his body, and Alexander Frei stole in to double the hosts' lead.Hope, however, almost immediately followed, when Sommer saved from Welbeck and substitute Federico Macheda smashed against the crossbar before Jones bundled a header just over the line.

United threw everyone forward in a desperate search for an equaliser, but Basel held on to secure a famous victory and second spot in the group behind Benfica.The Portuguese side confirmed top spot in Group C with a 1-0 win at home against Romanian outfit Otelul Galati; Oscar Cardozo scoring the winner for Benfica after just seven minutes.

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Champions League Group D wrap: Lyon pull off amazing comeback

8 December 2011

Six second-half goals gave Lyon a 7-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb and helped complete an incredible comeback in the Champions League.

Needing to beat Dinamo and overcome a goal difference of seven goals to overtake Ajax in the Group D standings, Lyon turned on an incredible display at the Stadion Maksimir, scoring seven goals in a 31 minute period to storm into the last 16. Dinamo were reduced to 10 men early on when Jerko Leko received his second booking, but took the lead in the 40th minute through Mateo Kovacic.

Things were looking bleak for Lyon, until one of the most amazing spells in Champions League history had them back in the game.Bafetimbi Gomis was the catalyst, scoring Lyon's first a minute before half-time, before Remy Garde's side added three more inside the first seven minutes of the second period.This included two more to Gomis, who completed the fastest ever Champions League hat-trick in just seven minutes.

Three more goals followed - to Lisandro Lopez, another to Gomis, and Jimmy Briand - as the Dinamo defence capitulated under the weight of the Lyon pressure.The three points put Lyon level with Ajax on eight points, and they marched into the last 16 courtesy of a superior goal difference gained thanks to their massive win and the Dutch side's 3-0 loss at home to Real Madrid.

Ajax would have felt safe with such a heavy goal difference advantage, and perhaps some complacency snuck in as a second-string Real side completed a comfortable win at the Amsterdam Arena.Jose Maria Callejon gave Jose Mourinho's side the lead early on with a calm finish after being set up by Kaka.Ajax then thought they had equalised twice, but goals from Nicolas Lodeiro and Miralem Sulejmani were wrongly disallowed.

Gonzalo Higuain showed his class as he made it two for the guests in the closing stages of the first half, before Callejon beat the offside trap well into stoppage time to add a third for Madrid.Real Madrid won Group D with 18 points from six games, just the fifth time a team has had a perfect record in the group stage, while Ajax have to settle for Europa League action in 2012.

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Dinamo Zagreb sack manager after rout

8 December 2011

Dinamo Zagreb have sacked manager Krunoslav Jurcic after they were thumped 7-1 by Lyon in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The loss meant Dinamo finished the group stage of Europe's elite club competition without a point from their six matches, having scored just three goals and conceding 22.Despite leading the Croatian league by six points, the massive defeat has seen Jurcic's tenure at the club come to an abrupt halt.

"It's a difficult defeat to stomach," the club's executive director, Zdravko Mamic, told Croatian media after the loss."The board convened straight after the game and we decided to part company with Jurcic because this was an embarrassing end to our interest in Europe this season.""We have to find a way to make it up to the fans. This is not cheap talk, we had long-term plans with Jurcic and we discussed the future at lunch this afternoon."

Jurcic's sacking came just hours after the match, where he had offered these comments post-match."It's difficult to find an excuse after a 7-1 drubbing but reaching the group stage was deemed a huge success at the start of the season and I'd rather we tried to punch above our weight and learn than play in the Europa League," Jurcic said.

"We have all the makings of a young and inexperienced team which can't deal with difficult situations, when players get paralysed by adversity instead of fighting back."

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Ajax elimination a ´huge blow´, says de Boer

8 December 2011

Ajax coach Frank de Boer concedes being eliminated from the Champions League is a "huge blow" for the club.

The Dutch side were beaten 3-0 at home by Real Madrid, a loss which, coupled with Lyon's incredible 7-1 drubbing of Dinamo Zagreb, saw them finish third in Group D and miss out on a place in the last 16.After feeling confident they would make it through to the knockout stages, de Boer said news of their elimination had hit his players hard.

"This is obviously a huge blow. Before the match we had a lot of faith that we'd get through in the Champions League," de Boer said."For us, the players and the fans (elimination) is not a scenario you can think about before the match.""I thought it was an even game in the first half. We had the majority of the ball possession; maybe they were looking to profit from some mistakes we made.""It was a real setback to go in 2-0 behind at half-time, but I saw the score in Zagreb at that time was 1-0; then in the dressing room I heard it was 7-1 (to Lyon)."

De Boer also reserved praise for Ajax's fans, after displaying their unequivocal support on the night, and the 41-year-old has promised their efforts will now be channelled into bouncing back against RKC Waalwijk in the Eredivisie on Saturday."I want to pay a big compliment to our fans who kept on supporting us when they heard it was 7-1 in Zagreb," he said."Tomorrow we can mourn, then on Friday the players have a free day to clear their heads.""On Saturday we have to build again for Sunday's game against RKC."

Mesut Özil · Dec 8, 2011

Emotions overflow for proud Basel

8 December 2011

Basel manager Heiko Vogel could not contain his emotions after his side upset Manchester United 2-1 in the Champions League.

Vogel's side stunned last season's finalists with a victory that not only sent them through to the last 16, but also knocked the Premier League giants out of the competition.The only way Basel could have progressed was with a win, and that they did, with goals from Marco Streller and Alexander Frei sealing the famous triumph."The story of this game is told quickly: David beat Goliath," Vogel told UEFA's official website.

"Yes, I had tears in my eyes. With the full-time whistle, all the weight was lifted from my shoulders. It will probably take until 2017 until I completely realise (the magnitude of this).""There is boundless joy, the pride I feel is at its maximum. Not only did we win 2-1, it was the way we won. Especially in the second half, the daring way we played.""I'd expected Manchester to attack, to throw everything at us one more time, but the way we resisted them was sensational."

Vogel also thought his side could have played slightly better, in an ominous sign to the 15 other sides who will compete in the knockout stage of the Champions League.Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer was also delighted with his side's surprising progression."It's crazy," Sommer told Sky Sports.

"We beat Manchester United at home. It was our last chance to go through.""What can I say? It's incredible. We're a Swiss team in a little country against one of the biggest teams in the world. We believe in ourselves. We fought until the end, this was the key." Basel will find out who their opponents will be in the next stage of the Champions League when the draw is announced on December 16.

UEFA Champions League 2011/2012

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