UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHDAY 5 ROUND UP

The joy and excitement which comes with the Uefa champions league was once more experienced by soccer lovers all over the world as action of Match day 5 took place, Goals were scored, blunders were committed, records were broken, in some other cases records continued, lessons were learnt and some teams were thrashed while others put up a great fight but still had to accept defeat.
Soccer4life takes a review of matches played yesterday in the Uefa Champions League.
JUVENTUS 3 - 0 CHELSEA
Chelsea are on the brink of an early UEFA Champions League exit after losing 3-0 at Juventus on Tuesday evening. After Juventus taught Chelsea a big lesson that "you don't mess with the Old Ladies".
Fabio Quagliarella diverted Andrea Pirlo's weak shot past the wrong-footed Petr Cech to give the home side the lead just before the interval.

Arturo Vidal added to the lead just after the hour mark when his side-footed effort from Kwadwo Asamoah's cut-back was deflected past Cech off the heel of Ramires.
And substitute Sebastian Giovinco put the gloss on the display as he slotted the ball past the advancing Chelsea goalkeeper in injury time.
Chelsea must now beat Nordsjaelland in their final Group E game - and hope Shakhtar Donetsk beat Juve in Ukraine - to have any chance of retaining their European crown.
And Roberto Di Matteo may regret fielding a new-look line-up with Fernando Torres axed in favour of Eden Hazard up front and Cesar Azpilicueta playing on the right of midfield.
Juventus had dominated the game before the break with wing-backs Stephan Lichtsteiner and Asamoah pushing forward at every opportunity.
Lichtsteiner should have opened the scoring inside five minutes but Cech managed to push his close-range effort onto the post. At the other end, Hazard nearly found the breakthrough only for Gianluigi Buffon to deflect his shot just wide.
But the home side were producing the classier football and it was no surprise when they took the lead through Quagliarella. In fact, they nearly doubled their advantage soon after.
Minutes after the opener, Ashley Cole had to clear off the line to avoid the Blues going two behind.
But Di Matteo's side remained an intermittent goal threat and broke within seconds only for Juan Mata to see Buffon block his volleyed effort at point-blank range.
The Chelsea boss did introduce Torres with 20 minutes remaining but the visitors were two down by that point following Vidal's effort, and Giovinco's late finish puts the Blues on the verge of a Champions League exit.

GALATASARAY 1 - 0 MANCHESTER UNITED
A second-half header from Burak Yilmaz condemned Manchester United to a 1-0 away defeat to Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League.
Yilmaz climbed highest to meet a 54th-minute corner to inflict upon United their first defeat in Group H.
With United having already qualified as group winners, the win leaves Galatasaray hanging on to second spot before the final matchday in a fortnight.
With top spot already secure, Sir Alex Ferguson left many of his stars at home, with Nick Powell handed his first European start and a welcome return for Phil Jones after a knee injury.
The hosts had the better of the early exchanges, with Anders Lindegaard keeping out Yilmaz's drive from distance, before the Turkish forward headed over when unmarked midway through the first half.
United grew into the game and came closest to opening the scoring when Powell headed Tom Cleverley's corner against the bar two minutes before half-time.

Albert Riera tested Lindegaard again four minutes after the interval with a volley from distance which the United keeper did well to hold.
Lindegaard made an even better save shortly after to turn Felipe Melo's header over the bar, but from the resultant corner in the 54th minute, Galatasaray took the lead.
Selcuk Inan's delivered an outswinger from the right which Yilmaz attacked, outmuscling Darren Fletcher on his way to planting a header into the top corner, over Rafael on the far post.
United continued to be a threat on the counter attack, but Fernando Muslera remained relatively untroubled in the hosts' goal.
Ferguson threw on Ashley Young and Federico Macheda for the last 15 minutes, but Galatasaray almost doubled their lead moments later when Hamit Altintop's 25-yard drive was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by the diving Lindegaard.
United spent much of the last ten minutes on the front foot, with Josh King replacing Danny Welbeck, but Galatasaray held on and now travel to Braga on the final matchday in possession of the second qualifying spot in Group H. While united maintained their record of never winning all their group matches in the champions league.

 

BENFICA 2 - 1 CELTIC

Celtic missed the opportunity to book their place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Benfica.
Neil Lennon's side looked on course to get the score draw they needed to accompany Barcelona through from Group G when Georgios Samaras' 32nd minute header cancelled out Ola John's early opener.
However they proved unable to hang on in the second half, Ezequiel Garay volleying home a superb winner with 19 minutes to play at the Stadium of Light.
The defender smashed home a knock-down from fellow centre-back Luisao to put the Portuguese back in front just seconds after team-mate Salvio had fluffed his lines in front of goal.
Celtic tried to conjure a late leveller as they aimed to enjoy another famous night in Lisbon, super-sub Tony Watt - a goalscorer in the stunning victory over Barcelona a fortnight ago - going close in injury time with a right-footed drive that Gary Hooper was fractions away from turning in.
In the end, though, the Scottish champions suffered yet another loss on their travels in Europe, meaning they will have to better Benfica's result in Spain when they host Spartak Moscow in the final round of matches.

Despite knowing destiny was in their hands at the Stadium of Light after Barcelona's 3-0 win in Russia earlier, Celtic never really settled; a shaky start saw them fall behind after just seven minutes, John thrashing a right-footed drive beyond Fraser Forster after a deflected cross had fallen in his path.
Yet by half time their hopes had been rekindled thanks to Samaras, the Greek forward allowed to nod in Charlie Mulgrew's corner from no more than three yards out.
The loss of Mulgrew to illness at the break did not help their cause, though even more concerning was the second-half booking picked up by Victor Wanyama which means he will now be suspended for the Spartak match.
Benfica made sure that fixture would not be a dead rubber by getting their noses back in front, Garay's accomplished finish giving the otherwise outstanding Forster no chance.
Indeed, only a combination of the woodwork and the goalkeeper denied the hosts from increasing their lead in a frantic finish, Oscar Cardozo seeing a free-kick tipped onto the bar before Forster then denied the forward with a stunning reflex save.
Celtic had their opportunities too, but once Beram Kayal blasted a volley from 20 yards over the bar in injury time they knew it was not to be. Lennon's troops are already certain of a place in the Europa League next year, but that would be of little consolation after their efforts so far this season.

SPARTAK MOSCOW 0 - 3 BARCELONA
Lionel Messi moved to within five goals of Gerd Muller's scoring record as Barcelona qualified for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League with a 3-0 victory over Spartak Moscow.
The Argentinian scored twice to go to 80 goals so far in 2012, just five behind Muller's record number of goals scored in a calendar year from 1972.
Dani Alves gave Barcelona the lead before Messi's double strike with all the goals coming before half-time.
It was tough on Spartak who showed first but Kim Kallstrom fired over before Pedro almost put the Catalan side in front, but his instant shot was superbly parried by goalkeeper Andrei Dykan who showed his quick reactions in the centre of the goal.
Barcelona went ahead in the 16th minute through Alves when he struck a half-volley cleanly past the goalkeeper after the ball was laid off by Messi at the edge of the area.
The visitors then wasted a great chance to equalise when Emmanuel Emenike's cross from the right found Marek Suchy who had got ahead of his marker but he did not even get a shot on target from less than 12 yards, instead ballooning the ball over.
They were left to rue that when shortly after Barca took a two-goal lead.
Andres Iniesta's shot from a narrow angle brought a parry from the goalkeeper but Messi pounced on the rebound and although he half snatched at the shot the ball bounced into the bottom right-hand corner.

Spartak were still creating chances, Emenike firing over although he was at full stretch.
Messi scored his second of the night and Barca's third six minutes before the break when he timed his run perfectly and latched on to Pedro's superbly weighted pass, got ahead of the defence and rounded the keeper before slotting the ball home.
Emenike shot over at the start of the second half but Barca were weaving the ball around. Yevgeni Makeev completely miscontrolled the ball when well-positioned and the game was clearly beyond the hosts who had failed to take any of their chances.
Dykan thwarted Messi and Pedro as the game played itself out without further score as Barca breezed through.

MANCITY 1 - 1 REAL MADRIDManchester City have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League following a 1-1 draw at home to Real Madrid.
City's slim hopes of qualification going into the game depended upon results elsewhere and the Premier League champions winning their remaining two fixtures.
That looked unlikely when Karim Benzema took advantage of slack marking from Maicon to convert Angel Di Maria's right-wing cross inside 10 minutes.
But City improved in the second half and the equaliser came from the penalty spot when Alvaro Arbeloa was adjudged to have pulled down Sergio Aguero in the box.
Arbeloa was given a red card for a second bookable offence and Aguero got up to convert the spot-kick, setting things up for an exciting finale.
There would be no fairy-tale turnaround for the home side though and they struggled to create another chance as Real held on to ensure their own passage into the last 16.
Jose Mourinho's men had appeared in the mood to wrap things up quickly as they peppered the City goal early on and Sami Khedira should have added to the lead soon after the opener.
The Germany international danced past two challenges but then delayed his shot and Joe Hart came off his line to smother the ball at the midfielder's feet.
City once again seemed uncomfortable with their 3-5-2 formation and Roberto Mancini switched to a back-four midway through the first half.
That produced a more upbeat performance and the home side carried that into their second-half display, nearly finding an equaliser just after the hour-mark when Iker Casillas denied Aguero from close range.
That equaliser did come in the end but it was not enough for City and they go out of the Champions League in the group stage for the second consecutive season

ARSENAL 2 - 0 MONTPELLIER

 Second-half goals from Jack Wilshere and Lukas Podolski saw Arsenal beat Montpellier and qualify from Champions League Group B.
Laurent Koscielny had the best chance of the first period at the Emirates but headed against the crossbar from close range from Wilshere's cross.
Wilshere broke the deadlock four minutes after the re-start with a close range effort after Olivier Giroud had headed down skipper Thomas Vermaelen's cross from the left into his path for his first goal since November 2010.
Podolski then played a one-two with Giroud before firing a sublime left-foot volley over Geoffrey Jourdren to seal the win on 63 minutes.
Schalke beat Olympiakos in the other Group B game, meaning Arsenal qualify with the German side ahead of their final group game in Greece in a fortnight.
But the Gunners could have been behind from a quick counter attack as Anthony Mounier got clear behind the defence and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, just back in the side after an injury lay-off, had to come out to the edge of the box to make an important block.
After their two goals, the hosts looked much more assured and Montpellier keeper Jourdren palmed a floated effort from Santi Cazorla over the crossbar as the Gunners looked to extend their advantage.
Giroud was then denied by his former team-mate, who pulled off a point-blank save with his legs after the Arsenal striker was put into the right side of the penalty area by Podolski.
At the other end, substitute Emanuel Herrera shot just wide with a low effort from distance late on.
The win sees Arsenal move into the last 16, sitting a point behind leaders Schalke.
Boss Arsene Wenger will now target victory in Athens next month to keep alive hopes of topping the group and securing a place among Europe's top seeds for the knockout stages.

 ANDERLECHT 1 - 3 AC MILAN 
Philippe Mexes scored a stunning overhead kick as AC Milan assured themselves of a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League with victory over 10-man Anderlecht at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium.
The in-form Stephan El Shaarawy gave Milan the lead in the 47th minute before Mexes doubled the advantage in the 72nd minute with his magnificent effort which rivalled former club-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic's recent effort for Sweden against England for pure audacity.
The free-kick that led to Mexes' goal also saw Anderlecht lose Bram Nuytinck to a red card as Milan took a complete stranglehold on the match.
Anderlecht, who would have moved above Milan into second place in Group C with a win, pulled a goal back through substitute Tom De Sutter but they could not get back on level terms and Alexandre Pato sealed the Italian side's triumph and spot in the last 16 with a stoppage-time third.
The Belgian side, who must now battle it out with Zenit St Petersburg for a place in the Europa League, had the best chance of a closely-fought first half but Milan Jovanovic saw his 12th-minute effort saved by the feet of visiting goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
Milan did not produce much to worry Anderlecht keeper Silvio Proto in the first period but they needed just two minutes of the second half to create a clear-cut chance, and El Shaarawy made the most of it.
The 20-year-old coolly brought down a deep cross that had just cleared the head of Anderlecht defender Cheikhou Kouyate and then curled a right-footed shot into the far side of the net from the edge of the six-yard box.
That was El Shaarawy's 13th goal in his last 16 appearances for club and country, but it was Mexes' goal that really took the breath away.
Nuytinck's professional foul on substitute Pato proved doubly costly, as not only did it result in him receiving a red card as last man, but from the resulting free-kick Mexes scored his wonder goal.
Riccardo Montolivo's ball in from deep was chested up into the air on the edge of the area by Mexes before the Frenchman sent an acrobatic looping overhead kick into the far top corner of the net with Proto rooted to his line.
De Sutter gave Anderlecht renewed hope when he pulled a goal back in the 79th minute with a close-range finish, but aside from a Olivier Deschacht effort they could not create much to worry Abbiati before Pato made it 3-1 late on following an El Shaarawy pass.
 Else where Dortmund defeated Ajax 4 - 1 to advance to the next stage of the competition in Amsterdam.
The German champions booked their place in the last 16 on Wednesday with some clinical finishing and impressive counter-attacking football as Germany stars Marco Reus and Mario Goetze shone and Poland's Robert Lewandowski scored twice.
  All eyes will be on the teams who have one more chance to make things right in two weeks time when the matchday 6 comes up.