Lech Poznan scored two late goals – one freakish and the other superb – to stun Manchester City 3-1 in the Europa League on Thursday while Juventus drew 0-0 with Salzburg for their fourth draw in as many group games.

CSKA Moscow and BATE Borisov became the first teams to guarantee a place in the knockout rounds, the Russians beating Palermo 3-1 to maintain their 100 percent record while the Belarus outfit beat Sheriff Tiraspol by the same score.

Lech reclaimed top spot in Group A on goals scored after beating City with both teams on seven points from four games.

Dimitrije Injac fired the Poles ahead on the half hour with a swerving shot from outside the area after the Premier League team’s defence failed to properly clear the ball.

Emmanuel Adebayor headed the visitors level seven minutes after halftime but Lech went back in front with four minutes left when City defender Dedryck Boyata’s headed clearance hit Manuel Arboleda on the head and went into the net.

Four minutes later Lech’s 19-year-old substitute Mateusz Mozdzen added to City’s misery with a superb curling shot into the top corner from almost 25 metres.

Juventus, who host City in their next game, have four points after failing to break down the Austrian champions at home.

Group F leaders CSKA Moscow scored three times in seven minutes after halftime to sink Palermo, with Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda wiping out Massimo Maccarone’s 10th minute effort for the visitors before Tomas Necid added two more.

Sparta Prague went second with seven points after coming from behind to beat Swiss second division outfit Lausanne Sport 3-1 away.

Aleksandr Pavlov and Renan Bressan scored in the last 20 minutes for BATE, giving an unhappy European debut to Sheriff’s 19-year-old goalkeeper Dmitri Stajila who replaced injured Vladislav Stoyanov just before the hour.

Group E leaders BATE have 10 points, three ahead of Dynamo Kiev who are favourites to follow them through to the knockout stages after beating AZ Alkmaar 2-0 with a second-half brace from Artem Milevsky.

Atletico Madrid’s Tiago scored a stunning winner six minutes from time to give the holders a 2-1 win at Rosenborg in Group B, with the midfielder leaving three players in his wake before a long-range strike gave goalkeeper Daniel Orlund no chance.

Sergio Aguero had put Atletico ahead after four minutes before Rosenborg, newly-crowned Norwegian champions, equalised through Markus Henriksen after halftime.

Atletico have seven points in Group B, one behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen who beat Aris Salonika 1-0 with a last-minute goal by Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: goal.com

On a night featuring 35 ties littered with some of the biggest names in European club football and many obscure ones trying to make a name for themselves, Liverpool gained a narrow advantage to take to Turkey next week when the winners on aggregate will move into 48-team group phase.

Italian giants Juventus, who like Liverpool find themselves chasing silverware in the continent’s secondary competition after failing to qualify for the Champions League, sneaked a 2-1 victory in Austria against Sturm Graz.

Porto, CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Paris St Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Celtic all scored comfortable first leg victories while big-spending Manchester City got their European season up and running with a 1-0 away victory against Romanian side FC Timisoara — Mario Balotelli scoring on his debut after signing last week from Inter Milan.

One of the night’s surprises saw Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, winners of the trophy in its previous incarnation as the UEFA Cup in 1978, lost 1-0 in Russia against Sibir Novosibirsk.

Cole, who was sent off during his Liverpool debut against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday after moving on a free transfer from Chelsea, had his second-half penalty saved by Trabzonspor keeper Onur Kivrak.

That would have given Liverpool, England’s most successful team in European club football, some breathing space but they had to settle for the solitary goal scored by Ryan Babel.

GOOD VALUE

“I think particularly in the second half we were good value for our victory and I think if you miss a penalty you only have yourselves to blame,” Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson, who led Fulham to the Europa League final last season, told ITV.

Liverpool’s other new signing, Christian Poulsen, had a goal ruled out in an eventful second half.

Former Liverpool striker Milan Baros scored twice to earn Turkish club Galatasaray a 2-2 draw with Ukraine’s Karpaty Lviv.

Twice European champions Juventus had a stoppage time goal by Amauri to thank for their victory over Sturm Graz after Leonardo Bonucci’s first-half header had been cancelled out late on by Gordon Schindenfeld.

Italy’s other representaives Napoli and Palermo both won their first legs against Elfsborg Boras and Maribor respectively.

Porto enjoyed an impressive 3-0 away win at Belgium side Racing Genk while CSKA Moscow made the second leg of their tie a formality after thrashing Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus 4-0.

Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen also look safe after a 3-0 home win Ukraine’s Tavria Simferopol while domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund beat Qarabag of Azerbaijan 4-0.

Paris St Germain beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0.

Rapid Vienna drew 1-1 with Premier League side Aston Villa in a repeat of last season’s playoff round tie won by the Austrians.

Spain enjoyed a good night with Villarreal leading the way by beating Dnepr Mogilev of Belarus 5-0. Getafe ground out a 1-0 win against APOEL Nicosia of Cyprus.

They are bidding to join Atletico Madrid in the group phase. Atletico automatically qualified for the groups as champions.

The 10 teams that lose in the Champions League playoffs will also drop into the Europa League group stage.

Source: supersport.co.za

A welter of high-profile clubs from across the continent will compete in the first-leg matches of the tournament’s play-off round, all gunning for one of 37 slots in the group phase alongside defending champions Atletico Madrid.

Roy Hodgson was on the losing side in last year’s final after leading Fulham to a surprise appearance in the decider, but the experienced English coach has since jumped ship to Liverpool.

His new employers continue their assault on this season’s competition against Trabzonspor, and Hodgson said he will select holding midfielder Javier Mascherano to face the Turkish side despite his desire to leave the club.

“Of course I would play him on Thursday,” said Hodgson, whose side drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal in their Premier League opener on Sunday.

“He is a Liverpool player and I hope he will continue to be a Liverpool player. For me, he will always be available for selection until the day comes when he’s no longer here.”

Liverpool and fellow giants Juventus had to come through the Europa League third qualifying round after both sides finished seventh in their respective domestic leagues last term.

Juve saw off Irish side Shamrock Rovers to reach the play-off round and now face a meeting with Austrians Sturm Graz.

“The draw turned out to be a tricky one for us,” said Juventus coach Luigi Delneri, who took over from Alberto Zaccheroni earlier in the summer.

“We can’t underestimate the task; I will field the best possible XI. I don’t know how far we can go, but we don’t want to set ourselves a limit.”

Attention on City is likely to be intense, after they took their summer spending beyond £100 million by completing the protracted signing of striker Mario Balotelli from Inter Milan last week.

Balotelli could make his debut against Romanians FC Timisoara at the City of Manchester Stadium on Thursday.

Competition for places in Roberto Mancini’s starting XI will now be stronger than ever, but goalkeeper Shay Given believes their strength in depth will give them an edge in the Europa League.

“We have a strong squad, so I’d imagine we’re probably one of the favourites, but we’ve got to go out on the pitch and prove that,” the Irishman told the Uefa website.

“The Europa League (means) there’s a lot of games and the squad will be needed for those games, but we’ve got a strong chance of doing very well.”

Michael Ballack could make his second competitive debut for Bayer Leverkusen when they host Tavriya Simferopol of the Ukraine, having rejoined his former club after leaving Chelsea at the end of last season.

Leverkusen’s compatriots Borussia Dortmund tackle Azerbaijani side Qarabag and Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp is delighted to be returning to continental competition after a season in the European wilderness.

“Maybe a club like Bayern Munich would not be too thrilled to take part in the Europa League but for us this is pure happiness,” said Klopp, whose side finished fifth in the Bundesliga in 2009/10.

Other notable sides in action on Thursday include Napoli, Porto, Villarreal, Paris Saint-Germain, CSKA Moscow and PSV Eindhoven, with the second legs taking place on August 24 and 26.

FIXTURES

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
Bayer Leverkusen (GER) v Tavriya Simferopol (UKR)
CSKA Moscow (RUS) v Anorthosis Famagusta (CYP)
Hajduk Split (CRO) v Unirea Urziceni (ROM)
Feyenoord (NED) v Ghent (BEL)
Genk (BEL) v FC Porto (POR)
Debreceni (HUN) v Litex Lovech (BUL)
Galatasaray (TUR) v Karpaty Lviv (UKR)
Palermo (ITA) v Maribor (SLO)
Club Brugge (BEL) v Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
Omonia Nicosia (CYP) v Metalist Kharkiv (UKR)
Vaslui (ROM) v Lille (FRA)
Napoli (ITA) v Elfsborg (SWE)
Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Brondby (DEN)
Steaua Bucharest (ROM) v Grasshoppers (SUI)
Liverpool (ENG) v Trabzonspor (TUR)
Celtic (SCO) v Utrecht (NED)
Borussia Dortmund (GER) v Qarabag (AZE)
AIK (SWE) v Levski Sofia (BUL)
Sturm Graz (AUT) v Juventus (ITA)
Getafe (ESP) v APOEL Nicosia (CYP)
Dundee United (SCO) v AEK Athens (GRE)
AZ Alkmaar (NED) v Aktobe (KAZ)
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) v Lech Poznan (POL)
Rapid Vienna (AUT) v Aston Villa (ENG)
CSKA Sofia (BUL) v The New Saints FC (WAL)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) v VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Sibir Novosibirsk (RUS) v PSV Eindhoven (NED)
BATE Borisov (BLR) v Maritimo (POR)
Lausanne (SUI) v Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS)
Gyor (HUN) v Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
Odense (DEN) v Motherwell (SCO)
PAOK (GRE) v Fenerbahce (TUR)
Villarreal (ESP) v Dnepr Mogilev (BLR)
FC Timisoara (ROM) v Manchester City (ENG)

Played Tuesday:

Besiktas (TUR) 2 HJK Helsinki (FIN) 0
Aris Thessaloniki (GRE) 1 Austria Vienna (AUT) 0

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: sportinglife.com

The Blues went into the last-16 return leg with a one-goal advantage but that was soon wiped out by Vincenzo Iaquinta’s 19th-minute strike.

But the visitors levelled on the stroke of half-time, moments after referee Alberto Undiano had ruled that a free-kick by Didier Drogba had not crossed the goal line in the 44th minute.

That decision appeared harsh but it was soon irrelevant as Frank Lampard’s shot came down off the underside of the bar for Michael Essien to bundle home.

Juventus restored their lead on the night when Undiano awarded the Italian side a 74th-minute penalty for handball by Juliano Belletti.

However, Chelsea battled back for a second time when Drogba prodded home a cross from Belletti in the 83rd minute to give the Blues a 3-2 aggregate win.

The Serie A giants knew an early goal was a requirement if they were to get themselves back into a tie that kicked-off in Chelsea’s favour thanks to Drogba’s match-winner at Stamford Bridge.

Pavel Nedved was twice down injured in the opening eight minutes. The first time after a collision with Essien and the second when he came off worst in a clash with Nicolas Anelka.

He was replaced in the 12th minute by Hasan Salihamidzic after failing to respond to lengthy treatment on the sidelines.

Nedved’s loss as a bitter blow to the Juve cause as he had been the architect of their fine start.

But Chelsea’s worst fears were realised in the 19th minute when Iaquinta put the Italians level on aggregate.

The Juve forward was put clear by David Trezeguet and lashed an angled dive beyond Petr Cech.

Guus Hiddink’s side were guilty of far too many misplaced passes as they tried to get themselves back on level terms on the night.

Instead it was Juve who continued to set the pace of the game and John Terry had to be alert to keep Trezeguet from getting on the end of a Del Piero pass in the 39th minute.

However, in the 41st minute, Anelka found himself with the perfect chance to test Buffon when the ball fell at his feet on the edge of the penalty area.

But despite having the luxury of time and space, the Frenchman’s effort almost hit the corner flag.

It had been a dreadful display by the English side who had shown a complete lack of ideas and invention in the opening half. But it was all to change inside two crazy minutes.

Chelsea were at the centre of controversy in the 44th minute when a free-kick from Drogba was clearly over the goal line but not given by Undiano or his assistants.

But seconds later it was immaterial as Frank Lampard’s shot hit the underside of the bar and Essien, playing his first game since being injured last September, bundled the ball home for the equaliser.

Essien’s goal had capped a fine comeback for the midfielder who ruptured his knee ligaments on international duty with Ghana last September.

His goal left Juventus needing to score twice to progress to the quarter-finals at Chelsea’s expense.

Chelsea were understandably put under pressure by the Italians when the second half began.

Former Blues boss Claudio Ranieri stood inside the technical area as his side toiled away without success.

The Stadio Olimpico had lost its first-half fervour and Chelsea took advantage of the change in atmosphere to put more pressure on the home side.

In the 54th minute, Giorgio Chiellini was shown a yellow card for upending Ballack but this time Drogba’s free-kick fell kindly into the waiting arms of Buffon.

The home crowd then voiced their disapproval when Ranieri replaced goal-scorer Iaquinta with Sebastian Giovinco in the 61st minute.

Cech was then shown a yellow card after a shot from Giovinco deflected off Jose Bosingwa.

The Chelsea ‘keeper handled the ball outside the penalty area as he tried to prevent it going for a corner.

In the 65th minute Cech atoned for his error with a flying save to keep out a header from Trezeguet.

Del Piero’s cross had eluded the Chelsea defence and although Trezeguet found power with his header, Cech was equal to the task.

Moments later Chelsea replaced hero Essien with Juliano Belletti. The Ghanaian midfielder was clearly not fit enough to finish the game.

Juventus hopes were hampered further when Chiellini was sent off for a second bookable offence after fouling Drogba.

But referee Undiano was then at the centre of more controversy for awarding a penalty to Juventus in the 74th minute after Belletti was adjudged to have handled a free-kick by Del Piero.

The Juve striker sent Cech the wrong way from the spot to give the Serie A side renewed hope.

But it was soon crushed by Drogba who side-footed a low cross from Belletti into the net in the 83rd minute to cap a fine night for Chelsea.

Source: Teamtalk.com

Following on from the crucial Premier League win at Aston Villa on Saturday, the Blues made it two wins out of two for new boss Guus Hiddink, while ex-Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri has work to do ahead of the return leg in a fortnight if he is to guide his Serie A side into the last eight at the expense of his former employers.

Drogba’s early strike made the difference for the hosts, whose only regret may be not turning their territorial domination into a bigger advantage to take to the Stadio Olimpico in Turin.

The Blues began on the front foot, and stayed there for the entire first period.

Salomon Kalou tested Gianluigi Buffon’s handling with an effort from outside the box in the third minute, shortly before Jose Bosingwa’s right-wing cross was headed over from close range by Drogba.

The Ivorian made amends however in the 12th minute with the opening goal. Kalou’s threaded pass from outside the box was pounced upon by his compatriot and the Blues striker made no mistake in firing past Buffon on the turn from just inside the box.

Drogba failed to test Buffon again when he mistimed his leap to meet Frank Lampard’s inswinging corner kick in the 16th minute while Juve finally found some fluency in attack midway through the opening period when Alessandro Del Piero’s shot on the turn forced Petr Cech into a fine diving save.

Drogba wasted another headed opportunity just after the break when he was picked out by Bosingwa’s cross from deep on the right before Buffon fielded Lampard’s drive from outside the box shortly before the hour mark.

Cech had to be alert to keep out Amauri’s 70th-minute header while Anelka’s 25-yard drive whistled past the Juve post as the Blues looked to increase their lead with four minutes remaining.

Substitute David Trezeguet then miscued a volley moments later but the Bianconeri will not be too dispirited to leave London with only a one-goal deficit and the tie still far from over.

Source: teamtalk.com