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UEFA Champions League Recap: November 6

Alexander Wowra |
November 7, 2013 | 10:37 a.m. PST

Staff Writer

Aaron Ramsey (Wikimedia Commons)
Aaron Ramsey (Wikimedia Commons)
Two Spanish teams celebrate their advancement to the next stage of the tournament, while German teams struggle. Several groups remain wide open, as week four draws to a close. 

Group E

FC Basel 1 - Steaua 1

Basel's easiest match this year ended up being a nail-biter. Steaua's early goal by Federico Piovaccari gave the visitors a great momentum shift that allowed them to control most of the game. Both sides had a hard time cracking each other's defenses and it was Steaua who could have made it a two-goal lead in the last minutes of the first half. After intermission, there was little significant action on either side, up until the 87th minute, when Steaua's Cristian Tānase almost decided the game. Instead, Basel responded with one last opportunity through Giovanni Sio, who successfully concerted the assist by Valentin Stocker to tie the game for the final score of 1-1.

While mathematically still possible,  the late goal delivered a huge blow to Steaua's aspirations to advance to the next stage of the tournament. Meanwhile, a draw at home was a disappointing result for Basel as well, as they were hoping for a win that would lift them past second seed Schalke in the table. Basel will host Chelsea next, while Steaua will try to beat Schalke at home, before both teams finish out on the road. 

Chelsea 3 - Schalke 0

The German side had some promising early opportunities to initiate an upset. Draxler, Szalai and Fuchs all missed good chances in the beginning phase of the match. Chelsea responded with two attempts by André Schürrle, who shifted the attacking momentum in the Londoner's  favor. It was not Chelsea however, who sent the "Blues" on their path to victory. Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand dilly-dallied an attempt to clear the ball and saw Chelsea striker Eto'o too late, who was able to divert the ball into the goal. Just eight minutes into the second half, Eto'o scored again, suffocating any further threats by the visiting side. Demba Ba's goal in the 82nd minute of play capped the game at 3-0.   

Chelsea can clinch a spot in the round of 16 with a tie at Basel. Meanwhile, Schalke will try to eliminate Steaua with a win on the road, to keep Basel on distance before heading into the last game of the group stage against the Swiss side. 

Group F

Dortmund 0 - Arsenal 1

Arsenal continue to look strong on the national and international level. Leading the EPL standings by a solid five points already early in the season, Arsenal had a patient, poised performance on the road in Dortmund. The Bundesliga outfit controlled the game for much of the first hour of play and created several good chances, but Szczęsny  had a terrific day in goal for Arsenal. Just when Dortmund's pressure peaked, Arsenal's Ramsey struck. Dortmund tried to respond, but had to open up. Ramsey had another great chance, but Dortmund's goalkeeper Weidenfeller denied him. 

The German side could not convert any of their opportunities into goals and Arsenal escaped with the win. The "Gunners" successfully took revenge for their loss at home against Dortmund two weeks ago and climbed all the way to the top of the group table. Meanwhile, Dortmund dropped to third seed. The German side will host second seed Napoli next which they most certainly need to win to keep they hopes for the next round alive, while Arsenal can take a big step towards advancement to the round of 16 with a win at home against Marseille. 

Napoli 3 - Marseille 2

The French visiting side struck early through Ayew, but Napoli recovered fast. Following Marseille's lead, Dries Mertens had a great shot on target just minutes later. Napoli mounted their pressure and Inler scored the equalizer 22 minutes in the game. Only two minutes later, Higuaín netted another one for the Serie A outfit.  The visitors came back once again, taking control of the pace of the game following intermission. They had numerous chances before FLorian Thauvin converted one of them to make it all even at two again. However, As Higuaín's 3-2 initiated the hosting side's final offensive push, Marseille saw their chances to stay in the competition slip away. 

While Marseille has been eliminated de facto, Napoli can clinch a spot in the Champions League's last 16 with a tie at Dortmund.

Group G

Lionel Messi (Flickr)
Lionel Messi (Flickr)

Atlético 4 - Austria Wien 0

The visitors from Vienna saw little opportunities and seemed mostly overwhelmed by the constant pressure exerted by Atlético.  Mirada, Raúl García, Filipe Luis and Diego Costa sealed the deal and sent Atlético into the round of 16. Meanwhile, Austria still has a mathematical chance, but looks like they will likely face elimination. 

Zenit 1 - Porto 1

Zenit and Porto remain as the two main contenders for the second seed in Group G. With Atlético seven points ahead and officially qualified for the next stage as the group winner, the draw between the two keeps the competition close. 

In a very eventful match, it was Porto who got the lead on a goal by team captain Lucho González. Shortly after, Zenit's Hulk equalized for the final score of 1-1. Hulk missed a penalty in the second half that would have given Zenit the lead and could have potentially moved them very close to qualification for the next round. Instead, both teams need to give it their all in the remaining two games of the group stage.

Group H

Barcelona 3 - AC Milan 1

Lionel Messi scored twice for the Catalonians as they progress to the round of 16. The Argentinian super star opened the scoring with a penalty shot after half an hour of play. Busquets followed him on the scoreboard ten minutes later, before Piqué made the game interesting again with an own goal. Milan had some testing chances and challenged Barca keeper Victor Valdés several times, but eventually Messi made the difference once again, netting his second goal of the night and sealing the game after 83 minutes. 

While Barcelona has already qualified, second groups seed Milan will face a big challenge on the road at Celtic next, who are only two points behind, before heading into their final home game against third seed Amsterdam. 

Ajax Amsterdam 1 - Celtic Glasgow 0

Amsterdam dominated the first half but failed to convert their chances. It took them until the 51st minute, when Schöne finally broke the ice, scoring the only goal of the night. Celtic responded and created several opportunities, but fell short. Ajax reclaimed the third seed in the group they had lost to Celtic two weeks before. 

With no more than one and two points respectively  apart from each other, Milan, Ajax and Celtic head into the last two crucial games of the group stage. 

 

Reach Staff Writer Alexander Wowra here.



 

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