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Group C Roundup Ronaldo puts Real in quarters; Dortmund goes outPosted: Tuesday March 18, 2003 2:59 PMUpdated: Tuesday March 18, 2003 5:33 PM
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Ronaldo secured Real Madrid a Champions League quarterfinal place with a first-half strike that gave the European champions a 1-0 win at Lokomotiv Moscow in their final Group C match on Tuesday. The victory for the Spaniards eliminated Borussia Dortmund, who managed a 1-0 win at AC Milan in the other group match only to find their valiant effort was all for nothing. Milan topped the table on 12 points, one point ahead of Real. The German champions finished with 10 points, while Lokomotiv finished bottom with just a single point after holding Real to a 2-2 draw in Madrid last December. Ronaldo, voted World Player of the Year in 2002 for the third time in his career, headed home from close range in the 35th minute after a pinpoint cross by Luis Figo. Ronaldo tested the Russian defence once again with a well-taken volley from the edge of the box 10 minutes into the second half, but his shot was blocked by a defender. The Russian champions had a couple of chances after the interval, but missed the target. Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas was really tested only once, making a point-blank save off a Vadim Yevseyev header in the 78th minute when Lokomotiv pressed for an equaliser. Steeplechase course It was, however, a mostly uneventful match played on a dreadful pitch covered with sand, making it more akin to a steeplechase course than a soccer match. But a skilful display by Brazil's Ronaldo and Portugal's Figo -- two of the world's best players -- swung the match in Real's favor. It was their first win in Moscow after eight previous visits to the Russian capital had ended in draws or defeats. Real coach Vicente Del Bosque took the victory in his stride. "We needed to win this match and we achieved our goal, although to score a goal playing on such a difficult pitch was never easy," he said. "Quite frankly, after we trained here last night we already knew how difficult it would be for both teams to play on this pitch." "But there won't be a big celebration tonight by our team because making it into the quarterfinals should be considered as a must for a team like Real." Summary: Lokomotiv Moscow 0 Real Madrid 1 -- result Champions League second phase, Group C Scorer: Ronaldo 35 Halftime: 0-1; Attendance: 25,000 Teams: Lokomotiv Moscow: 1-Sergei Ovchinnikov; 2-Gennady Nizhegorodov, 5-Sergei Ignashevich, 14-Oleg Pashinin, 16-Vadim Yevseyev, 17-Dmitry Sennikov, 21-Bennett Mnguni (11-Julio Cesar 71), 7-Marat Izmailov, 8-Vladimir Maminov (6-Narvik Sirkhayev 80), 10-Dmitry Loskov, 25-Ruslan Pimenov Real Madrid: 1-Iker Casillas; 2-Michel Salgado, 22-Francisco Pavon, 6-Ivan Helguera, 21-Santiago Solari; 10-Luis Figo, 24-Claude Makelele, 16-Flavio Conceicao, 5-Zinedine Zidane (19-Esteban Cambiasso 90); 7-Raul, 11-Ronaldo (14-Guti 80) Referee: Claude Colombo (France). Dortmund go out despite win in MilanMILAN (Reuters) -- An 80th-minute strike from Jan Koller gave Borussia Dortmund a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Champions League Group C on Tuesday, but the Germans went out of the competition after Real Madrid won in Moscow. Milan, who had already qualified, had not lost at home to a German side in over 47 years, but the outcome of the group means that Germany, including both former East and West Germanys, will be without a team in the quarterfinals of a European club competition for the first time since 1956/7. After Bayern Munich's exit in the first group stage and Bayer Leverkusen's poor showing in the second phase, one of the continent's traditional soccer powerhouses now has no interest in the two European competitions. Koller's goal came at the end of a disappointing game, with Milan content to play attractive but ineffective football in midfield and the Germans unable to create much in the way of real pressure. That was surprising given that Borussia coach Mattias Sammer, returning to the stadium he briefly graced as an Inter Milan player, had fielded a side with three out-and-out strikers. But the Germans, European champions in 1997, were never able to win enough control of the midfield to enable them to provide their forwards with any meaningful service for the first hour of the game. Milan went close in just the fourth minute when Rui Costa put Rivaldo through, but the Brazilian was forced wide by Dortmund keeper Jens Lehmann and his shot from a tight angle struck the side netting. It was another half hour before either keeper was brought into action again as Milan's Portuguese midfielder Rui Costa cut inside the area from the left and fired in a low shot that Lehmann was forced to save with his legs. Sammer replaced his workhorse midfielder Stefan Reuter with the more attack-minded Lars Ricken six minutes into the second half as he looked to force the pace of the game. But it was Milan who took the initiative and their most lively performer, Gennaro Gattuso, hit the post in the 57th minute with a powerful drive from the edge of the Dortmund penalty area. Incredibly for a team who needed to win to have any chance of making the last eight, Dortmund's first real effort on goal did not come until the 65th minute when Marcio Amoroso's curling shot brought a fine save out of Christian Abbiati. But Dortmund gained urgency in the latter stages and were rewarded when Ricken burst through from midfield, slipped the ball into the path of Koller and the towering Czech striker confidently slotted it past Abbiati. Suddenly a place in the last eight looked possible and the 4,000 travelling Dortmund fans thought their dreams had come true as they celebrated after the word spread that Lokomotiv Moscow had equalised against Real. But the joy was shortlived as it became clear that the rumours were unfounded and the European champions had held on for a 1-0 victory. Ancelotti content despite loss to DortmundMILAN (Reuters) -- AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said he was happy with his team's performance despite ending their second phase campaign with a 1-0 home loss to Borussia Dortmund. In the end the result counted for nothing for either side as already-qualified Milan still finished top of group C while Real Madrid's 1-0 win in Moscow against Lokomotiv killed any hopes the Germans had of making the last eight. The result was Milan's first home defeat to a German side in 47 years -- their only other loss came in their first ever official UEFA game when they were beaten 4-3 by Saarbrucken in 1955 and they had won ten and drawn one of their next 11 games against German opponents. But the statistic that is concerning Milan supporters is a more recent one -- they have not won in five games now after their three straight draws in Serie A and two consecutive losses in the Champions League. Ancelotti though said it was important to keep the Dortmund defeat in perspective. "We've finished top of the group and we are in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, so we are happy about that," said the Milan coach. "I asked the team to speed up their approach play and they did that. We played well for the first 75 minutes and I was pleased with the way we approached the game. "We put together some good moves, Rivaldo had an early chance, Rui Costa had a good shot and then [Gennaro] Gattuso hit the post. Unfortunately it didn't come to anything and they went and got a goal but we produced some good things tonight," said Ancelotti. There was no doubt though that Ancelotti and his team, with the luxury of already having claimed a place in the last eight, had prioritized Saturday's crucial Serie A match against champions and current leaders Juventus. Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, Brazilian winger Serginho and midfielder Massimo Ambrosini all missed Tuesday's game due to injury but Ancelotti said it was "probable" that the trio would be fit to face Juve, who Milan now trail by eight points. Before Saturday's encounter comes the draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League but Ancelotti said he had no preferences about opponents. "Really at this stage you are talking about eight quality football teams so I don't think it makes much difference," he said. Sammer: No crisis for German football despite exitMILAN (Reuters) -- Borussia Dortmund's exit from the Champions League on Tuesday, despite a 1-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro stadium, leaves Germany without a team in the quarterfinals of either European competition. But Dortmund coach Matthias Sammer says it is too soon to talk of a crisis for Bundesliga clubs. Germany, including both former East and West Germanys, will be without a team in the quarterfinals of a European club competition for the first time since 1956/7. Ex-European player of the year Sammer, who played for the former East Germany and later the unified German national side before taking over as Dortmund coach, said the coming years would prove whether German clubs were still part of the continent's elite. "It happened because collectively the [German] teams didn't get enough points. You can't talk of a crisis -- maybe if we are out like this for the next five years you could talk about a crisis but at the moment it is premature," said Sammer. Bayern Munich were eliminated in the first phase and Bayer Leverkusen, who face Inter Milan on Wednesday, are already out of the competition having lost all five games of the second phase. An 80th minute goal by towering Czech striker Jan Koller gave Sammer's side the first win by a German team at Milan for 47 years but the result counted for nothing after Real Madrid won 1-0 at Lokomotiv Moscow to clinch second place behind the already-qualified Italians. It was a strange display from Dortmund in a 'must-win' game as their first real effort on goal did not come until a Marcio Amoroso effort in the 65th minute. Not surprisingly, Sammer was far from satisfied with the way his team approached the first half and made it clear that he had pointed that out to his team at the interval. "We played very badly during the first half, it seemed like we didn't want to win the game, as though the match had no importance," he said. "But we talked about it at halftime and cleared things up. "In the second half we played better and we are able to get a goal -- you need that bit of luck and we were able to get it." Dortmund now need to refocus on the Bundesliga and make sure they qualify for the Champions League next season. The 1997 European champions are second in the German league but trail leaders Bayern Munich by 13 points. Summary: AC Milan 0 Borussia Dortmund 1 -- result Champions League second phase, Group C Scorer: Jan Koller 80 Halftime: 0-0 Teams: AC Milan: 1-Christian Abbiati; 14-Dario Simic, 24-Martin Laursen, 13-Alessandro Nesta, 3-Paolo Maldini (19-Alessandro Costacurta 46); 8-Gennaro Gattuso, 5-Fernando Redondo, 32-Cristian Brocchi (21-Andrea Pirlo 82); 10-Rui Costa (9-Filippo Inzaghi 62); 11-Rivaldo, 15-Jon Dahl Tomasson. Borussia Dortmund: 1-Jens Lehmann; 2-Evanilson, 21-Christoph Metzelder, 4-Christian Woerns, 17-Dede (23-Ahmed Madouni 84); 7-Stefan Reuter (18-Lars Ricken 51), 8-Torsten Frings, 5-Sebastian Kehl, 12-Ewerthon (24-David Odonkor 74), 9-Jan Koller, 22-Marcio Amoroso. Referee: Graham Barber (England) Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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