Surprises in Champions League
Galatasaray, Kaiserslautern inch closer to quarterfinals
Posted: Wednesday November 04, 1998 10:21 PM
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Barcelona's Rivaldo (blue and red shirt) threads the needle between two Bayern Munich players AP |
LONDON (AP) -- Turkey's Galatasaray and Kaiserslautern of Germany
-- two underdogs to win Europe's top club soccer prize -- took big
steps toward the final eight of the Champions League with key
victories Wednesday.
Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Dynamo Kiev also picked up
key wins -- Dynamo beating English champion Arsenal 3-0 -- with early
favorites like Inter Milan and Juventus settling for draws.
With four of the six rotations completed, German champion
Kaiserslautern is the nearest of the 12 teams to clinching a place
with 10 points -- five ahead of its closest rival in Group F. One
more point will gain the quarterfinal berth.
Here's a look at each group:
Group A
Ajax 2, Olympiakos 0
In Amsterdam, Netherlands, Ajax Amsterdam drew level with
Olympiakos with a 2-0 win. They both have seven points to top the
group. Richard Witschge scored on a header in the 33rd and Dean
Gorre sealed the game two minutes from time with a 20-yard
chip over Greek keeper Dimitrios Eleftheropoulos.
Croatia Zagreb 3, Porto 1
In Zagreb, Croatia, Croatia Zagreb defeated Porto 3-1. Both
clubs have four points. Mihael Mikic, 18, scored in the 7th and
Tomislav Rukavina made it 2-0 in the 37th as his long shot went in
off a defender. Nuno Jardel scored for Porto in the 39th with the
final by Edin Mujcin in the 61st.
Group B
Galatasaray 3, Rosenborg 0
In Istanbul, Turkey, striker Hakan Sukur scored two goals (55th minute
and 74th minute) as Galatasaray beat Rosenborg 3-0. Galatasaray has seven
points from four games to lead the group. Rosenborg has five
points. Arif Erdem got the Turks' other goal as Galatasaray's
Romanian striker Gheorghe Hagi missed several other key chances.
Juventus 1, Athletic Bilbao 1
In Turin, Italy, Juventus of Turin, a European Champions Cup
finalist three years running, needed the help of an own goal to
salvage its fourth straight draw in this season's competition, 1-1
against Spain's Athletic Bilbao. Julen Guerrero gave Athletic a 1-0
lead in the 45th. Athletic defender Mikel Lasa accidentally knocked
in the equalizer 21 minutes later off a corner kick. Juventus
has four points and the Basques three.
Group C
In Graz, Austria, the Sturm Graz-Real Madrid game was washed out
and was set for Thursday. That was good news for the Austrians.
Real Madrid has six points in three matches and the Austrians have
lost all three including a 6-1 drubbing last month in Madrid.
Inter Milan 1, Spartak Moscow 1
In Moscow, Russia, Spartak Moscow and Inter Milan played a 1-1
draw with Diego Simeone notching the equalizer in the 89th on a
header off a free kick. Andrei Tikhonov gave Spartak the lead in
the 68th on a shot that hit the post and then went in off Inter
goalie Gianluca Pagliuca. Both clubs have seven points in four
games to lead the group, pending Sturm Graz-Real Madrid's game
Thursday.
Group D
Bayern Munich 2, Barcelona 1
In Barcelona, Spain, Bayern Munich won 2-1 to improve to seven
points, one behind Manchester United. Bayern got the winner in the
87th on a breakaway by Hasan Salihamidzic. Giovanni gave Barca a
1-0 lead in the 29th but Bayern tied in the 48th when Alexander
Zickler capitalized on a Spanish defensive error. Barca has four
points.
Manchester United 5, Brondby 0
In Manchester, England, United exploded for four first-half goals
to beat Denmark's Brondby 5-0 to lead the group with eight points.
The English side beat Brondby 6-2 two weeks ago in Denmark. David
Beckham scored in the 7th with subsequent goals by Andy Cole
(13th), Phil Neville (15th), Dwight Yorke (27th) and Paul Scholes
(63rd). The Dane's played without No. 1 keeper Mogens Krogh.
Group E
Dynamo Kiev 3, Arsenal 1
In Kiev, Ukraine, Serhiy Rebrov, Oleksandr Holovko and Andriy
Shevchenko scored on a wet pitch as Ukraine champions Dynamo Kiev
defeated their English counterparts Arsenal 3-1. The win gave
Dynamo five points in four games, the same as Arsenal and Lens.
Rebrov scored on a penalty in the 27th, Holovko made it 2-0 on a
header in the 62nd, and Shevchenko, regarded as the best striker in
Europe, showed why in the 72nd on a perfectly struck free kick.
Panathinaikos 1, Lens 0
In Athens, Leonidas Vokolos scored in the 52nd for a 1-0 win for
Panathinaikos over Lens and first place in the tightest of the six
groups. The Greeks have six points. Vokolos scored off a free kick
by Nikos Limberopoulos.
Group F
Kaiserslautern 3, PSV Eindhoven 1
In Kasierslautern, Germany, the German champions rallied for a
3-1 win over PSV, which played two-thirds of the match a man down.
The Germans have 10 points atop the group with Helsinki second in the group with
five. PSV has three in last place. Ruud van Nistelrooy gave PSV a
1-0 lead in the 18th, but Juergen Rische got the equalizer in the
68th, Marco Reich made it 2-1 in the 77th and Marian Hristov scored
another in injury time.
Helsinki 1, Benfica 0
In Lisbon, Portugal, an equalizer four minutes from the end by
Brazilian striker Luiz Antonio secured a 2-2 tie for Finland's HJK
Helsinki against Benfica. Hannu Tihinen gave Helsinki a 1-0 lead in
the 4th. Nuno Gomes and Bruno Calado scored late goals for Benfica
before Anotio equalized. Benfica has four points.
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