PARIS, March 14: Old rivals Manchester United and Bayern booked their tickets into the quarterfinals of the European Champions League Wednesday as Liverpool kept their hopes alive with a gritty draw at Barcelona.

English champions United and holders Bayern played out a dour 0-0 stalemate in their Group ‘A’ game at Old Trafford, a point for each side securing their passage into the last eight.

The two teams progressed after French champions Nantes, already eliminated, held Boavista to a 1-1 draw at the Stade Beaujoire, ending the Portuguese team’s slim hopes of progressing.

United finish their programme with an away match at Boavista and Ferguson will demand they finish the schedule with a flourish with Bayern set for three home points against Nantes.

But while the qualifying picture was settled in Group ‘A’, there is still everything to play for in Group ‘B’, where four teams — AS Roma, Galatasaray, Barcelona and Liverpool — can all qualify.

Phil Thompson’s Liverpool, bottom of the group at the start of Wednesday’s matches, put up a brave display to share the points with Barcelona at the Nou Camp, the Merseysiders holding the Catalans 0-0.

In the night’s other match, Fabio Capello’s AS Roma were relieved to come away with a 1-1 draw against Turkish visitors Galatasaray, who had stunned the Italians when they went 1-0 up on the stroke of halftime through Umit Karan.

Brazilian international Cafu equalised for Roma to the relief of the home fans at the Olympic Stadium in an ill-tempered match.

The final whistle was the signal for an ugly free-for-all between both sides, with players jostling each other and Roma’s Brazilian midfielder Francisco Lima swinging punches as stewards attempted to restrain him.

Players from both teams squared up to each other on the way to the tunnel and stewards and riot police sought to intervene.

Members of the Galatasaray coaching staff could be seen trying to provoke Lima while one unidentified player with the Istanbul club was seen jostling with stewards.

Liverpool’s draw in Barcelona means that the English side need only beat Roma at Anfield next week to progress to the knockout phase.

The best chance at the Nou Camp fell to Barcelona after 68 minutes, when French international defender Philippe Cristanval hit the post and Philip Cocu could not pounce on the ball quick enough to stab home the rebound.

By contrast, Liverpool’s best chances came in the first half, with Emile Heskey going close after nine minutes and then Steven Gerrard glancing a header past the post of Barcelona goalkeeper Roberto Bonano midway through the first period.

Liverpool’s central defenders Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz again proved that they are one of the most efficient partnerships in Europe and stifled most of the Barcelona attacks without a minimum of difficulty, helped by Rivaldo struggling throughout the game.—AFP

Man United 0 Bayern Munich 0

Nantes 1 Boavista 1

Barcelona 0 Liverpool 0

AS Roma 1 Galatasaray 1