Goals galore as brilliant Barca, Bayern advance
LONDON: There were goals galore in the Champions League on Tuesday as Barcelona and Bayern Munich advanced to the knockout stage and also secured top spot in their groups.
Holders Barcelona had already qualified following BATE Borisov’s draw with Bayer Leverkusen earlier, but clinched top spot in Group ‘E’ with another stunning display, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi both scoring twice in a 6-1 hammering of AS Roma.
“It’s tough to get back up to full speed,” said Messi, who making his first start since returning from injury.
“I prepared well and trained but it’s not the same as going out on the pitch and lasting 90 minutes. I will take it with calm and get my pace back.”
The Catalans and Bayern both demonstrated once again why they are surely the best teams in Europe just now, with Bayern crushing Olympiakos 4-0 at the Allianz Arena to ensure they will finish top of Group ‘F’.
Arsenal beat Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to keep alive their chances of progressing. The Premier League side need to beat Olympiakos in their final group match.
Chelsea enjoyed their second 4-0 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv this season to move into prime position to reach the knockout stages of the competition from Group ‘G’, while Zenit St Petersburg secured top spot in Group ‘H’ with a 2-0 win over Valencia.
Barca discovered they had qualified before they had kicked a ball at the Nou Camp, the 1-1 draw between BATE and Leverkusen in Belarus ensuring their passage.
Fresh from crushing eternal rivals Real Madrid 4-0 at the weekend, they then produced a performance that the Italians could not live with to secure top spot in the section.