Saturday, February 28, 2015

CAF Champions League

Several games were played in the preliminary round of the CAF Champions League on Saturday.

At Ndola, Zambia:

ZESCO United defeated visiting Mbabane Swallows 1-0 in game two and took their series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Unguja, Zanzibar:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to KMKM FC, Al-Hilal Omdurman of Sudan won their two-match series 2-1 on aggregate.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Despite dropping a 2-0 series-opening match on the road, Al-Merrikh dumped visiting Azam 3-0 in game two and ousted the Tanzanian club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Tetouan, Morocco:

In another case of a club erasing a two-goal series-opening road defeat, Moghreb Tetouan hammered visiting Club Olympique de Bamako 3-0 in game two and ousted the Malian club 3-2 on aggregate.

At Kano, Nigeria:

Kano Pillars dominated visiting Al-Malakia 3-0 in game two and completed their two-match domination of the South Sudanese club 5-0 on aggregate.

At Pretoria, South Africa:

Mamelodi Sundowns dominted visiting St Michel United from Seychelles 3-0 in game two and locked up their series 4-1 on aggregate. 

Friday, February 27, 2015

CAF Champions League

A number of games were played on Friday as the CAF Champions League's preliminary round resumed.

At Niamey, Niger:

A 1-1 game-two draw on the road for Stade Malien was good enough for the club from Mali as they, with the aggregate score at 1-1, eliminated AS GNN on away goals.

At Blantyre, Malawi:

A 2-2 game-two home draw with Fomboni Club from Comoros was good enough for Big Bullets FC to take their two-match series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Alexandria, Egypt:

After topping visiting Al-Ahli Tripoli 1-0 in regulation time of the second game on their two-match series which became deadlocked at 1-1 on aggregate, and with overtime dispensed with, Smouha Sporting Club won the penalty-kick shootout 5-3 to advance to the first round of the tournament.

At Kigali, Rwanda:

APR FC defeated visiting Liga Muculmana of Mozambique 2-1 in game two and advanced by that same score on aggregate.

At Gaborone, Botswana:

After their game-two 1-0 road win over Township Rollers, South Africa's Kaiser Chiefs, with the aggregate score at 2-2, advanced on away goals.

At Quagadougou, Burkina Faso:

A 0-0 game-two stalemate with Burkina Faso's Etoile Filante  de Ouagadougou was good enough for AS Pikine as the Senegalese club won their two-match series 1-0 on aggregate.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage played continued in the Copa Libertadores on Thursday with four games.

GROUP ONE:

At Bogota, Colombia:

Wilson Morelo produced a hat trick (34', 43', 65') as Independiente Santa Fe defeated visiting Colo-Colo 3-1.

Group One Standings:

1. Independiente Santa Fe (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Colo-Colo (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Club Atlas (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
4. Atletico Mineiro (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

NOTE: Colo-Colo have scored three total goals in their two games as opposed to Club Atlas' one.



GROUP FOUR:

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:

Jorge Henrique scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 61st minute as Internacional defeated visiting Universidad de Chile 3-1.

Group Four Standings:

1. Club Sport Emelec (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Internacional (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. The Strongest (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Universidad de Chile (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)



GROUP FIVE:

At Buenos Aires:

Dani Osvaldo scored the winning goal in the 42nd minute as Boca Juniors defeated visiting Montevideo Wanderers 2-1.

At Barinas, Venezuela:

Alejandro Marquez scored the only goal of the match in the 44th minute as Palestino defeated Zamora FC 1-0 on the road.

Group Five Standings:

1. Boca Juniors (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Montevideo Wanderers (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Club Deportivo Palestino (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Zamora FC (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

CONCACAF Champions League: DC United Dominated On Road In Series Opener

At Alajuela, Costa Rica:

Jose Guillermo Ortiz scored twice (22', 54') as LD Alajuelense dominated visiting DC United 5-2 in Thursday's opening match of a two-game CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal-round series.

Europa League: Round of 32 Ends; Five Italian Clubs, Toffees Advance; Reds, Spurs, Bhoys Ousted

16 games were played on Thursday as the Europa League's Round of 32 concluded.

At Moscow:

Artur Yusupov scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 64th minute as Dynamo Moscow defeated visiting RSC Anderlecht 3-1 and won their two-game series 3-1 on aggregate.

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Jose Rondon scored twice (29', 67') as Zenit Saint Petersburg dominated visiting PSV Eindhoven 3-0 in game two and won their two-match series 4-0 on aggregate.

At Monchengladbach, Germany:

Victor Machin Perez (a.k.a. Vitolo) scored twice (26', 79') as Sevilla defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 3-2 on the road in game two and took out the German club 4-2 on aggregate.

At Warsaw, Poland:

Arkadiusz Milik scored twice in the first half (11', 43') as Ajax Amsterdam dominated Legia Warsaw 3-0 on the road in game two and knocked out the Polish club 4-0 on aggregate.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Oleh Husyev's penalty kick in the 75th minute proved to be the series winner as Dynamo Kiev overcame their series-opening 2-1 road defeat from last week with a 3-1 game-two home victory over Guingamp, enabling the hosts to win their series 4-3 on aggregate.

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Luciano Vietto scored twice (33', 76') as Sevilla took game two 3-1 on the road and ousted FC Red Bull Salzburg 5-2 on aggregate.

At Istanbul:

After Tolgay Arslan scored in the 72nd minute to allow his club to top visiting Liverpool 1-0 in regulation of game two (which was followed by 30 scoreless overtime minutes), he converted the series-winning spot kick as Besiktas ousted the visiting Reds 5-4 in the penalty-kick shootout to advance to the Round of 16.

At Florence, Italy:

Mario Gomez (54') and Mohamed Salah (71') delivered the goals as Fiorentina downed visiting Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the second game of their two-match series, which the Lilies won 3-1 on aggregate.

At Milan, Italy:

Fredy Guarin scored the series-clinching goal in the 88th minute as Inter Milan defeated Celtic 1-0 at home in game two and took out the Bhoys 4-3 on aggregate.

At Liverpool, England:

Romeluo Lukaku scored twice (PK-25', 30') in the first half-hour as Everton defeated visiting BSC Young Boys 3-1 in game two and completed their two-contest domination of the Swiss club 7-2 on aggregate.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Victor Vazquez (11'), Obbi Oulare (64'), and Boli Bolingoli Mbombo (74') each scored a goal as Club Brugge clubbed visiting Aalborg BK 3-0 and finished off the Danish club 6-1 on aggregate.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Matteo Darmian scored both the game and series-winning goal in the 67th minute as Torino defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-2 on the road in game two and won their series with the Spanish club 5-4 on aggregate.

At Lisbon:

A game-two 0-0 stalemate on the road was good enough for VfL Wolfsburg as the German club took out Sporting CP 2-0 on aggregate.

At Piraeus, Greece:

Artem Fedetskiy (22') and Nikola Kalinic (0-'+2) delivered the goals as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk gained a 2-2 game-two road draw with Olympiacos and eliminated The Legend 4-2 on aggregate.

At Naples, Italy:

Jonathan de Guzman scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute as Napoli defeated visiting Trabzonspor 1-0 in game two and handily dispatched the Turkish club 5-0 on aggregate.

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Adam Ljajic (45'+1) and Gervais Yao Kouassi, known to one and all as Gervinho (60') delivered the goals as AS Roma took game two with Feyenoord Rotterdam 2-1 on the road and eliminated the Dutch club 3-2 on aggregate.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

CONCACAF Champions League: Easy Series-Opening Road Win For Club America

At San Jose, Costa Rica:

In the lone Wednesday CONCACAF Champions League contest, Pablo Cesar Aguilar (79') and Oribe Peralta (81', 85') delivered the scoring during a six-minute stretch of the game's final 15 minutes as Club America broke open what had been a scoreless stalemate and wound up dominating Deportivo Saprissa 3-0 on the road in the opening match of their two-game quarterfinal-round series.

Copa Libertadores

Four more games were played in Copa Libertadores group-stage action on Wednesday.

GROUP ONE:

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

Christian Suarez scored the only goal of the match in the 86th minute as Club Atlas from Mexico knocked off Atletico Mineiro 1-0 on the road.



GROUP TWO:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Alexandre Pato scored twice (3', 40') as Sao Paulo FC demolished visiting Danubio 4-0.



GROUP THREE:

At Sucre, Bolivia:

The match between Club Universitario and visiting Cruzeiro concluded in a 0-0 stalemate.

Group Three Standings:

1. Club Atletico Huracan (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Mineros de Guayana (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Club Universitario (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Cruzeiro (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)

NOTE: Huracan and Mineros each scored two goals in their group-stage opener while Universitario and Cruzeiro battled to a scoreless deadlock.



GROUP SEVEN:

At La Plata, Argentina:

Guido Carrillo delivered a natural hat trick (16', 36', 74') as Estudiantes dominated visiting Barcelona----Barcelona Sporting Club from Ecuador, that is------3-0.

Group Seven Standings:

1. Estudiantes (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Atletico Nacional (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Club Libertad (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Barcelona Sporting Club (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

UEFA Champions League: Leverkusen, Monaco Post Series-Opening Wins

The opening cycle of games in the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 concluded on Wednesday with two contests.

At Leverkusen, Germany:
Leverkusen better ten-man Atlético
Hakan Calhanoglu scored the only goal of the match in the 57th minute (that's him celebrating with teammates after scoring) as Bayer Leverkusen defeated visiting (and ten-man) Atletico Madrid 1-0 in their series opener.

At London:
Clinical Monaco catch Arsenal cold
Geoffrey Kondogbia (38', that's him celebrating after scoring with teammates), Dimitar Berbatov (53'), and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (90'+4') each scored a goal as AS Monaco knocked off Arsenal 3-1 on the road in the opening match of their two-game series.

Getty Images photos

AFC Champions League

Group-stage play in the AFC Champions League continued on Wednesday with eight games.

GROUP C:

At Ahvaz, Iran:

Al-Sadd held hosts Foolad to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Saud Kariri (11'), Yousef Al Salem (14'), and Neves Augusto Thiago (71') each delivered a tally as Al-Hilal defeated visiting Lokomotiv Tashkent 3-1.

Group C Standings:

1. Al-Hilal Riyadh (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Al-Sadd (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Foolad FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Lokomotiv Tashkent (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP D:

At Qarshi, Uzbekistan:

Hamza Karimov scored the winning goal in the 52nd minute as FC Nasaf Qarshi came from behind to upend visiting Tractor Sazi 2-1.

At Dubai, United Arab Emirates:

Ismaeel Al Hamadi scored twice (19', 79') as Al-Ahli of the UAE battled back from three one-goal deficits to gain a 3-3 home draw with Al-Ahli from Jeddah of Saudi Arabia.  Osvaldo (1'), Hussain Al Mogahwi (41'), and Taisir Al Jassim (58') each scored once for the Saudi club.  Ahmed Khalil scored the hosts' other goal at 43 minutes.

Group D Standings:

1.  FC Nasaf Qarshi (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2.  Al-Ahli Jeddah (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
     Al-Ahli Dubai FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4.  Tractor Sazi FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0) 



GROUP G:

At Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia:

Shao Jiaya scored the only goal of the match in the second minute of second-half stoppage time as Beijing Guoan knocked off the Brisbane Roar 1-0 on the road.

At Suwon, South Korea:

Leo Itaperuna scored the winning goal in the 87th minute as Suwon Samsung Bluewings defeated visiting Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1.

Group G Standings:

1. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Beijing Guoan FC (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Urawa Red Diamonds (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Brisbane Roar (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 1)



GROUP H:

At Kashima, Japan:

Yojiro Takahagi scored the winning goal in the 85th minute as the Western Sydney Wanderers knocked off Kashima Antlers 3-1 on the road.

At Guangzhou, China:

Ricardo Goulart scored the only goal of Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao's 1-0 victory over visiting FC Seoul in the 31st minute.

Group H Standings:

1. Western Sydney Wanderers FC (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS; 3)
2. Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. FC Seoul (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Kashima Antlers (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

CONCACAF Champions League: Two-Draw Tuesday As Knockout Stage Commences

Two games were contested on Tuesday as the quarterfinal round of the CONCACAF Champions League commenced.

At Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

Cristian Lagos' equalizer in the 58th minute lifted CS Herediano to a series-opening 1-1 road deadlock with CD Olimpia.  Javier Estupinan scored in the first minute of first-half stoppage time for the hosts.

At Pachuca, Mexico:

Heriberto Olvera (57') and Ariel Nahuelpan (68') each scored a goal as Pachuca came back from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 home draw with the Montreal Impact, both of whose goals came from Dilly Duka (25', 53').

Copa Libertadores

Four games were played in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores on Tuesday.

GROUP THREE:

At Buenos Aires:

Zamir Valoyes scored twice (21', PK-81') as Mineros de Guayana gained a 2-2 road draw with Huracan.  Lucas Villarruel (27') and Eduardo Dominguez (PK-88') delivered the goals from the hosts.



GROUP FOUR:

At Manta, Ecuador:

Miler Bolanos (3'), Mauro Fernandez (23'), and Angel Mena (68') produced the goals as Club Sport Emelec dominated The Strongest 3-0 at home.



GROUP EIGHT:

At Avellaneda, Argentina:

Gustavo Bao delivered a hat trick (43', 78', 81') as Racing Club de Avellaneda dominated visiting Club Guarani 4-1.

At Lima, Peru:

Cesar Eduardo Gonzalez scored the equalizer in the 87th minute to lift Deportivo Tachira to a 1-1 road draw with Sporting Cristal.  Carlos Lobaton scored for the hosts in the 26th minute.

Group Eight Standings:

1. Racing Club de Avellaneda (GP: 2; GD: +8; PTS: 6)
2. Sporting Cristal (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. Club Guarani (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
4. Deportivo Tachira (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League: Barca, Juve Win Series Openers

The UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 continued on Tuesday with two games.

At Manchester, England:
Suárez at the double as Barcelona win at City
Luis Suarez scored twice (16', 30', that's him after scoring his second goal) in the first half-hour as Barcelona defeated Manchester City 2-1 in the opening contest of their two-game series.

At Turin, Italy:
First-half goals give Juventus victory against Dortmund
Carlos Tevez (13') and Alvaro Morata (42', that's him celebrating with teammates) provided the scoring as Juventus held off visiting Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in game one.  The German club remained alive in the two-game series thanks to Marco Reus' goal in the 18th minute. 

Getty Images photos

AFC Champions League: Group Stage Play Starts

Eight games were played on Tuesday as the AFC Champions League opened group-stage action.

GROUP A:

At Tehran, Iran:

Persepolis FC, with Moshen Bengar (60'), Hadi Noruzi (66'), and Mohammad Noori (PK-83') each scoring a goal, broke open what was a scoreless deadlock and dominated visiting Lekhwiya 3-0.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Fabian Estoyanoff's equalizer in the 51st minute enable Al-Nassr FC to salvage a 1-1 home draw with  FC Bunyodkor.  Abdullah Al Enazi scored in the 14th minute for the Uzbek club.

Group A Standings:

1. Persepolia FC (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Al-Nassr FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    FC Bunyodkor (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Lekhwiya SC (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)



GROUP B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

Igor Sergeev scored the winning goal in the 85th minute as Pakhtakor Tashkent FK defeated visiting Naft Tehran FC 1-0.

At Al Ain, United Arab Emirates:

Al-Ain FC and visiting Al-Shabab FC battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Group B Standings:

1. Pakhtakor Tashkent FK (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Al-Ain (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Al-Shabab (GP: 1; GD: 0; TPS: 1)
4. Naft Tehran FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)



GROUP E:

At Jeonju, South Korea:

Japan's Kashiwa Reysol held hosts Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Thu Dau Mot, Vietnam:

Yang Xu scored twice (60', 81') as Shandong Luneng Taisham came from behind to defeat Becamex Binh Duong 3-2 on the road.

Group E Standings:

1. Shandong Luneng Taisham FC (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Kashiwa Reysol (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Becamex Binh Duong FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)



GROUP F:

At Suita, Japan:

Abderrzak Hamdallah (10') and Wang Song (80') each scored a goal as Guangzhou R&F blanked Gamba Osaka 2-0 on the road.

At Buriram, Thailand:

Prakit Deeprom (17') and Gilberto Macena (19') each delivered a goal as Buriram United held off visiting Seongnam FC 2-1.

Group F Standings:

1. Guangzhou R&F FC (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Buriram United FC (GP: 1; GD +1; PTS: 3)
3. Seongnam FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Gamba Osaka (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Copa Libertadores

Three games were contested on Thursday as Copa Libertadores group-stage play continued.

GROUP TWO:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Mauro Matos (85') and Mauro Cetto (87') each scored a goal two minutes apart late in the second half as San Lorenzo came from behind to defeat Danubio FC 2-1 on the road.

Group Two Standings:

1. Corinthians (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. San Lorenzo (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Danubio FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Sao Paulo (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP SIX:

At Oruro, Bolivia:

Angel Orue (80') and Gabriel Valverde (87') provided the scoring in Club Deportivo San Jose's 2-0 blanking of visiting River Plate.

Group Six Standings:

1. UANL Tigres (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Club Deportivo San Jose (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
3. River Plate (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
4. Juan Aurich (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)



GROUP SEVEN:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Thanks to goals from Pablo Zeballos (4') and Luis Carlos Ruiz (PK-59'), Atletico Nacional gained a 2-2 road deadlock with Club Libertad.  Jorge Gonzalez (20') and Hernan Lopez (PK-33') delivered the hosts goals.

Europa League: Knockout Stage Commences; Reds, Toffies. Sevilla, Ajax, Zenit Take Series Openers

The Europa League's knockout stage opened on Thursday with 16 games.

At Bern, Switzerland:

Romelu Lukaku delivered a hat trick (24', 39', 58') as Everton found themselves halfway to the Round of 16 following their series-opening 4-1 road win over BSC Young Boys.

At Turin, Italy:

Inaki Williams (9') and Carlos Gurpegi (73') each scored a goal at Athletic Bilbao gained a 2-2 game-one road draw with Torino.  Maxi Lopez (18', 42') scored both goals for the hosts.

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Bas Dost scored twice (46', 63') in VfL Wolfsburg's series-opening 2-0 blanking of visiting Sporting CP.

At Aalborg, Denmark:

Lior Refaelov scored the winning goal in the 29th minute as Club Brugge crowned Aalborg BK 3-1 on the road in game one of their two-game series.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

In a match that was played in the Ukrainian capital due to the ongoing conflict in the eastern part of that country, Jaba Hankava (50') and Ruslan Rotan (54') each scored a second-half goal four minutes apart as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk blanked visiting Olympiacos 2-0 in game one.

At Trabzon, Turkey:

Henrique got the ball rolling with his sixth-minute tally as Napoli scored three goals in the first half-hour en route to a series-opening 4-0 road demolition of Trabzonspor as the Italian club all but locked up a Round-of-16 berth.

At Rome:

Colin Kazim-Richards' equalizer in the 55th minute carried Feyenoord Rotterdam to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with AS Roma. Gervinho scored for the hosts in the 22nd minute.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Hulk scored the only goal of Zenit Saint Petersburg's match one 1-0 road victory over PSV Eindhoven in the 64th minute.

At Seville, Spain:

Vincente Iborra scored the game's lone goal in the 70th minute as current Europa League titleholders Sevilla blanked visiting Borussia Monchengladbach 1-0 in their series opener.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Arkadiusz Milik scored the only goal of the match in the 35th minute as Ajax Amsterdam took the opening match of their series with Legia Warsaw 1-0 at home.

At Brussels, Belgium:

Dynamo Moscow held home-standing RSC Anderlecht to a series-opening 0-0 stalemate.

At Guingamp, France:

Moustapha Diallo's game-winning goal in the 75th minute (just three minutes after teammate Claudio Beauvue registered his tally) enabled Guingamp to come from behind and upend visiting Dynamo Kiev 2-1 in their series opener.

At Villarreal, Spain:

Denis Cheryshev scored the winning goal in the 54th minute as Villarreal defeated visiting FC Red Bull Salzburg  2-1 in match one of the two-game series.

At Liverpool, England:

Mario Balotelli's successful penalty kick in the 85th minute provided all the scoring in Liverpool's 1-0 game-one victory over visiting Besiktas.

At London:

Jose Maria Basanta's 36th-minute equalizer lifted Fiorentina to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with Tottenham Hotspur.  Roberto Soldado scored for Spurs in the sixth minute.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Stuart Armstrong (24'), Hugo Campagnero (OG-26'), and John Guidetti (90'+3) each scored a goal for Celtic as the Bhoys salvaged a series-opening 3-3 road draw with Inter Milan.  Rodrigo Palacio scored twice (13', 45') and Xherdan Shaqiri (4') once for the Nerazzurri.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage play in the Copa Libertadores continued on Wednesday with five games.

GROUP ONE:

At Santiago, Chile:

Felipe Flores (39') and Esteban Paredes (66') each delivered a goal as Colo-Colo blanked visiting Atletico Mineiro 2-0.

Group One Standings:

1. Colo-Colo (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Independiente Santa Fe (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Club Atlas (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Atletico Mineiro (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP TWO:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Elias Trindale (11') and Jadson (67') provided the scoring as Corinthians blanked visiting local rivals Sao Paulo FC 2-0.



GROUP FIVE:

At Independencia, Chile:

Andres Chavez (37') and Sebastian Palacios (68') produced the goalpower as Boca Juniors blanked Palestino 2-0 on the road.

Group Five Standings:

1. Boca Juniors (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Montevideo Wanderers FC (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Zamora FC (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Palestino (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP SIX:

At San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico:

Joffre Guerron scored twice (37', 58') as Tigres dominated visiting Juan Aurich 3-0.



GROUP EIGHT:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Fernando Fernandez (69') and Federico Santander (84') delivered the scoring that enabled Club Guarani to erase a two-goal deficit and salvage a 2-2 home draw with Sporing Cristal. Cesar Pereyra (31') and Josepmir Ballon (47') each scored a goal for the visiting Peruvian club.

Group Eight Standings:

1. Racing Club de Avellaneda (GP: 1; GD: +5; PTS: 3)
2. Sporting Cristal (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    Club Guarani (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Deportivo Tachira (GP: 1; GD: -5; PTS: 0)






UEFA Champions League: Galacticos Blank Royal Blues On Road In Series Opener; Dragons Gain 1-1 Road Draw At Basel

Two games were played on Wednesday as the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 continued.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:
Madrid seize control of Schalke tie
Cristiano Ronaldo (26', that's him celebrating after scoring) and Marcelo (79') delivered the scoring as Real Madrid blanked Schalke 2-0 in the opening contest of their two-match series.

Getty Images photo

At Basel, Switzerland:
Danilo earns Porto late draw at dogged Basel
Danilo Luiz da Silva's successful penalty kick in the 79th minute lifted FC Porto to a series-opening 1-1 road draw with FC Basel.  Derlis Gonzalez scored in the 11th minute for FCB.  That's Danilo celebrating after his equalizer with game the Dragons a valuable away goal.

Getty Images photo


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Copa Libertadores: Group-Stage Play Begins

Group-stage play in the Copa Libertadores commenced on Tuesday with five games.

GROUP ONE:

At Guadalajara, Mexico:

Luis Arias scored the only goal of the match in the 78th minute as Independiente Santa Fe knocked off Atlas 1-0 on the road.



GROUP FOUR:

At Santiago, Chile:

Miler Bolanos scored the only goal of Club Sport Emelec's 1-0 road win over Universidad de Chile.

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Alejandro Chumacero scored twice (10', 85') as The Strongest got the measure of visiting Internacional 3-1.

Group Four Standings:

1. The Strongest (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Club Sport Emelec (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Universidad de Chile (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Internacional (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP FIVE:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Leandro Reymundez scored the winning goal in the 81st minute as Montevideo Wanderers came back from a 2-1 second half deficit to upend visiting Zamora FC 3-2.



GROUP EIGHT:

At San Cristobal, Venezuela:

Gustavo Bou delivered a hat trick (39', 52', 68') as Racing Club annihilated Deportivo Tachira 5-0 on the road.