Lions Maul Visiting Dragons

At Lisbon, Portugal:

In Sunday action in the Portuguese top flight, Yannick (6'), Marat Izmailov (45'), and Miguel Veloso (47') provided the scoring that carried Sporting to a 3-0 home thumping of FC Porto.

CAF Champions League: Round Of 32 Is Set

Saturday and Sunday action marked the conclusion of preliminary round action in the CAF Champions League, with the winners of the respective two-game series advancing to the Round of 32.




At Libobo, Anglola:

APR defeated Recreativo Libolo 1-0 on the road Saturday in game two and took the two-match series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Benghazi, Libya:

A 0-0 game-two road deadlock was good enough for Djoliba AC as the club from Mali claimed their two-match set Sunday with Al-Ahly Benghazi 1-0 on aggregate.


At Kumasi, Ghana:


After Asante Kotoko took game two at home Sunday 2-0, with goals from Karibu Imoro (32') and Isaac Amoako (PK-50'), their two-match set with ASC Linguere was deadlocked 2-2 on aggregate.  But, after 30 scoreless overtime minutes, the series was decided in the penalty-kick, won 4-2 by the visiting club from Senegal, who will enter the Round of 32.


At Ismailia, Egypt:

Homos (54') and Abdallah Said (67') provided the only goals of the two-game set Saturday as Ismaily took both the game and the series on aggregate with Sofapaka (Kenya) 2-0.


Antananarivo, Madagascar:

Johan Boulard (7'), Mamadou Diallo (63'), Mohamed El Magadarhi (85') provided the goalpower that carried US Stade Tamponnaise (Reunion) to a 3-1 road win Saturday in game two against Ajesaia and a 5-2 aggregate win in their two-match set.


At Casablanca, Morocco:

Omar Najdi scored at 15 minutes as Raja Casablanca gained a 1-1 home draw in game two on Sunday with Guinea's Fello Star,  good enough to win their two-game set 4-2 on aggregate.


At Luanda, Angola:

Atletico Petroleos Luanda smashed visiting Equatorial Guinea's CD Ela Nguema 6-1 Sunday in game two to win their two-game set 9-3 on aggregate.


At Tizi Ouzou, Algeria:


Goals from Nassim Oussalah (25'), Mohamed Rabie Meftah (PK-53'), and Mohamed Seguer (85') paced JS Kabylie to a 3-0 home beatdown of visiting Armed Forces FC (The Gambia) in game two Sunday and a series victory, 5-1 on aggregate.


At Yenagoia, Nigeria:

A 2-2 draw on the road on Sunday enabled Gazelle FC of Chad to win their two-match set with Bayelsa United 3-2 on aggregate.


At Omdurman, Sudan:

Abdelhamid Ammari scored twice (45', 83') as Al-Merreikh took game two on Saturday with Saint-George SA of Ethiopia 3-1 and the two-match set 4-2 on aggregate.

At Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso:

ASFA Yennega dominated visiting Stade Mandji of Gabon 4-1 Sunday in game two and took the two-match set 6-1 on aggregate.


At Centre de Flacq, Mauritius:

Curepipe Starlight overcame their 1-0 game-one road defeat with a 3-1 home win over La Passe FC (Seychelles) that lifted them to the Round of 32 as they took the two-match set 3-2 on aggregate.

 At Johannesburg, South Africa:

With goals from Katlego Mashego (OG-84') and Stephen Maposa (85'), Gaborone United gained a 2-2 road draw in match two on Sunday with Orlando Pirates, enabling the club from Botswana to win the series due to the away goals rule (2-2 on aggregate).


At Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Kayembe Mukeni scored the only goal of the match at 77 minutes as Saint Eloi  Lupopo took game two at home with Tanzania's Young Africans 1-0 on Saturday and the two-match series, 4-2 on aggregate.


At Harare, Zimbabwe:

Gunners FC had no trouble at all in game two on Sunday as they brassknuckled visiting Mafunzo FC (Zanzibar) 4-0 and took the two-match series 6-1 on aggregate.


At Tripoli, Libya:


Ahmed Alzowi (14', 42') and Pan Pierre Koulibaly (31', 38') each scored twice as Al-Ittihad Tripoli annihilated visiting AS Tempete Mocaf (Central African Republic) 6-0 in game two on Saturday to claim the two-match set 8-1 on aggregate.


At El Jadida, Morocco:

Chieck Oumar Dabo doubled (9', 40') as Difaa El Jadida dominated visiting Os Balantas (Guinea-Bissau) 3-0 Saturday in game two and took their two-game series 3-0 on aggregate.


At Lusaka, Zambia:

Zanaco FC made their February 12 defeat in Uganda ancient history on Saturday as they pounded visiting Uganda Revenue Authority FC 4-0 in game two and took the two-match set 4-1 on aggregate.  Makundika Sakala scored twice (37', 54') for the Zambian club.


At Setif, Algeria:


Mourad Delhoum scored both goals Sunday (26', 41') as El Setif overturned their match one setback at Brazzaville with a 2-0 home win over Diables Noirs and won their two-match set 4-3 on aggregate.


At Tiko, Cameroon:

Vital'O FC (Burundi), with goals from Tambwe Amissi (56') and Matembe Type (59'), and homestanding Tiko United, with goals from Njounkou Job (6') and Francis Evambe (75'), battled to a second straight 2-2 draw on Saturday.  After 30 scoreless minutes of overtime, with the series still deadlocked at 4-4 on aggregate, the hosts won the penalty-kick shootout 5-3 on advance to the Round of 32.


Atteridgeville, South Africa:

Brian Umony (35') and Brent Carelse (64') provided the goalpower that carried Supersport United FC to a 2-2 home draw on Saturday with Mbabane Swallows of Swaziland and a 5-3 aggregate win for the two-match series.


At Maputo, Mozambique:

Jeremias Sitoe scored twice (51', 81') as Clube Ferroviario de Maputo took game two at home on Saturday 4-1 over Apaches Club de Mitsamiouli (Comoros) and the series 9-4 on aggregate. 




Here are the match-ups for the first round proper of the CAF Champions League for 2010.  The opening matches of these two-game sets are scheduled for March 19-21, with the return contests slated for April 2-4.


The host clubs for the respective series openers are listed first.


APR FC (Rwanda) vs. TP Mazembe (DRC)


Djoliba AC (Mali) vs. ASC Linguere (Senegal)


Ismaily (Egypt) vs. US Stade Tamponnaise (Reunion)


Africa Sports (Ivory Coast) vs. Al-Hilal Omdurman (Sudan)


Raja Casablanca (Morocco) vs. Atletico Petroleos Luanda (Angola)


Club Africain (Tunisia) vs. JS Kabylie (Algeria)


Gazelle FC (Chad) vs. Al-Merreikh (Sudan)


Esperance ST (Tunisia) vs. ASFA Yennega (Burkina Faso)


Curepipe Sunlight SC (Mauritius) vs. Gaborone United (Botswana)


Saint Eloi Lupopo (DRC) vs. Dynamos FC (Zimbabwe)


Gunners FC (Zimbabwe) vs. Al-Ahly (Egypt)


Al Ittihad Tripoli (Libya) vs. Difaa El Jadida (Morocco)


Zanaco FC (Zambia) vs. ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast)


Union Douala (Cameroon) vs. ES Setif (Algeria)


Tiko United (Cameroon) vs. Heartland FC (Nigeria)


Supersport United FC (South Africa) vs. Ferroviario Maputo (Mozambique)


The winners would advance to the Round of 16.

Easy Win For Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

In Sunday Dutch Eredivisie play, Luis Suarez scored twice (43', 68') as Ajax Amsterdam manhandled visiting 10-man FC Utrecht 4-0.

Let's Be Franck About It

At Munich, Germany:

Franck Ribery scored the game's lone goal at 78 minutes as Bayern Munich moved to the top of the German Bundesliga standings with their 1-0 home win over Hamburg Sunday.

Alexandre Pato Helps Lead Rossoneri Past Elephants

At Milan, Italy:

In Sunday Serie A action, Alexandre Pato scored twice (30', 41') and Marco Borriello added an insurance tally (61') as AC Milan downed visiting Catania Calcio 3-1.  The win lifted the Rossoneri into second place in the league standings, four points in back of table-topping Inter Milan.

Parakeets Settle For Another Draw With Xerez

At Jerez de la Frontera, Spain:

Mario Bermejo's equalizer at 76 minutes lifted cellar-dwelling (and relegation-threatened) Xerez to a 1-1 home draw with Espanyol Sunday in Spanish La Liga action.  Pablo Daniel Osvaldo scored in the 18th minute for the visiting Parakeets, who were held to draws in both league contests with the Blues.

Maurice Edu Powers 'Gers Past Bhoys In Old Firm Derby

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Maurice Edu scored the only goal of the match at 90 minutes as Rangers defeated Celtic 1-0 at home Sunday in the Scottish Premier League.  The victory over their arch-rivals stretched 'Gers lead over the Bhoys atop the SPL standings to 1o points.

Wayne Rooney Leads Red Devils To Carling Cup Title

At London:

Goals from Michael Owen (12') and Wayne Rooney (74') enabled Manchester United to come from behind and defeat Aston Villa 2-1 Sunday to win the English Carling (League) Cup championship.

Monaco Back On Winning Track

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Ouwo Moussa Maazou scored the only goal of the match at 41 minutes as AS Monaco held off visiting (and relegation-threatened) Boulogne 1-0 Saturday in Ligue 1 action

Wolves Fall At Bolton

At Bolton, England:

In Saturday action from the English Premier League, Zat Knight scored his first goal of the season (45') as Bolton escaped from the relegation zone with a 1-0 home win over Wolverhampton.  The loss dropped Wolves to 17th place in the Premiership standings.

Tunisian Clubs Advance

Two games were played Friday in the qualifying round for the CAF Champions League.



At Tunis, Tunisia:

Club Africain topped visiting Sahel FC (Niger) 1-0 in game two.  With the aggregate score at 2-2, the Tunisian club advanced to the first round proper because of the away goals rule.



At Tunis, Tunisia:

Esperance ST defeated visiting East End Lions from Sierra Leone 3-2 in game two, enabling them to win the series 5-4 on aggregate and advance to the Round of 32.

It's Not Just Portsmouth

The financial problems that now have seemed to have caught up with Portsmouth also plagued soccer clubs in other divisions of English soccer.

English League Championship club Crystal Palace recently went into administration themselves and were assessed a 10-point reduction penalty and are now in danger of relegation from the second level of England's football-----errrr-----soccer pyramid.

Meanwhile, down in League Two, the lowest level in the English Football League, AFC Bournemouth are trying to avoid the same fate, or possibly even worse, while at the same time, making a run at promotion to League One. Another club in the fourth level of English soccer, Notts County, narrowly avoided going into administration themselves.

Meanwhile, the English Conference, the fifth level, and highest non-league level, lowered the boom Friday on Chester.

And it's not restricted to England.

Over in the Republic of Ireland, Cork City FC from that country's Premiership went under this past week because of their own financial problems.  In their case, they failed to pay a tax bill.

Derry City (based in Londonderry, Northern Ireland) were expelled from the Republic of Ireland's soccer association last November in the wake of a players salary scandal.  The Candystripes have since resurfaced in the Irish Republic's second tier, the League of Ireland's First Division.

In Russia, two weeks ago, after their financial backer pulled out, FC Moscow withdrew from that country's Premier League. 

And then, there was the episode surrounding Excelsior Mouscron being thrown out of Belgium's Jupiler League (that's country's top flight) this past December, with their results expunged from league records.

Added material:  Financial problems finally did in this Dutch second-division club back on January 25.  And no, they were NOT nicknamed the Globetrotters.

I wonder if all these financial problems are lost on the powers that be----in both management and labor----in Major League Soccer.  That league's collective bargaining agreement with its' players expired this past week.  There is a chance that there would still be MLS soccer this season under the now-expired agreement although a strike or lockout is still not out of the question. 

Pompey Make History

Although it was not the kind of history they had in mind.

They might not even start next season in the second division (the League Championship). 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

NOT Cork City FC?!

This sucks! 

Lanus Take Easy Win In Bolivia

Thursday saw three games in Copa Libertadores group stage action.

Group Two:

Fernando Uribe (49') and Dayro Moreno (71') provided the goalpower that lifted Once Caldas to a 2-1 come-from-behind home win over Sao Paulo FC. 

GROUP TWO STANDINGS:

1. Once Caldas (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Sao Paulo FC (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS:3)
3. Monterrey (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Club Nacional (Paraguay) (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0) 

Group Four:

At Santa Cruz, Bolivia:

Diego Eduardo Lagos scored twice (60', 75') as Lanus overpowered Club Blooming 4-1 on the road.

At Lima, Peru:

Club Libertad held hosts Universitario de Deportes to a 0-0 stalemate.


GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:


1. Club Libertad (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 7)
2. Universitario de Deportes (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. Lanus (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Club Blooming (GP: 3; GD: -8; PTS: 0)

Europa League: Shakhtar Ousted; Toffees Gone, Too; Liverpool And Cottagers Advance

Thursday marked the conclusion of Round of 16 play in UEFA's Europa League.

At Brussels, Belgium:

Romelu Lukaka (4'), Mikel San Jose (OG-27'), Roland Juhasz (49'), and Jonathan Legear (68') carried RSC Anderlecht to a 4-0 fistbeating of visiting Athletic Bilbao in game two, and a 5-1 series win on aggregate.

At Marseille, France:

Bakari Kone scored twice (62', 78') as Maseille handed visiting FC Copenhagen a second successive 3-1 defeat in game two to take the two-match set 6-2 on aggregate.

At Rome:

Djibril Cisse' scored twice in the first half (PK-40', 45'+1) as Panathinaikos defeated AS Roma 3-2 for a second straight time, this time on the road, and took their two-game series 6-4 on aggregate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Diego Forlan scored the game and series winner at 90 minutes as Atletico Madrid defeated Galatasaray 2-1 on the road in game two, and the series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

Brede Hangeland's goal at 33 minutes proved to be enough as Fulham gained a game-two 1-1 road draw with Shakhtar Donetsk, enabling the Cottagers to eliminate last year's UEFA Cup winners 3-2 on aggregate.

At Bucharest, Romania:

Javier Mascherano (30'), Ryan Babel (41'), and Steven Gerrard (57') each tallied once as Liverpool took game two with Unirea Urziceni 3-1 on the road and the two-match set 4-1 on aggregate.

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Despite losing game two 3-2 on the road, Hamburg still won their two-match set with PSV Eindhoven, the German club, with the two-game total score at 3-3, still advanced due to the fact that they outscored their Dutch opponents 2-1 in the away goals catagory.  HSV got second-half goals from Mladen Petric 46' and Piotr Trochowski (PK-79').

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

A 0-0 road draw in match two was more than good enough for FC Rubin Kazan as the Russian club won their two-game series with Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-0 on aggregate.

At Turin, Italy:

Despite being held to a 0-0 draw at home in game two, Juventus still ousted Ajax Amsterdam in the two-match set 2-1 on aggregate.

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Goals from Edin Dzeko (10'), Angel Lopez (OG-15'), Christian Gentner (42') and Grafite (64') carried VfL Wolfsburg to a 4-1 game-two win at home over Villarreal, allowing the defending German Bundesliga champs to take their two-match set 6-3 on aggregate.

At Salzburg, Austria:

By holding hosts FC Red Bull Salzburg to a 0-0 game-two stalemate, Standard Liege won their two-game series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Valencia, Spain:

Juan Mata's goal in the 1st minute of game two enabled Valencia to deadlock their two-match series with visiting Club Brugge at 1-1 on aggregate after 180 minutes.  The Spanish club then got two goals in overtime from Pablo Hernandez (96', 117'), enabling Los Murcielagos to take the series 3-1 on aggregate and advance to the Round of 16.

At Bremen, Germany:

Claudio Pizarro's hat trick (15', 20' , 58') enabled Werder Bremen to overturn last week's 1-0 road defeat with a 4-1 home win in match two with FC Twente and eliminate the Dutch club 4-2 on aggregate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

In what turned out to be a rough Thursday for Turkish clubs, Adil Rami's goal at 85 minutes enabled Lille to gain a 1-1 road draw in game two with Fenerbahce and take the two-match series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Miguel Veloso (65'), Pedro Mendes (76'), and Matias Fernandez (90'+4) each scored a second-half goal as Sporting overturned their 2-1 defeat of last week in England with a 3-0 victory at home over Everton, enabling the Lions to take out the Toffees 4-2 on aggregate.

The Round of 16 for the Europa League is now set, with the opening games of the respective two-match series to take place on March 11 and the return contests on March 18.  The host club for the opening match of each two-game set is listed first.

Hamburg vs. RSC Anderlecht

FC Rubin Kazan vs. Vfl Wolfsburg

Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting

SL Benfica vs. Marseille

Panathinaikos vs. Standard Liege

LOSC Lille Metropole vs. Liverpool

Jeventus vs. Fulham

Valencia vs. Werder Bremen

Things Didn't Go Better With Colo-Colo; Estudiantes Lose, Too

Five games were contested Wednesday as group stage play in the Copa Libertadores continued.

Group One:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Elias Mendes Trindade scored twice (11', 71') as Corinthians defeated visiting Racing Club de Montevideo (Uruguay) 2-1.

GROUP ONE STANDINGS:

1. Corinthians (Brazil) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Independiente Medellin (Colombia) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3. Cerro Porteno (Paraguay) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
4. Racing Club (Uruguay) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group Two:

At Monterrey, Mexico:

Sergio Santana (61') and Osvaldo Martinez (69') each tallied once as Monterrey doubled up visiting Club Nacional (Paraguay) 2-1.

Group Three:

At Chiclayo, Peru:

Wilmer Aguirre's hat trick (18', 34', 74') helped propel Juan Aurich to a 4-1 home beatdown of Estudiantes.

GROUP THREE STANDINGS:

1. Alianza Lima (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. Estudiantes (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Juan Aurich (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Club Bolivar (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Group Seven:

At Belo Horizone, Brazil:

Kleber de Souza Freitas scored twice (62', PK-72') as Cruzeiro overpowered visiting Colo-Colo 4-1.

GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:

1. Velez Sarsfield (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Cruzeiro (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Colo-Colo (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Deportivo Italia (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group Eight:

At Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

Leonardo Moura (10') and Adriano (57') each scored once as Flamengo blanked visiting Universidad Catolica 2-0.

GROUP EIGHT STANDINGS:

1. Flamengo (Brazil) (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Universidad de Chile (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Caracas FC (Venezuela) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Universidad Catolica (Chile) (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

AFC Champions League: Pohang Title Defense Off To Inauspicious Start

The first week of AFC Champions League group stage play concluded on Wednesday with eight games.

Group C:

At Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates:

Artur Gevorkyan scored the game's lone goal at 60 minutes as FC Pakhtakor Tashkent won 1-0 on the road against Al-Ain FC.

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

Faisal Bin Sultan's equalizer at 69 minutes enabled Al-Shabab to salvage a 1-1 home stalemate with Iran's Sepahan FC.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. FC Pakhtakor Tashkent (Uzbekistan) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)                     2.Sepahan FC (Iran) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)                                                         3.Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)                                           4.Al-Ain FC (UAE) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group D:

At Doha, Qatar:

Yasser Al-Qahtani scored twice (9', 90') as Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) dominated Al-Sadd 3-0 on the road.

At Kerman, Iran:

Medhi Rajabzadeh doubled (75', 85') as Mes Kerman FC doubled up visiting Al-Ahli (UAE) 4-2.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia) (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)                                             2. Mes Kerman FC (Iran) (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)                                             3. Al-Ahli (UAE) (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)                                                             4. Al-Sadd (Qatar) (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Group G:

At Suwon, South Korea:

Japan's Gamba Osaka held hosts Suwon Samsung Bluewings to a 0-0 deadlock.

At Zhengzhou, China:                 

Singapore Armed Forces FC racked up a point with a 0-0 road stalemate with Henan Construction.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Gamba Osaka (Japan) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)                                               2. Henan Construction (China) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)                                   3. Singapore Armed Forces FC (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)                                     4. Suwon Samsung Bluewings (South Korea) (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)

Group H:

At Hiroshima, Japan:

Han Peng scored the game's lone goal at 77 minutes as Shandong Luneng (China) defeated Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-0 on the road.

At Adelaide, South Australia, Australia:

Mathew Leckie scored the game's lone goal (45'+1) as Adelaide United knocked off visiting defending champions Pohang Steelers (South Korea) 1-0.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Adelaide United FC (Australia) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)                                   Shandong Luneng (China) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)                                     3. Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)                                 4. Pohang Steelers (South Korea) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Pair Of Goals Give Inter 2-1 Advantage After Match One; Horses Settle For Home Draw With Sevilla

Two more Round of 16 series in the UEFA Champions League got under way on Wednesday.

At Moscow:

Mark Gonzalez equalized things at 66 minutes, enabling CSKA Moscow to salvage a 1-1 game-one home draw with Sevilla. The Spanish club did get a big away goal from Alvaro Negredo at 25 minutes, and here he is being seen celebrating.

At Milan, Italy:

Diego Milito (3', that's him being mobbed by joyous teammates) and Esteban Cambiasso (55') provided the scoring that carried Inter Milan to a 2-1 game-one home win over Chelsea. The Blues, though, did get what might still be in the end, a precious away goal at 51 minutes from Salomon Kalou.

Both Photos © Getty Images

Late Pair Send Rossoneri Into Second Place In Serie A

At Florence, Italy:

AC Milan moved into second place in the Serie A standings following their 2-1 road win over Fiorentina.  Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (81') and Alexandre Pato (90') provided the goals as the Rossoneri overcame a one-goal deficit, enabling them to climb within four points of league-leading Inter Milan.

FA Cup: Stoke City, Reading, Aston Villa, Spurs Take Replays In Advance To Elite Eight

The Round of 16 in England's FA Cup concluded Wednesday with four replays.

At Stoke-On-Trent, England:

Goals from Dave Kitson in regulation time (79'), Ryan Shawcross (95') and Tuncay Samil (99'), both in overtime, carried Stoke City to a 3-1 overtime win at home in their replay with Manchester City.

At West Bromwich, England:

In a battle of League Championship clubs, Brian Howard's goal at 90 minutes forced overtime, and Gylfi Sigurdsson added the game winner in the 95th minute as Reading defeated West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in overtime to become the only remaining non-Premiership club left in the tournament.

For the Royals, it will be their first appearance in the quarterfinal round since 1927.

At Birmingham, England:

Two late penalty kicks from John Carew (81',89') broke open a deadlocked match as Aston Villa defeated visiting League Championsip (and now relegation-threatened) Crystal Palace 3-1.

At London:

A pair of bookend goals from Roman Pavlyuchenko (23', 87') helped to carry Tottenham Hotspur to a 4-0 home brassknuckling of fellow Premiership club Bolton Wanderers.

Three Games Tuesday In Copa Libertadores

Group stage play in the Copa Libertadores resumed Tuesday with three games.

Group Five:

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:

Nei (53') and Alecsandro (87') each tallied once as Internacional came from behind to overtake visiting Ecuadorian club Emelec 2-1.

GROUP FIVE STANDINGS:

1. CA Cerro (Uruguay) (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Internacional (Brazil) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Club Sport Emelec (Ecuador) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Deportivo Quito (Ecuador) (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group Six:

At Morelia, Mexico:

Club Nacional of Uruguay held hosts Monarcas Morelia to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP SIX STANDINGS:

1. Club Atletico Banfield (GP: 2; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
2. Club Nacional (GP: 2; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Monarcas Morelia (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Deportivo Cuenca (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Group Seven:

At Caracas, Venezuela:

Hernan Lopez provided the lone goal of the match (53') as Velez Sarsfield defeated Deportivo Italia 1-0 on the road.

UEFA Europa League: Eagles Pound Hertha To Advance

One game was played on Tuesday as the second and final week of Round of 32 play in the UEFA Europa League commenced.

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Oscar Cardozo scored twice (48', 62') as SL Benfica hammered visiting Hertha Berlin 4-0 in game two to take the two-match set 5-1 on aggregate as the visitors played much more like the relegation-threatened club that they have played like this season in the German Bundesliga. The Eagles move on to the Round of 16 and will next take on the winners of the Marseille-FC Copenhagen series.

Zlatan's Goal Lifts Barca To Road Draw In Stuttgart; Bordeaux Takes Opener On Road In Athens

Two more two-game, home-and-away, total-goals series commenced Tuesday as Sweet Sixteen play in the UEFA Champions League resumed.

At Stuttgart, Germany:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the equalizer at 52 minutes, lifting Barcelona to a 1-1 road draw in their series opener with VfB Stuttgart. The hosts were represented on the scoreboard with Cacau's header at 25 minutes. That's Zlatan, seen here celebrating after beating Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann for the game-tying goal.

At Athens, Greece:

Michael Ciani scored the only goal of the match in first-half stoppage time (45'+2) as Bordeaux took game one 1-0 on the road against Olympiacos. That's Michael, seen here beating Olympiacos goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis for the game's lone tally with his header.

Both photos are from Getty Images.

AFC Champions League: Group Stage Play Commences

Group stage play in the AFC Champions League began Tuesday with eight games.

Group A:

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Otmane El Assas (16') and Younis Mahmoud (53') each scored a goal as Al-Gharafa SC (Qatar) defeated Al-Jazira 2-1 on the road.

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

Farhad Majdi scored twice (12', 76') as Esteghlal FC (Iran) defeated Al-Ahli 2-1 on the road.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Esteghlal FC (Iran) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
Al-Gharafa SC (Qatar) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
Al-Jazira (UAE) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)

Group B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

FC Bunyodkor started their group stage campaign with a 3-0 home beatdown of Saudi Arabia's Al-Ittihad. Rivaldo (3'), Jasur Hasanov (21'), and Denilson (66') each scored once for the hosts.

At Isfahan, Iran:

Igor scored the only goal of the match at 60 minutes as FC Zob Ahan defeated visiting Al-Wahda FC (UAE) 1-0.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. FC Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan) (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. FC Zob Ahan (Iran) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Al-Wahda FC (UAE) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia) (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Group E:

At Seongnam, South Korea:

Mauricio Molina (35') and Dzenan Radoncic (78') each tallied once as Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma defeated visiting Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) 2-0.

At Beijing, China:

Joel Griffiths scored the only goal of the match at 52 minutes as Beijing Guoan defeated visiting Melbourne Victory (Australia) 1-0.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (South Korea) (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Beijing Guoan (China) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Melbourne Victory (Australia) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Kawasaki Frontale (Japan) (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group F:

At Jakarta, Indonesia:

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea) got their group stage campaign to a rousing start with a 4-1 road domination of Persipura Jakarta.

At Kishima, Japan:

Koji Nakata's goal at 42 minutes proved to be all the scoring as Kashima Antlers defeated visiting Changchun Yatal (China) 1-0.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea) (GP: 1; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
2. Kashima Antlers (Japan) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Changchun Yatal (China) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Persipura Jakarta (Indonesia) (GP: 1; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

Road Win In Bari For Rossoneri

At Bari, Italy:

Goals from Marco Borriello (43') and Alexandre Pato (69') carried AC Milan to a 2-0 road win Sunday over AS Bari in Serie A action. The win lifted the Rossoneri to within seven points of league-leading Inter Milan.

Another Road Defeat For Parakeets

At Malaga, Spain:

Fernando (13') and Victor Obinna (75') provided the scoring as Malaga CF topped visiting Espanyol 2-1 Sunday in Spanish La Liga action.

Smashing Win For Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Siem De Jong scored twice (18', 58') as Ajax Amsterdam delivered a frontier-styled 4-0 fistbeating to guests Vitesse Arnhem Sunday in Dutch Eredivisie action.

Scoreless In Olhao

At Olhao, Portugal:

In Saturday Portuguese Liga play, Sporting and hosts SC Olhanense battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

Lens Club Monaco

At Lens, France:

Issam Jemaa (31'), Sebastien Roudet (43'), and Henri Bedimo Nsame (PK-52') each scored once as Lens overpowered visiting AS Monaco 3-0 Saturday in action from Ligue 1.

There Will Be A Club From New Zealand In The O-League Final

Match Day #4 in Oceania's Champions League finally concluded on Saturday.

Group A:

At Waitakere, New Zealand:

Martin Bullock (39'), Benjamin Totori (40'), Ryan De Vries (78'), and Brent Fisher (80') each tallied once as Waitakere United smothered visiting New Caledonian club AS Magenta 4-1. Only two clubs still have a shot at winning Group A and a spot in the O-League final, Waitakere United and fellow New Zealand club Auckland City FC.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Auckland City FC (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 10)
2. Waitakere United (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 8)
3. AS Magenta# (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 2)
4. AS Manu-Ura# (GP: 4; GD: -9; PTS: 1)

#Eliminated from tournament

FC Nuremberg Snap Bayern Winning Streak At 14 With Home Draw

At Nuremberg, Germany:

Ilkay Gundogan's 54th-minute equalizer enabled relegation-threatened FC Nuremberg to gain a 1-1 home draw with league-leading Bayern Munich in Saturday action in the German Bundesliga. The draw ended Bayern's 14-game winning streak in all competitions. Thomas Muller scored for the visitors at 38 minutes.

Bhoys Get Big Home Win

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Robbie Keane scored the only goal of the match (20') as Celtic defeated visiting Dundee United 1-0 Saturday in the Scottish Premier League. The win, couple with the postponement of Rangers match at St. Johnstone, enabled the Hoops to close within seven points of the league-leading archrivals atop the SPL standings.

Didier Drogba Double Sinks Wolves

At Wolverhampton, England:

Didier Drogba scored both goals (40', 67') on Saturday as Chelsea blanked Wolverhampton 2-0 on the road in English Premiership action. The Blues extended their lead atop the Premier League standings to four points over Manchester United while Wolves remained in 16th place.

Scotland Loses Second Champions League Spot To Belgium

Certainly this season's crappy performances in Champions League and Europa League competition did no favors for SPL clubs.

Alianza Lima and Universidad de Chile Come Up Thursday Winners

Two games were played in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday.

Group Three:

At Lima, Peru:

Wilmer Aguirre's natural hat trick (17', 33', 73') helped Alianza Lima smack visiting Estudiantes 4-1.

Group Eight:

At Vina del Mar, Chile:

Group Eight action finally began Thursday as Universidad de Chile, with Juan Manuel Olivera's 2nd-minute penalty kick the lone score, blanked visiting Caracas FC 1-0.

Wolverhampton's Indianapolis Colts Impersonation

Let's be thankful that Wolves did not get any kind of points reduction, considering that they're currenty fighting to make sure they don't return to the League Championship next season.

Fifteen Games On Europa League Docket

The opening week of knockout-stage action in UEFA's Europa League concluded with 15 games on Thursday.

At Villeneuve d'Asca, France:

Goals from Florent Balmont (3') and Pierre-Alain Frau (52') carried LOSC Lille Metropole to a 2-1 home win in game one of their two-match home-and-away series with Fenerbahce. The Turkish club, though, did get an away goal at 5 minutes from Gokcek Vederson.

At Enschede, Netherlands:

Theo Janssen scored the lone goal of the match at 39 minutes as FC Twente took game one at home 1-0 over Werder Bremen.

At Liege, Belgium:

Axel Witsel scored twice, with his successful 66th-minute penalty kick and his game winner at 82 minutes, to go along with Igor De Camargo's tally at 80 minutes, as Standard Liege defeated FC Red Bull Salzburg 3-2 in match one of their two-game set. The loss was the Austrian club's first in this competition after having been the only club in group stage play in either the Europa or Champions League to win all six of their contests. They still have a shot in this series, though, having scored twice (both tallies from Marc Janko at 4 and 45 minutes) on the road in this series.

At Villarreal, Spain:

Goals from Grafite (65', PK-84') enabled VfL Wolfsburg to gain a 2-2 road draw in game one with Villarreal. Marco Ruben's goal at 85 minutes, to go with Marcos Senna's 43rd-minute tally, enabled the Yellow Submarine to avoid a home defeat.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Dorge Kouemaha's goal at 56 goals provided all the game one scoring as Club Brugge blanked visiting Valencia 1-0 to end the Spanish club's 18-game European competition unbeaten streak.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Amauri's double (32', 58') enabled Juventus to come from behind to post a 2-1 road win over Ajax Amsterdam in match one of their two-game series.

At Kazan, Russia:

Aleksandr Bukharov scored twice (14', 23') and Sergei Semak add one more for good measure (69') as FK Rubin Kazan, playing their first competitive match of 2010, blasted visiting Hapoel Tel-Aviv 3-0 in game one of their two-match set at home.

At Madrid:

Kader Keita's equalizer at 77 minutes provided a vital away goal as Fenerbahce gained a game one 1-1 road draw with Atletico Madrid. Jose Antnio Reyes scored for the hosts at 23.

At Berlin:

Javi Garcia's own goal at 33 minutes enabled Hertha Berlin, currently having a very rough season domestically, to gain a 1-1 home draw in match one with SL Benfica. The Eagles did score a goal for themselves at 4 minutes, courtesy of Angel Di Maria.

At Hamburg, Germany:

Marcell Jansen's successful penalty kick at 26 minutes provided all the scoring as Hamburg took match one at home over PSV Eindhoven 1-0.

At Liverpool, England:

David N'Gog provided the lone goal of game one at 81 minutes as Liverpool topped visiting Unirea Urziceni 1-0.

At London:

Fulham took match one at home against Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1. Zoltan Gera (3') and Bobby Zamora (63') each provided a goal for the Cottagers. The visiting Ukrainian club did get what may still prove to be a vital away goal at 32 minutes from Luiz Adriano.

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Mamadou Niang (72'), Hatem Ben Arfa (84') and Charles Kabore (90') each provided a second-half goal as Marseille took match one 3-1 at FC Copenhagen's expense on the road.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Mikel San Jose's equalizer at 58 minutes enabled Athletic Bilbao to salvage a 1-1 home draw in match one with RSC Anderlecht. The visiting Belgian club did get what may still prove to be a precious road goal at 35 minutes from Lucas Biglia.

At Athens, Greece:

Djibril Cisse provided the game winner at 89 minutes, and combined with earlier tallies from Dimitris Salpingidis (67') and Lazaros Hristodoulopoulos (84'), lifted Panathinaikos to a come-from-behind 3-2 home win in game one with AS Roma. The visiting club from the Italian capital kept themselves very much alive in this two-match series, thanks to goals from Mirko Vucinic (29') and David Pizarro (PK-81')

Universitario de Deportes and Banfield Pick Up Copa Group Stage Wins

Copa Libertadores group stage play continued with two games on Wednesday.

Group Four:

At Lima, Peru:

Piero Alva (18') and Gianfranco Labarthe (88') each tallied once as Universitario de Deportes blanked visiting Lanus 2-0.

GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:

1. Club Libertad (GP: 2; GD: +6; PTS: 6)
2. Universitario de Deportes (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Lanus (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)
4. Blooming (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

Group Six:

At Cuenca, Ecuador.

Sebastian Ferandez doubled (39', 60') as Banfield overpowered Deportivo Cuenca 4-1 on the road.

Dragons Take Opener Though Sol's Goal Keeps Gunners Alive; Bayern Pick Up Late Home Win

The opening week of Round of 16 play in the UEFA Champions League concluded with two Wednesday contests.

At Porto, Portugal:

Goals from Silvestre Varela (11') and Falcao (51', he's seen here celebrating) enabled FC Porto to take game one with Arsenal 2-1 at home. The Gunners, though got an important away goal at 18 minutes from Sol Campbell, his first in UCL competition since his goal vs. Barcelona in the 2006 final.

At Munich, Germany:

Miroslav Klose's late goal (89'), combined with Arjen Robben's successful penalty kick (48'; he's seen here celebrating), carried Bayern Munich to a 2-1 series-opening home win over Fiorentina. The Italian club stayed in this two-match series, thanks to Per Kroldrup's goal at 50 minutes.

Both photos from Getty Images.