MLS Cup Playoffs: Dynamo Frustrate Eight-Man Impact; Earn Shot At Red Bulls

At Houston:

Will Bruin scored twice (16', 72') while Oscar Boniek Garcia converted a penalty kick in the 27th minute as the Houston Dynamo ruined the Montreal Impact's first MLS Cup Playoff appearance Thursday night with a 3-0 Eastern Conference Knockoff Round home victory.  The Impact ended the game with ten men as Nelson Rivas (70'), Andreas Romero (89'), and Marco Di Vaio (89') all were ejected via the red card.

The Dynamo will next face the New York Red Bulls in a two-game Eastern Conference semifinal series which starts Sunday afternoon in Houston.  The return match takes place Tuesday night at Harrison, New Jersey.

MLS Cup Playoffs: Sounders Oust Visiting Rapids, Get Timbers Next

At Seattle:

In the opening match of the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs on Wednesday, Brad Evans (28') and Eddie Johnson (90'+3) provided the scoring as the Seattle Sounders----despite finishing the game with ten men----blanked the visiting Colorado Rapids 2-0 in a Western Conference one-match knockout playoff.

The Sounders will host their Cascadia arch-rivals, the Portland Timbers on Saturday (7:00 PM, Pacific Time, NBCSN) in the opening game of a two-match Western Conference semifinal series, with the return contest to be played at Portland next Thursday (8:00 PM Pacific Time, NBCSN).

Coaching And Front Offices Changes Coming In Chicago

Despite the scoring punch that Mike Magee had brought since coming over from Los Angeles in late May, the Fire just missed out on postseason play this year.

MLS Cup Playoff Schedule

Here's the schedule for the upcoming Major League Soccer Playoffs, at least through next Sunday.

Subject to change.

All times Pacific.

Wednesday:

Western Conference Knockout Playoff:

Colorado @ Seattle, 7:30 PM (NBCSN)

Thursday:

Eastern Conference Knockout Playoff:

Montreal @ Houston, 5:30 PM (NBCSN)

Saturday, November 2:

Eastern Conference Semifinal Series (Match One):

Sporting Kansas City @ New England, 5:00 PM (NBCSN)

Western Conference Semifinal Series (Match One):

Portland @ Seattle-Colorado winner, 7:00 PM (NBCSN)

Sunday, November, 3:

Eastern Conference Semifinal Series (Match One):

New York @ Montreal-Houston winner, 12:30 PM (NBC)

Western Conference Semifinal Series (Match One)

Real Salt Lake @ Los Angeles, 6:00 PM (ESPN)

MLS: Red Bulls Win Supporters Shield; Dynamo, Revs Punch Tickets For Playoffs; Impact In Too, Fire Out; Robbie Keane's Equalizer Carries Galaxy Into Conference Semis; Camilo Helps Caps Blast Rapids

Five games were played on Sunday as the Major League Soccer regular season concluded.

At Washington:

Giles Barnes scored the winning goal in the 39th minute as the Houston Dynamo clinched a playoff berth (their seventh in the eight seasons they've been based in Houston) with a 2-1 road win over DC United, whose three regular-season wins set a new record for the fewest victories in an MLS season.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Juan Agudelo scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute as the New England Revolution locked up a playoff berth (their first since 2009) with a 1-0 road win over the Columbus Crew, who ended the contest with ten men.

At Harrison, New Jersey:

Thierry Henry (24'), Ibrahim Sekagya (49'), Lloyd Sam (56'), Eric Alexander (77'), and Jonny Steele (84') each delivered a goal as the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters' Shield (a berth in next season's CONCACAF Champions League as well as the chance to host the MLS Cup final) with their 5-2 home domination of the Chicago Fire.  The Red Bulls won the first major piece of silverware in their 18-year history.  The loss eliminated the Fire from playoff contention and put the Montreal Impact in the playoffs for the first time in their two-year MLS history (Toronto FC now becomes the only team in league history---the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion included---to never make the MLS Cup playoffs).

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Camilo Sanvezzo's natural hat trick (PK-43', 74', 84'; he scored 22 goals and won the MLS Golden Boot for being the league's top goal scorer this season) enabled the Vancouver Whitecaps to dominate the visiting Colorado Rapids 3-0, forcing Colorado to travel to Seattle for a one-match playoff on Wednesday (with the winner to take on the Portland Timbers in a Western Conference two-match semifinal series).

At Seattle:

Robbie Keane's equalizer in the 78th minute lifted the Los Angeles Galaxy to a 1-1 road draw with the Seattle Sounders----and a third-place finish in the Western Conference, enabling them to avoid the fourth-place vs. fifth-place one-game playoff, which the Sounders (whose Clint Dempsey scored in the 30th minute) will host against Colorado.

FINAL MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   sc-New York (GP: 34; GF: 58; GD: +17; PTS: 59)
2.    x-Kansas City (GP: 34; GF: 47; GD: +17; PTS: 58)
3.    x-New England (GP: 34; GF: 49; GD: +11; PTS: 51)
4.    x-Houston (GP: 34; GF: 41; GD: 0; PTS: 51)
5.    x-Montreal (GP: 34; GF: 50; GD: +1; PTS: 49)
6.        Chicago (GP: 34; GF: 47; GD: -5; PTS: 49)
7.        Philadelphia (GP: 34; GF: 42; GD: -2; PTS: 46)
8.        Columbus (GP: 34; GF: 42; GD: -4; PTS: 41)
9.        Toronto FC (GP: 34; GF: 30; GD: -17; PTS: 26)
10.      DC United (GP: 34; GF: 22; GD: -37; PTS: 16)

WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.      c-Portland (GP: 34; GF: 54; GD: +21; PTS: 57)
2.      x-Real Salt Lake (GP: 34; GF: 57; GD: +16; PTS: 56)
3.      x-Los Angeles (GP: 34; GF: 53; GD: +15; PTS: 53)  
4.      x-Seattle (GP: 34; GF: 42; GD: 0; PTS: 52)
5.      x-Colorado (GP: 34; GF: 45; GD: +7; PTS: 51)
6.           San Jose (GP: 34; GF: 35; GD: -7; PTS: 51)
7.           Vancouver (GP: 34; GF: 50; GD: +5; PTS: 45)
8.           FC Dallas (GP: 34; GF: 48; GD: -4; PTS: 44)
9.           Chivas USA (GF: 34; GF: 30; GD: -37; PTS: 26)


s-Won Supporters Shield

c-Won regular-season conference title

x-Clinched playoff berth

2013 MLS Cup Playoff Schedule:

Knockout Round:

Wednesday:

Colorado @ Seattle, 7:30 PM, Pacific Time

Thursday:

Montreal @ Houston, 5:00 PM, Pacific Time

Conference Semifinals:

Eastern Conference:

New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal-Houston winner

The opening game would be at Houston or Montreal next Saturday or Sunday with the return match at Harrison, New Jersey on November 6 or 7.

Sporting Kansas City vs. New England

The series will open at Foxborough, Massachusetts next Saturday with the return match at Kansas City, Kansas on November 6.

Western Conference:

Portland vs. Colorado-Seattle winner

The series will open at the home of the Colorado-Seattle winner next Saturday or Sunday with the return match to be played at Portland, Oregon on November 6 or 7.

Real Salt Lake vs. Los Angeles

The series will open next Sunday at Carson, California, with Sandy, Utah the site for the return match on November 6 or 7.

MLS: Timbers Win Western Conference Title; SKC Eliminate Philly, Move To Top Of Supporters Shield Race; Reds Ruin Impact Playoff Party; Quakes Top Hoops

Saturday saw four games contested in Major League Soccer.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Lawrence Olum scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time (90'+2) as Sporting Kansas City took over first place in both the Eastern Conference standings and the race for the Supporters' Shield with a 2-1 road win over the Philadelphia Union, eliminating the hosts from playoff contention.

At Toronto:

Robert Earnshaw's goal in the 16th minute stood up as Toronto FC prevented the Montreal Impact from clinching their first-ever playoff berth with a 1-0 home triumph.

At Santa Clara, California:

Walter Martinez (27') and Chris Wondolowski (57') provided the scoring as the San Jose Earthquakes were still eliminated from playoff contention after they held off visiting FC Dallas 2-1(the Colorado Rapids are heading to postseason play).

At Carson, California:

Diego Valeri scored twice (16', 29') and assisted on Rodney Wallace's goal in the 34th minute as the Portland Timbers clinched the Western Conference title with their first-ever victory on California soil (their first league road win in five months), a 5-0 demolition over Chivas USA.

AFC Champions League: Guangzhou Evergrande Gain Series-Opening 2-2 Road Draw With FC Seoul

At Seoul, South Korea:

Goals from Elkeson (30') and Gao Lin (59') enabled Guangzhou Evergrande to gain a 2-2 draw on the road with FC Seoul in Saturday's opening match of the two-game AFC Champions League.  Sergio Escudero (12') and Dejan Damjanovic (83') provided the scoring for the hosts.

The series will conclude on November 9 at Guangzhou, China.  The winner of the series would advance to December's FIFA Club World Cup, which will be played in Morocco.

CONCACAF Champions League: Arabe Unido Knock Out Dynamo, Advance To Quarterfinals

Group-stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League concluded on Thursday with two games.

Group One:

At Panama City, Panama:

Jose Gonzalez scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute as Arabe Unido won the Group One title and a berth in the quarterfinal round with their 1-0 home win over the Houston Dynamo.

FINAL GROUP ONE STANDINGS:

1. Arabe Unido (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
2. Houston Dynamo (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. W Connection (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

Arabe Unido won Group One and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group Eight:

At San Salvador, El Salvador:

Nicolas Munoz scored all four goals (29', 31', 33', 41') in the first half of Isidro Metapan's 4-0 home demolition of the quarterfinal-round-bound Los Angeles Galaxy.

FINAL GROUP EIGHT STANDINGS:

1. Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
2. Isidro Metapan (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. CS Cartagines (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 4)

The Los Angeles Galaxy won Group Eight and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Europa League

Group-stage play in the Europa League reached the midway point on Thursday with 24 games.

Group A:

At Swansea, Wales:

Djibril Cisse's stoppage-time penalty kick (90'+3) lifted Kuban Krasnodar to a 1-1 road draw with Swansea City.  Michu scored for the Swans in the 68th minute.

At Valencia, Spain:

Federico Cartabia scored twice (21', 30') in the first half hour as Valencia drubbed visiting St. Gallen 5-1.

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Swansea City AFC (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
2. Valencia (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. FC St. Gallen (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. FC Kuban Krasnodar (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group B:

At Odessa, Ukraine:

Hristo Zlatinski scored the only goal of the match in the 45th minute as  Ludogorets Razgrad defeated Chronomorets Odessa 1-0 on the road.
At Zagreb, Croatia:

Dinamo Zagreb and visiting PSV Eindhoven, in a match played behind closed doors, battled to a 0-0 deadlock.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Ludogorets Razgrad (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Chornomorets Odessa (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group C:

At Boras, Sweden:

Hans Henrik Andreasen scored twice (7', 67') as Esbjerg fB doubled up hosts IF Elfsborg 2-1.

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Jonathan Soriano (53') and Andre Romalho Silva (83') each scored a second-half goal a half-hour apart as FC Red Bull Salzburg held off visiting Standard Liege 2-1.

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 9)
2. Esbjerg fB (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3. Standard Liege (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)
4. IF Elfsborg (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group D:

At Wigan, England:

Nick Powell's equalizer in the 40th minute enabled Wigan Athletic to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Rubin Kazan.  Aleksandr Prudnikov scored for the visiting Russian club in the 15th minute.

At Bruges, Belgium:

Matic Crnic (21'), Ales Mertelj (34'), and Dejan Mezga (49') provided the scoring as ten-man NK Maribor knocked off SV Zulte Waregem 3-1 on the road.

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 7)
2. Wigan Athletic FC (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. NK Maribor (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. SV Zulte Waregem (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

Group E:

At Guimaraes, Portugal:

Ruslan Rotan (83') and Yevhen Konoplyanka (86') scored late as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk blanked Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 on the road.

At Florence, Italy:

Fiorentina dominated  Pandurii Targu Jiu 3-0 at home, thanks to goals from Joaquin Sanchez (27'), Ryder Matos Santos (34'), and Juan Cuadrado (69').

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Fiorentina (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Pandurii Targu Jiu (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)
4. Pacos de Ferreira (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group F:

At Bordeaux, France:

Carlos Henrique dos Santos Souza delivered the winning goal in the 90th minute as Bordeaux defeated visiting APOEL FC 2-1.

At Frankfurt am Main, Germany:

Vaclav Kadlec (13') and Alexander Meier (53') provided the scoring as Eintracht Frankfurt shut out visiting Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Eintracht Frankfurt (GP: 3; GD: +8; PTS: 9)
2. Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. Bordeaux (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. APOEL FC (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group G:

At Genk, Belgium:

Marcel Sabitzer's equalizer in the 82nd minute lifted Rapid Vienna to a 1-1 road draw with KRC Genk.  Julien Gorius scored for the hosts in the 21st minute.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Andriy Yarmolenko (35'), Dieumerci Mbokani (60'), and Oleh Husyev (79') provided the scoring as Dynamo Kiev dominated visiting FC Thun 3-0.

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. KRC Genk (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. FC Thun (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. Rapid Vienna (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

Group H:

At Liberec, Czech Republic:

Victor Machin delivered the equalizer in the 88th minute as Sevilla gained a 1-1 road draw with FC Slovan Liberec.  Michael Rabusic scored at 20 minutes for the hosts.

At Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany:

Seba's equalizer in the 53rd minute carried Estoril to a 1-1 road draw with SC Freiburg.  Vladimir Darida scored in the 11th minute for the hosts.

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Sevilla (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. FC Slovan Liberec (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. SC Freiburg (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. GD Estoril Praia (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

Group I:

At Lyon, France:

Clement Grenier scored the only goal of the match in the 67th minute as Lyon defeated visiting HNK Rijeka 1-0.

At Seville, Spain:

Alvaro Vadillo scored the only goal of the match in the 51st minute as Real Betis shut out visiting Vitoria de Guimaraes 1-0.

GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. Lyon (GP:3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. Real Betis (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Vitoria de Guimaraes (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
4. HNK Rijeka (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)

Group J:

At Trabzon, Turkey:

Marc Janko (7') and Olcan Adin (83') each delivered a goal in Trabzonspor's 2-0 home blanking of Legia Warsaw.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Apollon Limassol and visiting Lazio battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Trabzonspor (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Lazio (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. Apollon Limassol (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Legia Warsaw (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

Group K:

At Ramenskoye, Russia:

Nikita Burmistrov scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute as FC Anzhi Makhachkala defeated visiting Tromso IL 1-0.

At Tiraspol, Moldova:

Jan Vertonghen (12') and Jermain Defoe (75') delivered the goals that carried Tottenham Hotspur to a 2-0 road win at FC Sheriff's expense.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2. FC Anzhi Makhachkala (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
3. FC Sheriff (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Tromso IL (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Group L:

At Astana, Kazakhstan:

Johann Berg Gudmundsson's equalizer in the 26th minute carried AZ Alkmaar to a 1-1 road draw with Shakhter Karagandy, whose score came in the 11th minute from Andrei Finonchenko.

At Thessaloniki, Greece:

Dimitris Salpingidis scored the winning goal in the 67th minute as PAOK FC erased a two-goal deficit and defeated visiting Maccabi Haifa 3-2.

GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. PAOK FC (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. FC Shakhter Karagandy (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Maccabi Haifa FC (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

CONCACAF Champions League: SKC, Quakes Advance To Quarterfinals; Toluca, Too

Four games were played in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League on Wednesday.

Group Two:

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Despite being held to a 0-0 home stalemate by CD Olimpia, Sporting Kansas City won Group Two and a berth in the quarterfinal round.

FINAL GROUP TWO STANDINGS:

1. Sporting Kansas City (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. CD Olimpia (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3. Real Esteli FC (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

Sporting Kansas City advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group Five:

At Santa Clara, California:

Chris Wondolowski scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute as the San Jose Earthquakes, despite finishing the contest with ten men, defeated visiting Heredia 1-0 to win Group Five and gain passage to the quarterfinal round.

FINAL GROUP FIVE STANDINGS:

1. San Jose Earthquakes (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Montreal Impact (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
3. Heredia (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 6)

The San Jose Earthquakes advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group Six:

At Toluca, Mexico:

Raul Nava (6', 89') and Edgar Benitez (23', 72') each scored a goal in each half as Toluca locked up the Group Six crown and the Champions League quarterfinal-round berth that goes with it with a 5-1 home domination of Comunicaciones.

FINAL GROUP SIX STANDINGS:

1. Deportivo Toluca FC (GP: 4; GD: +11; PTS: 12)
2. CSD Comunicaciones (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
3. Caledonia AIA (GP: 4; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

Deportivo Toluca FC advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Group Seven:

At La Ceiba, Honduras:

Anel Canales scored twice (68', 81') as CD Luis Angel Firpo knocked off CD Victoria 4-1 on the road.

FINAL GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:

1. Club Tijuana (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 10)
2. Club Deportivo Luis Angel Firpo (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3. CD Victoria (GP: 4; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

Club Tijuana advanced to the quarterfinal round.

MLS: RSL Top Goats To Move To Top Of Western Conference Standings

At Sandy, Utah:

Alvaro Saborio (PK-49') and Jose Plata (52') each scored a goal as Real Salt Lake moved to the top of the Western Conference standings with a shot to win the Supporters' Shield with a 2-1 home win over Chivas USA in the lone Wednesday Major League Soccer contest.

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Sergio Leads The Way For Citizens In Russia; Franck Ribery Helps Bayern Demolish Viktoria Plzen

Two Group D games in the UEFA Champions League were played on Wednesday.

At Khimki, Russia:

Sergio Aguero delivered a double (34', 42', that's him scoring his first goal) as Manchester City came from behind to upend CSKA Moscow 2-1 on the road.

Photo from ESPN FC website

At Munich, Germany:

Franck Ribery scored twice (PK-25', 61', that's him, wearing #7, as shown here celebrating with teammates) as Bayern Munich demolished visiting FC Viktoria Plzen 5-0.

Photo from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Bayern Munich (GP: 3; GD: +10; PTS: 9)
2. Manchester City (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. CSKA Moscow (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 3; GD: -9; PTS: 0)

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Zlatan Becomes One-Man Wrecking Crew For PSG; Eagles And Legend Battle To 1-1 Draw In Lisbon

Two games in Group C of the UEFA Champions League were contested on Wednesday.

At Brussels, Belgium:

A four-goal performance (17', 22', 36', 62', that's him celebrating) played a huge part in Paris Saint-Germain's 5-0 road destruction of RSC Anderlecht.


At Lisbon, Portugal:

Oscar Cardozo's equalizer in the 83rd minute enabled SL Benfica to salvage a 1-1 home draw with Olympiacos.  Alejandro Dominguez scored for The Legend in the 29rh minute.  Here's Oscar trying to take the ball away from Olympiacos goalkeeper Jose Holebas.

Reuters photos

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 3; GD: +11; GD: 9)
2. Olympicos (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. SL Benfica (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 3; GD: -10; PTS: 0)

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Crisitiano Ronaldo Double Sinks Juve; Gala Too Much For Lions

Two games were played in Group B of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

At Madrid:

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice (4', PK-28', that's him celebrating) as Real Madrid defeated visiting Juventus 2-1.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Felipe Melo (10', that's him celebrating after scoring), Wesley Sneijder (38'), and Didier Drogba (45'+1) each scored a first-half goal as Galatasaray downed visiting FC Copenhagen 3-1.

Photos from ESPN FC website

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Real Madrid (GP: 3; GD: +10; PTS: 9)
2. Galatasaray (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
3. Juventus (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Early Own Goal Proves Costly For Real Sociedad At Old Trafford; Home Win For Leverkusen

Group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League reached the midway point on Wednesday as eight games (two of them in Group A) were played.

At Leverkusen, Germany:

Stefan Kiessling scored twice (22', 72', that's him beating visiting goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov on one of his tallies) as Bayer Leverkusen blasted visiting Skakhtar Donetsk 4-0.

At Manchester, England:

Inigo Martinez's own goal in the second minute proved costly for Real Sociedad as Manchester United defeated the visiting club from Spain's Basque Country 1-0.  Here are some happy Red Devils celebrating after the visitors' own goal.

Photos from ESPN FC website

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Manchester United (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
2. Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. FC Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. Real Sociedad (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

CONCACAF Champions League: Cruz Azul, Aljuelense Advance To Quarterfinals

The final week of group-stage play in the CONCACAF Champions League commenced on Tuesday with two games.

Group Three:

At Heredia, Costa Rica:

Jesus Lara scored the winning goal in the 89th minute as Cruz Azul won Group Three and advanced to the quarterfinal round with a 2-1 road win over CS Herediano.

FINAL GROUP THREE STANDINGS:

1. Cruz Azul (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 12)
2. CS Herediano (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Valencia FC (GP: 4; GD: -11; PTS: 0)

Cruz Azul won Group Three and advanced to the quarterfinal round.


Group Four:

At Mexico City:

Jerry Palacios scored the only goal of the match in the 54th minute as LD Alajuelense won Group Four and a berth in the knockout stage with a 1-0 road win over Club America.

FINAL GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:

1. LD Alajuelense (GP: 4; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Club America (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
3. Sporting San Miguelito (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

LD Alajuelense won Group Four and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

UEFA Chamions League, Group H: Leo The Lion Scores As Barca Gains Road Draw With Rossoneri; Bhoys Top Ajax At Home

Tuesday saw two games contested from Group H of the UEFA Champions League.

At Glasgow, Scotland:

James Forrest (PK-43, that's him scoring here, beating frustrated goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen) and Beran Kayal (54') delivered the goals that carried Celtic to a 2-1 home win over Ajax.

At Barcelona:

Lionel Messi returned from an injury to scored the equalizer in the 24th minute as Barcelona gained a 1-1 road draw with AC Milan.  Robinho (shown here) scored in the ninth minute for the Rossoneri.

Photos from ESPN FC website

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. FC Barcelona (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 7)
2. AC Milan (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. Celtic FC (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 3)
4. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)