Here's Another Program Cover

Here's the front cover of the official program of the 1963 FA Cup Final, played at the original Wembley Stadium in London between Leicester City and Manchester United.  With David Herd scoring twice (57', 85'), the Red Devils held off the Foxes 3-1 to win the trophy for the third time.

Ajax vs. Inter Milan

Here's the front cover of the official program (in Dutch) of the 1971-72 European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) Final that was played at Rotterdam, Netherlands between Ajax Amsterdam (Feyenoord Rotterdam's arch-rivals) and Inter Milan.  With both goals scored by Johan Cruyff (47', 78'), Ajax blanked the Nerazzurri 2-0 to capture their second straight continental club crown.

Here's A Treat

Here's the front cover from the official program of the April 26, 1976 Scottish Premier League match between Celtic and Rangers.

For All You Fans Of The Old NASL

Here's the complete TVS Network (syndication) broadcast of the North American Soccer League's 1977 championship game, a.k.a. Soccer Bowl 77 as the New York Cosmos (with Pele playing in his final competitive match) taking on the Seattle Sounders.  The match took place at Portland's Civic Stadium (now Providence Park).

The match commentators were Jon Miller (yes, that's the same Jon Miller who used to do the play-by-play on ESPN's Major League Baseball telecasts and who does the same on the San Francisco Giants radio and TV broadcasts) and Paul Gardner.

Enjoy!

And Now For Something Completely Different

Here's the cover of the official program of the 1958 World Cup Final, which pitted host nation Sweden and Brazil (who went on to win the first of five World Cup titles).

Maybe Some Of You Who Stumbled Onto This Site May Have Witness This Match In Person

Here's the cover of the program for the final of the 1966 World Cup tournement between host nation England and West Germany.

Lookee Here!

Here's the front cover of the official program of the 1949 FA Cup Final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

A very Merry Christmas from all of us at Ye Soccer Post!

Now For Something Different

Here's the front cover of the official program of the 1975 Soccer Bowl, which was that year's North American Soccer League championship game between two first-year expansion clubs, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Portland Timbers.

1960 FA Cup Final Program

Here's the front cover of the official program to the 1960 FA Cup Final at the original Wembley Stadium in London between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers.

Early Christmas Present For Wolves Fans

Here's a kinescope of the BBC's telecast of the 1960 FA Cup Final from the original Wembley Stadium in London between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers with match commentary by Kenneth Wolstenholme.

Now It's Official

DeAndre Yedlin will officially join Spurs next month.

Cubo Stays In MLS, Joins Dynamo

New Designated Player deal for Erick Torres, who of course, was exempt from the recent dispersal draft of former players with the late, lamented Goats.

GALACTICOS BLANK SAN LORENZO, WIN FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP CROWN

At Marrakesh, Morocco:

Sergio Ramos (37') and Garreth Bale (51') delivered the scoring on Saturday as Real Madrid blanked Argentina's San Lorenzo 2-0 to win the FIFA Club World Cup championship.  It was the first FIFA world club championship for Los Galacticos.  Here's captain and goalkeeper Iker Casillas lifting the championship trophy with happy teammates joining in the fun.

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Earlier on Saturday, also at Marrakesh, after a 1-1 draw at the end of regulation, and with overtime dispersed with, Tim Payne, Darrent White, James Pritchett, and Sanni Issa all converted their spot kicks as Auckland City concluded the best tournament performance by an Oceanic club (and becoming the first club from Oceania to win a medal) by besting Mexico's Cruz Azul 4-2 in the penalty-kick shootout to win the third-place game.  Here are the happy players from the club from New Zealand celebrating their historic victory.

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FIFA Club World Cup: San Lorenzo Survive Scare From Auckland City To Get Crack At Real Madrid In Final

At Marrakesh, Morocco:

Mauro Matos scored the game-winning overtime goal (93', that's him celebrating after scoring) on Wednesday as San Lorenzo of Argentina held off New Zealand's Auckland City 2-1 to advance to Saturday's FIFA Club World Cup final against Real Madrid (also at Marrakesh).

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Earlier on Wednesday, also at Marrakesh, after a 2-2 draw at the end of regulation, with overtime dispersed with, Ahmed Gasmi, El Hedi Belameiri, Farid Mellouli, Amine Megateli, and Toufik Zerara each converted a spot kick as ES Setif of Algeria won the fifth-place game with a 5-4 penalty-kick shootout win over Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers.  Here's the happy Algerian club celebrating following their victory.

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FIFA Club World Cup: Galacticos Demolish Cruz Azul, Advance To Final

At Marrakesh, Morocco:

In a match that was moved from Rabat due to pitch conditions at the stadium in the Moroccan capital, Sergio Ramos (15', that's him celebrating), Karim Benzema (36'), Garreth Bale (50'), and Isco (72') each delivered a goal as Real Madrid hammered Mexico's Cruz Azul 4-0 on Tuesday to advance to Saturday's final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

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Europa League Round-of-32 Draw

The draw for the Europa League's Round of 32 took place on Monday at Nyon, Switzerland.

BSC Young Boys (Switzerland) vs. Everton (England)

Game One:  February 19 @ Bern, Switzerland

Game Two:  February 26 @ Liverpool, England



Torino (Italy) vs. Athletic Bilbao (Spain)

Game One:  February 19 @ Turin, Italy

Game Two:  February 26 @ Bilbao, Spain



Sevilla (Spain) vs. Borussia Monchengladbach (Germany)

Game One: February 19 @ Seville, Spain

Game Two:  February 26 @ Monchengladbach, Germany



VfL Wolfsburg (Germany) vs. Sporting CP (Portugal)

Game One:  February 19 @ Wolfsburg, Germany

Game Two:  February 26 @ Lisbon



Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) vs. Legia Warsaw (Warsaw)

Game One:  February 19 @ Amsterdam, Netherlands

Game Two:  February 26 @ Warsaw, Poland



Aalborg BK (Denmark) vs. Club Brugge (Belgium)

Game One:  February 19 @ Aalborg, Denmark

Game Two:  February 26 @ Bruges, Belgium



RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) vs. Dynamo Moscow (Russia)

Game One:  February 19 @ Brussels, Belgium

Game Two:  February 26 @ Khimki, Russia



FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) vs. Olympiacos (Greece)

Game One:  February 19 @ Kiev, Ukraine (due to the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine)

Game Two:  February 26 @ Pireaus, Greece



Trazonspor (Turkey) vs. Napoli (Italy)

Game One:  February 19 @ Trabzon, Turkey

Game Two:  February 26 @ Naples, Italy



Guingamp (France) vs. Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)

Game One:  February 19 @ Guingamp, France

Game Two:  February 26 @ Kiev, Ukraine



Villarreal (Spain) vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

Game One:  February 19 @ Villarreal, Spain

Game Two:  February 26 @ Wals-Siezenheim, Austria



AS Roma (Italy) vs. Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands)

Game One:  February 19 @ Rome

Game Two:  February 26 @ Rotterdam, Netherlands



PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia)

Game One:  February 19 @ Eindhoven, Netherlands

Game Two:  February 26 @ Saint Petersburg, Russia



Liverpool (England) vs. Besiktas (Turkey)

Game One:  February 19 @ Liverpool, England

Game Two:  February 26 @ Istanbul, Turkey



Tottenham Hotspur (England) vs. Fiorentina (Italy)

Game One:  February 19 @ London

Game Two:  February 26 @ Florence, Italy



Celtic (Scotland) vs. Inter Milan (Italy)

Game One:  February 19 @ Glasgow, Scotland

Game Two:  February 26 @ Milan, Italy

UEFA Champions League Round-of-16 Draw

The draw for the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 took place at Nyon, Switzerland on Monday.

Paris Saint-Germain (France) vs. Chelsea (England:

Game One:  February 17 @ Paris

Game Two:  March 11 @ London



Manchester City (England) vs. Barcelona (Spain):

Game One: February 24 @ Manchester, England

Game Two:  March 18 @ Barcelona, Spain



Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vs. Atletico Madrid (Spain):

Game One:  February 25 @ Leverkusen, Germany

Game Two:  March 17 @ Madrid



Juventus (Italy) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Germany):

Game One: February 24 @ Turin, Italy

Game Two:  March 18 @ Dortmund, Germany



FC Schalke 04 (Germany) vs. Real Madrid (Spain):

Game One:  February 18 @ Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Game Two: March 10 @ Madrid



Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany):

Game One:  February 17 @ Kiev, Ukraine (due to the continuing crisis in eastern Ukraine)

Game Two:  March 11 @ Munich



Arsenal (England) vs. AS Monaco (France):

Game One:  February 25 @ London

Game Two:  March 17 @ Fontvieille, Monaco



FC Basel (Switzerland) vs. FC Porto (Portugal):

Game One:  February 18 @ Basel, Switzerland

Game Two:  March 10 @ Porto, Portugal

FIFA Club World Cup: Auckland City, Cruz Azul Advance To Semis

The quarterfinal round of the FIFA Club World Cup took place on Saturday with two games played at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.
 
In the opener, John Irving scored the only goal of the match (that's him celebrating with teammates after scoring) as Auckland City knocked off ES Setif from neighboring Algeria---and the reigning African club champions---1-0 to advance to the semifinal round (a first for the winning club from the OFC Champions League), in which they will face Copa Libertadores winners San Lorenzo of Argentina this coming Wednesday at Marrakesh, Morocco.

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In the nightcap, Gerardo Torrado converted two penalty kicks, in the 89th and 118th minutes while Mariano Pavone (that's him celebrating after scoring) scored what proved to be the overtime game winner in the 108th minute as Mexico's Cruz Azul, who won last season's CONCACAF Champions League crown,  came from behind to upend the Western Sydney Wanderers (2014 AFC Champions League winners) 3-1 in overtime and advanced to a Tuesday semifinal match against Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid (last season's UEFA Champions League titlists) in Rabat.

Europa League: Group-Stage Play Concluded

Europa League group-stage play ended on Thursday with 24 games.

Group A:

At Monchengladbach, Germany:

Branimir Hrgota scored twice (59', 64') as Borussia Monchengladbach locked up top spot in Group A with a 3-0 home domination of FC Zurich.

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

Gerard Moreno Balaguero (35') and Luciano Vietto (40') each scored a goal as Villarreal clinched a berth in the knockout stage with a 2-0 road victory over Apollon Limassol.

FINAL GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 12)
2. Villarreal (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 11)
3. FC Zurich (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 7)
4. Apollon Limassol (GP: 6; GD: -14; PTS: 3)

Borussia Monchengladbach and Villarreal advanced to the knockout stage.



Group B:

At Bruges, Belgium:

Lior Refaelov scored the winning goal in the 88th minute as Club Brugge laid claim to top spot in Group B with their 2-1 home win over HJK Helsinki, ending the Finnish club's European campaign.

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Josef Martinez scored in the 15th and 47th minutes to carry Torino to a 5-1 road demolition of FC Copenhagen.  The Italian club will head to the Europa League's knockout stage.

FINAL GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Club Brugge (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 12)
2. Torino (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 11)
3. HJK Helsinki (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 6)
4. FC Copenhagen (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 4)

Club Brugge and Torino advanced to the knockout stage.



Group C:

At Belgrade, Serbia:

In what was essentially a "who cares" match, Partizan Belgrade and visiting Asteras Tripoli battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Cenk Tosun scored the only goal of the match in the 59th minute as Besiktas knocked off visiting Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to jump their English guests and win Group C.

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. Besiktas (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
2. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 11)
3. Asteras Tripoli (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 2)

Besiktas and Tottenham Hotspur advanced to the knockout stage.



Group D:

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Kevin Kampl (34', 90'+2) and Alan Carvalho (46', 70') each scored twice as FC Red Bull Salzburg, who already clinched top spot in Group D, demolished visiting FC Astra Giurgiu 5-1.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Marko Pjaca delivered a hat trick (14', 40', 50') to carry already-eliminated Dinipro Zagreb to a 4-3 home victory over knockout-stage-bound Celtic.

FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 6; GD: +13; PTS: 16)
2. Celtic (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 8)
3. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. FC Astra Giurgiu (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 4)

FC Red Bull Salzburg and Celtic advanced to the knockout stage.



Group E:

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Aleksei Ionov scored the only goal of the match in  the 61st minute as Dynamo Moscow completed a perfect Europa League group-stage campaign with a 1-0 road win over PSV Eindhoven.

At Athens:

Kleber Laube Pinheiro's equalizer in the 87th minute lifted Estoril to a 1-1 road draw with Panathinaikos as both clubs' European campaigns came to an end.  Nikolaos Karelis scored in the 55th minute for the hosts.

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Dynamo Moscow (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 18)
2. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
3. Estoril (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
4. Panathinaikos (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 2)

Dynamo Moscow and PSV Eindhoven advanced to the knockout stage.



Group F:

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Artem Fedetskyi scored the only goal of the match in the 66th minute as FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk laid claim to a Europa League knockout-stage berth with a 1-0 victory over visiting Saint-Etienne, knocking the French club out of the tournament.

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Inter Milan held hosts Qarabag FK to a controversal 0-0 stalemate, eliminating the Azerbaijani club from the tournament.  The homestanding Horsemen's Richard Almeida's apparent game winner in second-half stoppage time was disallowed as one of the assistant referees raised the offside flag.

FINAL GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. Inter Milan (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
3. Qarabag FK (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
4. Saint-Etienne (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 5)

Inter Milan and FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk advanced to the group stage.



Group G:

At Liege, Belgium:

Jens Toornstra (16'), Jean-Paul Boetius (60'), and Elvis Manu (88') produced the goals that powered Feyenoord Rotterdam to a 3-0 road domination of Standard Liege as the Dutch club sewed up top spot in Group G.

At Seville, Spain:

Denis Suarez scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute as Sevilla locked up a group-stage berth by eliminating visiting HNK Rijeka 1-0.

FINAL GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2. Sevilla (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 11)
3. HNK Rijeka (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. Standard Liege (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 4)

Feyenoord Rotterdam and Sevilla advanced to the knockout stage.



Group H:

At Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France:

Ricardo Rodriguez scored twice (65', PK-90') as VfL Wolfsburg locked up a berth in the knockout stage with a 3-0 road beatdown of LOSC Lille Metropole.

At Liverpool, England:

Ricardo Laborde scored the only goal of the match in the 30th minute as FC Krasnodar knocked off group-topping (and knockout-stage-bound) Everton 1-0.

FINAL GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. Everton (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 11)
2. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3. FC Krasnodar (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 6)
4. LOSC Lille Metropole (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 4)

Everton and VfL Wolfsburg advanced to the knockout stage.



Group I:

At Bern, Switzerland:

Guillaume Hoarau (PK-76') and Renato Steffen (90'+4) delivered the late goals as BSC Young Boys blanked visiting Sparta Prague 2-0 and jumped the Czech club into second place an a berth in the knockout stage.

At Naples, Italy:

Dries Mertens (6'), Marek Hamsik (16'), and Duvan Zapata (75') each produced a goal as Napoli locked up top spot in Group I following their 3-0 domination of visiting FC Slovan Bratislava, who finished an abysmal Europa League campaign with six losses and only one goal (while giving up 20).

FINAL GROUP I STANDINGS:

1. Napoli (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2. BSC Young Boys (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
3. Sparta Prague (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
4. FC Slovan Bratislava (GP: 6; GD: -19; PTS: 0)

Napoli and BSC Young Boys advanced to the knockout stage.



Group J:

At Bucharest, Romania:

Andriy Yarmolenko (71') and Jeremain Lens (90'+4) each scored a goal as Dynamo Kiev blanked Steaua Bucharest 2-0 on the road and ended the Romanian club's chances of advancing to the knockout stage.

At Vila do Conde, Portugal:

Yonathan Del Valle scored twice in the second half (59', 79') as Rio Ave blanked visiting Aalborg BK 2-0.  Despite the defeat, the Danish club still advanced to the knockout stage due to Steaua Bucharest's defeat to Dynamo Kiev.

FINAL GROUP J STANDINGS:

1. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 15)
2. Aalborg BK (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 9)
3. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
4. Rio Ave (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

Dynamo Kiev and Aalborg BK advanced to the knockout stage.



Group K:

At Thessaloniki, Greece:

Claudio Beauvue scored twice (7', 83') as Guingamp knocked off PAOK FC 2-1 on the road and knocked the Greek club out of the tournament and placed themselves in the Europa League's knockout stage.

At Florence, Italy:

Nemanja Nikolic scored the winning goal in the 55th minute as Dinamo Minsk concluded a disappointing Europa League campaign on a high note with a 2-1 road win over group winners Fiorentina, the first victory by a Belorussian club over Italian opposition.

GROUP K STANDINGS:

1. Fiorentina (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. Guingamp (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. PAOK FC (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. FC Dinamo Minsk (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 4)

Fiorentina and Guingamp advanced to the knockout stage.



Group L:

At Lviv, Ukraine:

Mbaye Leye scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute as Lokeren, already knocked out of the tournament, defeated FC Metalist Kharkiv 1-0 on the road.

At Warsaw, Poland:

In a battle of the group's two knockout-stage-bound clubs, Fatih Ozturk (OG-22') and Orlando Sa (56') provided the scoring as Legia Warsaw laid claim to top spot in Group L with their 2-0 home win over Trabzonspor.

FINAL GROUP L STANDINGS:

1. Legia Warsaw (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 15)
2. Trabzonspor (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
3. Lokeren (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 10)
4. FC Metalist Kharkiv (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 0)

Legia Warsaw and Trabzonspor advanced to the knockout stage.

FIFA Club World Cup: Auckland City Knock Off Moghreb Tetrouan On PKs, Advance To Quarterfinals

At Rabat, Morocco:
 
After 120 scoreless minutes, Tim Payne, John Irving, Darren White (seen here battling with Noussair El Maimouni for the ball), and Sanni Issa each converted a spot kick as Auckland City defeated Moghreb Tetouan (who won the title last season in the host country's top flight) 4-3 in the penalty kick shootout to win the opening match of the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, which is being played in Morocco.

This coming Saturday, the reigning champions of Oceania will take on Algeria's El Setif, champions of Africa, in the quarterfinal round in the front half of a doubleheader at Rabat with Mexico's Cruz Azul (CONCACAF) taking on Asian club champs Australia's Western Sydney Wanderers.

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MLS Waiver Draft: Three Ex-Goats Selected

Three former Chivas USA players were selected in Wednesday's Major League Soccer Waiver Draft.

Midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker was selected by the Montreal Impact while Leandro Barrera, a winger, was chosen by the San Jose Earthquakes, and Bobby Burling, a defender, was drafted by the Colorado Rapids.

MLS Expansion Draft: Lions Pluck Donovan Ricketts From Timbers; Ned Grabavoy To Be Reunited With Ex-RSL Coach At NYCFC

Twenty players were selected in Wednesday's Major League Soccer Expansion
Draft:

ORLANDO CITY SOCCER CLUB:

Donovan Ricketts, goalkeeper, Portland

Tony Cascio, midfielder, Colorado

Jalil Anibaba, defender, Seattle

Pedro Ribeiro, midfielder/forward, Philadelphia

Lewis Neal, midfielder, DC United

Jairo Arrieta, forward, Columbus

Heath Pearce, defender, Montreal

Danny Mwanga, forward, Colorado

Mark Sherrod, forward, Houston

Eric Gehrig, defender, Columbus



NEW YORK CITY FOOTBALL CLUB:

Ned Grabavoy, midfielder, Real Salt Lake

Patrick Mullins, forward, New England

Jason Hernandez, defender, San Jose

Daniel Lovitz, midfielder, Toronto FC

Tony Taylor, forward, New England

Mehdi Ballouchy, midfielder, Vancouver

George John, defender, FC Dallas

Thomas McNamara, midfielder, DC United

Sal Zizzo, midfielder, Kansas City

Chris Wingert, defender, Real Salt Lake

Both Orlando City and New York City are set to start play next year.

UEFA Champions League, Group H: Dragons and Shakhtar Draw; Athletic Blank BATE For Europa League Berth

Two games were played on Wednesday as Group H play in the UEFA Champions League came to a close.

At Porto, Portugal:

In a battle of Group H's two UCL knockout-stage-bound clubs, Vincent Aboubakar's equalizer in the 87th minute carried FC Porto, who already clinched top spot to a 1-1 home draw with Shakhtar Donetsk.  Taras Stepanenko scored in the 51st minute for the Ukrainian club.  That's the Dragons' Kelvin (right) battling Shakhtar's Ilsinho for the ball.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Mike San Jose Dominguez (47') and Markel Susaeta Laskurain (88', that's him [left] celebrating with teammates after scoring) each scored a goal as Athletic Bilbao gained a berth in the knockout stage in the Europa League with a 2-0 blanking of FC BATE Borisov, ending the Belorussian club's European campaign.

AFP/Getty Images photos

FINAL GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. FC Porto (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 14)
2. Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 9)
3. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 6; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. FC BATE Borisov (GP: 6; GD: -22; PTS: 3)

FC Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage while Athletic Bilbao qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.

UEFA Champions League, Group G; Chelsea Top SPC; Royal Blues Jump Sporting Club For UCL Knockout-Stage Berth

Action from Group G of the UEFA Champions League closed with two Wednesday contests.

At London:

Cesc Fabregas (PK-8'), Andre Schurrle (16'), and John Obi Mikel (56', that's him, second from left, celebrating with teammates after scoring) each scored a goal as Chelsea defeated visiting Sporting CP 3-1 to cripple the Lions' chances of advancing to the Champions League's Round of 16.

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At Maribor, Slovenia:

Max Meyer scored the only goal of the match in the 62nd minute as FC Schalke defeated NK Maribor 1-0 on the road to overtake Sporting CP and pick off a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage and end the Slovenian club's European campaingn.  We don't see Max here because he was being mobbed by happy teammates after he scored the goal that sent the Royal Blues into the UCL's knockout stage.

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FINAL GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. Chelsea (GP: 6; GD: +14; PTS: 14)
2. FC Schalke 04 (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 8)
3. Sporting CP (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. NK Maribor (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 3)

Chelsea and FC Schalke 04 advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage while Sporting CP qualified for the Europa League's knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group F: Barca Top PSG To Win Group; Ajax Thump APOEL For Europa League Berth

Action from Group F of the UEFA Champions League concluded with two games on Wednesday.

At Barcelona:

Lionel Messi (19', that's him celebrating with teammates after scoring), Neymar (41'), and Luis Suarez (77') each scored a goal as Barcelona defeated visiting Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 and jumped past the French club to win Group F.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Lasse Schone scored twice (PK-45', 50', that's him celebrating with his teammates after his second score) as Ajax Amsterdam demolished visiting APOEL FC 4-0 to sew up a berth in the Europa League's knockout stage.


AFP/Getty Images photos
 
FINAL GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. FC Barcelona (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 15)
2. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 13) 
3. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
4. APOEL FC (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 1)

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage while Ajax Amsterdam qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.

UEFA Champions League, Group E: Citizens Blanked Roma On Road, Lock Up UCL Knockout-Stage Berth; Bayern Knock Out Horses At Home

Group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League concluded on Wednesday with eight games, two of the matches being contested in Group E.

At Rome:

Samir Nasri (60', that's him here celebrating after scoring) and Pablo Zebaleta (86') provided the scoring as Manchester City knocked off AS Roma 2-0 on the road and locked up a berth in the knockout stage of the Champions League.

At Munich, Germany:

Thomas Muller (PK-18', that's him celebrating after scoring), Sebastian Rode (84') and Mario Goetze (90') each delivered a goal as Bayern Munich dominated visiting CSKA Moscow 3-0 and ended the Horses' European campaign.

AFP/Getty Images photos

FINAL GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. Bayern Munich (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 15)
2. Manchester City (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 8)
3. AS Roma (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 5)
4. CSKA Moscow (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 5)

Bayern Munich and Manchester City advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage while AS Roma qualified for the group stage of the Europa League. 

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Gunners Blast Gala In Istanbul; Dortmund Held To 1-1 Home Draw By Anderlecht But Still Clinch Top Of Group

Two games concluded Group D action from the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Lukas Podolski (3', 90'+2, that him, on the left, celebrating with Yaya Sanogo after his second goal) and Aaron Ramsey (11', 29') each scored twice as Arsenal, already bound for the Champions League's knockout stage, dominated Galatasaray 4-1 on the road.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At Dortmund, Germany:

Aleksandar Mitrovic delivered the equalizer in the 84th minute as RSC Anderlecht, already bound for the knockout stage of the Europa League, gained a 1-1 road draw with Borussia Dortmund.  Ciro Immobile (that's him celebrating with teammates) scored in the 58th minute for the German club, who still won Group D.

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FINAL GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. Borussia Dortmund (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 13)
2. Arsenal (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
3. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
4. Galatasaray (GP: 6; GD: -15; PTS: 1)

Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage.  RSC Anderlecht qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Monaco Blank Zenit, Win Group; Leverkusen Held To Scoreless Road Draw By Eagles

Tuesday saw the conclusion of UEFA Champions League Group C play with two games.

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Aymen Abdennour (63') and Fabinho (89', that's him celebrating at game's end) each scored a goal in the final half-hour as AS Monaco overtook Bayer Leverkusen and won the Group C title with a 2-0 home shutout of Zenit Saint Petersburg, sending the Russian club into the Europa League's group stage.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At Lisbon, Portugal:

SL Benfica held visiting Bayer Leverkusen to a 0-0 deadlock, preventing the German club, who had already clinched a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage, from winning Group C.  Shown here after the game ended and their team's hope of winning the group slipped through their fingers (thanks to AS Monaco's win over Zenit Saint Petersburg), here are Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling and Son Heung-Min reacting.

Getty Images photo

FINAL GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. AS Monaco (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS; 11)
2. Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
3. Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
4. SL Benfica (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 5)

AS Monaco and Bayer Leverkusen advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage while Zenit Saint Petersburg qualified for a berth in the knockout stage of the Europa League.