MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!

From all of us at Ye Soccer Post!

Sepp Quits

This after he (along with UEFA President Michel Platini) received an eight-year ban.

BARCA TOO MUCH FOR RIVER PLATE, WIN THIRD FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP TITLE

At Yokohama, Japan:

Luis Suarez scored twice (49', 68') and Lionel Messi once (36') as Barcelona dominated Argentina's River Plate 3-0 in Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup final, enabling the European champions to win their third tournament championship in front of 66,853 fans at International Stadium.  Here are the happy members of the Spanish titans celebrating after the game.

Photo from London Telegraph website


Earlier Sunday, also at Yokohama, Dyanfres Douglas Chagas Matos scored twice (70', 83') as Sanfrecce Hiroshima came from behind to upend Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1 to capture third place.  We see players from the Japanese club celebrating their bronze-medal-clinching victory.

Getty Images photo by Matthew Lewis

Don't Feel So Bad, Jose

I think the Los Angeles Football Club is still seeking it's first head coach or manager.

FIFA Club World Cup: Too Much Barca For Guangzhou Evergrande; European Club Champs To Battle River Plate For Marbles

At Yokohama, Japan:

Luis Suarez produced a natural hat trick (39', 50', PK-67', that's him celebrating) as Barcelona (even minus the injured Lionel Messi and Neymar) dominated China's Guangzhou Evergrande 3-0 on Thursday to reach Sunday's FIFA Club World Cup final (also at Yokohama) against Argentina's River Plate.

Getty Images photo

FIFA Club World Cup: River Plate Hold Off Sanfrecce Hiroshima To Reach Final; Club America Capture Fifth Place

Two games were played on Wednesday as the FIFA Club World Cup continued at Osaka, Japan.

In the fifth-place game, Martin Eduardo Zuniga scored the winning goal in the 28th minute as Mexico's Club America held off the Democratic Republic of the Congo's TP Mazembe 2-1. Here, America's Dario Benedetto is congratulated by teammates after scoring the CONCACAF club champs' first goal in the 19th minute.


In a semifinal match at Nagai Stadium, Lucas Alario (shown here celebrating) scored the lone goal of Argentina's River Plate's 1-0 victory over Japan's Sanfrecce Hiroshima as the South American club champions  reached the tournament's championship game.

Getty Images photos

FIFA Club World Cup: Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Guangzhou Evergrande Advance To Semis

Both quarterfinal-round contests in the FIFA Club World Cup were played on Sunday in Osaka, Japan.

In the opener, Zheng Long (80') and Paulinho (90'+3, that's him celebrating after scoring) each scored a goal in the waning minutes as Guangzhou Evergrande came from behind to upend Club America 2-1.

Associated Press photo



In the nightcap, Tsukasa Shiotani (44'), Kazuhiko Chiba (56'), and Takuma Asano (78') produced the scoring as Sanfrecce Hiroshima dominated TP Mazembe 3-0.  Here are the happy players of the recently-crowned J-League champions celebrating their victory.

Photo from ESPN FC website


On Wednesday, Sanfrecce Hiroshima will take on South American champs River Plate from Argentina in Osaka while Guangzhou Evergrande will take on European champions Barcelona on Thursday in Yokohama. 

Europa League: Draw For Round of 32

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

The game one hosts are listed first and the date for each respective match in each series is in italics.

February 18 & 25:

Valencia (Spain) vs. Rapid Vienna (Austria)



February 18 & 25:

Fiorentina (Italy) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (England)



February 18 & 25:

Borussia Dortmund (Germany) vs. FC Porto (Portugal)



February 16 & 25:

Fenerbahce (Turkey) vs. Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)



February 18 & 25:

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium) vs. Olympiacos (Greece)



February 18 & 25:

FC Midtjylland (Denmark) vs. Manchester United (England)



February 18 & 25:

FC Augsburg (Germany) vs. Liverpool (England)



February 18 & 25:

Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) vs. FC Krasnodar (Russia)



February 18 & 25:

Galatasaray (Turkey) vs. Lazio (Italy)



February 18 & 24:

FC Sion (Switzerland) vs. SC Braga (Portugal)



February 18 & 25:

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) vs. FC Schalke 04 (Germany)



February 18 & 25:

Marseille (France) vs. Athletic Bilbao (Spain)



February 18 & 25:

Sevilla (Spain) vs. Molde FK (Norway_



February 18 & 25:

Sporting CP (Portugal) vs. Bayer Leverkusen (Germany)



February 18 & 25:

Villarreal (Spain) vs. Napoli (Italy)



February 18 & 25:

Saint-Etienne (France) vs. FC Basel (Switzerland)

UFEA Champions League: Juve To Take On Bayern In Round of 16; Gunners vs. Barca Too

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

The game-one hosts are listed first.  The respective dates are for games one and two and are in italics.

February 16 & March 9:

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



February 16 & March 9:

SL Benfica (Portugal) vs. Zenit Saint Petersburg (Russia)



February 17 & March 8:

KAA Gent (Belgium) vs. VfL Wolfsburg (Germany)



February 17 & March 8:

AS Roma (Italy) vs. Real Madrid (Spain)



February 23 & March 16:

Arsenal (England) vs. Barcelona (Spain, defending champions)



February 23 & March 16:

Juventus (Italy) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany)



February 24 & March 15:

PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) vs. Atletico Madrid (Spain)



February 24 & March 15:

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) vs. Manchester City (England)

FIFA Club World Cup: Sanfrecce Hiroshima Blank Auckland City To Get Shot At TP Mazembe

At Yokohama, Japan:

In Thursday's opening game of the FIFA Club World Cup, Yusuke Minagawa (9') and Tsukasa Shiotani (70', that's him, celebrating with teammates) produced the goals as Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who qualified by finishing atop the standings in the host nation's top soccer division, blanked Auckland City of New Zealand (representing Oceania) 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinal round in which they will take on African champs TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on Sunday in Osaka.

Getty Images photo

Europa League: Group-Stage Play Ends

Group-stage play in the Europa League concluded on Thursday with 24 games.

GROUP A:

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Kris Commons' equalizer in the 75th minute carried Celtic to a 1-1 road draw with Fenerbahce.  However, the Bhoys were already eliminated from the tournament.  Lazar Markovic scored for the knockout-stage-bound Yellow Canaries in the 39th minute.

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Harmeet Singh delivered the equalizer in the 29th minute as Molde FK won Group A after gaining a 1-1 road draw with Ajax, who were eliminated from European competition.  Donny Van de Beek scored for the hosts in the 14th minute.

Final Group A Standings:

1. Molde FK (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 11)
2. Fenerbahce (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
3. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. Celtic FC (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 3)

Molde FK and Fenerbahce advanced to the Europa League knockout stage.



GROUP B:

At Bordeaux, France:

Maksim Kanunnikov (31') and Vitali Ustinov (76') each scored once as Rubin Kazan gained a 2-2 road draw with already-eliminated Bordeaux.  The draw, though, was not good enough for the Russian club to advance to the knockout stage.  Gaetan Laborde (57') and Diego Rolan (63') each scored once for the Girondins.

At Sion, Switzerland:

A 0-0 home stalemate with Liverpool was good enough for FC Sion as the Swiss club joined the Reds in advancing to the knockout stage.

Final Group B Standings:

1. Liverpool (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
2. FC Sion (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 9)
3. FC Rubin Kazan (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4. Bordeaux (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 4)

Liverpool and FC Sion advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP C:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Ragnar Sigurdsson (26'), Mauricio Pereya (41'), and Wanderson (75') each scored once as FC Krasnodar clinched top spot in Group C after their 3-0 road domination of Gabala FK. 

At Dortmund, Germany:

Robert Mak's goal in the 33rd minute carried PAOK FC to a 1-0 road win over Borussia Dortmund, who still advanced to the knockout rounds.

Final Group C Standings:

1. FC Krasnodar (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
2. Borussia Dortmund (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
3. PAOK FC (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4. Gabala FK (GP: 6; GD: -10; PTS: 2)

FC Krasnodar and Borussia Dortmund advanced to the knockout stage.



GROUP D:

At Herning, Denmark:

Pione Sisto's goal in the 27th minute enabled FC Midtjylland to gain a 1-1 home draw with Club Brugge and a berth in the knockout stage.  Jelle Vossen scored in the 68th minute for the Belgian club, who were eliminated from the tournament.

At Naples, Italy:

Dries Mertens scored twice (65', 90'+1) as Napoli capped off the only perfect group-stage campaign in either of Europa or Champions League with a 5-2 home domination of Legia Warsaw.

Final Group D Standings:

1. Napoli (GP: 6; GD: +19; PTS: 18)
2. FC Midtjylland (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 7)
3. Club Brugge (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 5)
4. Legia Warsaw (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 4)

Napoli and FC Midtjylland advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage. 



GROUP E:

At Vienna, Austria:

Matej Jelic scored the winning goal in the 59th minute as Rapid Vienna sealed top spot in Group E with a 2-1 home win over Dinamo Minsk.

At Plzen, Czech Republic:

Cedric Bakambu (40'), Jonathan dos Santos (62'), and Bruno Soriano (90'+4) each scored once as Villarreal, who already locked up a knockout-stage berth, gained a 3-3 road draw with FC Viktoria Plzen.  Daniel Kolar (PK-8'), Jan Kovarik (65'), and Tomas Horava (90') each scored once for the Czech club.

Group E Standings:

1. Rapid Vienna (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 15)
2. Villarreal (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 13)
3. FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. FC Dinamo Minsk (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

Rapid Vienna and Villarreal advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP F:

At Liberec, Czech Republic:

Abdelaziz Barrada scored the winning goal in the 48th minute as Marseille outlasted Slovan Liberec 4-2 and snatched a knockout-stage berth away from the hosts.

At Groningen, Netherlands:

A 0-0 road deadlock with FC Groningen still locked up top spot in Group F for SC Braga.

Final Group F Standings:

1. SC Braga (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 13)
2. Marseille (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 12)
3. FC Slovan Liberec (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
4. FC Groningen (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 2)

SC Braga and Marseille advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP G:

At Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine:

Matheus Leite Nascimento scored twice (35', 60') as FC Dnipropetrovsk dominated visiting Rosenborg 3-0 in the tournament finale for both clubs.

At Saint-Etienne, France:

In a battle of knockout-stage clubs, Valentin Eysseric's equalizer in the 76th minute carried Saint-Etienne to a 1-1 home draw with Lazio.  Alessandro Matri scored for the Young Eagles in the 52nd minute.

Final Group G Standings:

1. Lazio (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 14)
2. Saint-Etienne (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
3. FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (GP: 6; GD: -2; PTS: 7)
4. Rosenborg BK (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 2)

Lazio and Saint-Etienne advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP H:

At Lisbon:

Bryan Ruiz scored twice (72', 78') as Sporting CP came from behind to upend visiting Besiktas 3-1 and gain a knockout-stage berth at the Black Eagles' expense.

At Elbasan, Albania:

Dmitri Tarasov (18'), Baye Oumar Niasse (89'), and Aleksandr Samedov (90'+1) each produced a goal as Lokomotiv Moscow overtook Besiktas and won Group H after dominating Skenderbeu Korce 3-0 on the road and ended the Albanian club's European campaign.

Final Group H Standings:

1. Lokomotiv Moscow (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 11)
2. Sporting CP (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
3. Besiktas (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
4. Skenderbeu Korce (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 3)

Lokomotiv Moscow and Sporting CP advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP I:

At Florence, Italy:

Khouma Babacar scored the only goal of the match in the 67th minute as Fiorentina clinched a berth in the knockout stage with their 1-0 home win over Belenenses, ending the hopes of the Portuguese club (and Lech Poznan as well) of advancing.

At Poznan, Poland:

Jean-Paul Boetius scored the lone goal of the match in the 50th minute as FC Basel finished atop Group I following their 1-0 road win over Lech Poznan.

Final Group I Standings:

1. FC Basel (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 13)
2. Fiorentina (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
3. Lech Poznan (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 5)
4. Belenenses (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 5)

FC Basel and Fiorentina advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



Group J:

At Brussels, Belgium:

Stefano Okaka scored the winning goal in the 31st minute as RSC Anderlecht defeated visiting Qarabag and locked up a berth in the knockout stage.

At London:

Erik Lamela delivered a natural hat trick (2', 15', 38') as Tottenham Hotspur locked up top spot in Group J after their 4-1 home win at AS Monaco's expense.

Final Group J Standings:

1. Tottenham Hotspur (GP: 6; GD: +6; PTS: 13)
2. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
3. AS Monaco (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 6)
4. Qarabag FK (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 4)

Tottenham Hotspur and RSC Anderlecht advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP K:

At Nicosia, Cyprus:

David Lafata scored twice (77', 87') as Sparta Prague, already bound for the Round of 32, defeated APOEL FC 3-1 on the road.

At Tripoli, Greece:

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored twice (37', 78') as Schalke demolished Asteras Tripoli 4-0 on the road and clinched top spot in Group K.

Final Group K Standings:

1. FC Schalke 04 (GP: 6; GD: +12; PTS: 14)
2. Sparta Prague (GP: 6; GD: +5; PTS: 12)
3. Asteras Tripoli (GP: 6; GD: -8; PTS: 4)
4. APOEL FC (GP: 6; GD: -9; PTS: 3)

FC Schalke 04 and Sparta Prague advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.



GROUP L:

At Belgrade, Serbia:

Paul Verhaegh scored the winning goal in the 51st minute as FC Augsburg knocked off Partizan Belgrade 3-1 on the road and, due to superior overall goal differential, pipped the Serbian club for a knockout-stage berth.

At Bilbao, Spain:

Enrique Sola (43') and Mike San Jose (47') delivered the goals as Athletic Bilbao gained a 2-2 home draw with AZ Alkmaar.  Joris Van Overeem (26') and Vincent Janssen (88') delivered the goals for the Dutch club as their European campaign came to a conclusion.

Final Group L Standings:

1. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2. FC Augsburg (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 9)
3. Partizan Belgrade (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 9)
4. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

Athletic Bilbao and FC Augsburg (the latter due to total superior goal differential vis-a-viv Partizan Belgrade) advanced to the Europa League's knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group H: Gent Knock Off Zenit, Advance To Knockout Stage; It's Europa League Time For Valencia

The final two games of Group H action in the UEFA Champions League were contested on Wednesday.

At Valencia, Spain:

Maxwel Cornet (37') and Alexandre Lacazette (76'), that's him, on the right, celebrating after scoring) delivered the goals as Lyon knocked Valencia out of the Champions League and into the Europa League knockout stage with a 2-0 road blanking.

AFP/Getty Images photo

At Ghent, Belgium:

Danijel Milicevic scored the winning goal in the 78th minute as KAA Gent locked up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage by handing visiting Zenit Saint Petersburg their only group-stage defeat 2-1.  Laurent Depoitre, who scored Gent's first goal in the 18th minute, as seen here celebrating with teammates Sven Kums and Renato Neto.

Getty Images

Final Group H Standings:

1. FC Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 6; GD: +7; PTS: 15)
2. KAA Gent (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. Valencia (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 6)
4. Lyon (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 4)

FC Zenit Saint Petersburg and KAA Gent advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage. Valencia qualified for the Europa League's Round of 32.

UEFA Champions League, Group G: Chelsea Knock Out Dragons, Win Group; Dynamo Kiev In Knockout Stage Too

Two games were contested on Wednesday as Group F action in the UEFA Champions League came to a close.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Denis Garmash (that's him celebrating) scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute as Dynamo Kiev laid claim to a Champions League knockout-stage berth with their 1-0 home win over Maccabi Tel Aviv as the Israeli club completed a perfectly awful campaign.

At London:

Ivan Marcano Sierra (OG-12') and Willian (52', that's him celebrating after scoring the insurance tally) each scored a goal as Chelsea won Group G and advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage by blanking (and relegating to the Europa League's Round of 32) visiting FC Porto 2-0.

AFP/Getty Images photos

Final Group G Standings:

1. Chelsea (GP: 6; GD: +10; PTS: 13)
2. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 11)
3. FC Porto (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
4. Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 6; GD: -15; PTS: 0)

Chelsea and Dynamo Kiev advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage.  FC Porto qualified for the Europa League's Round of 32.

UEFA Champions League, Group F: Gunners Blow Out Legend On Road And Advance To Knockout Stage; Bayern Blank Dinamo In Zagreb

Wednesday saw the end of Group F action in the UEFA Champions League with two contests.

At Zagreb, Croatia:

Robert Lewandowski (that's him celebrating) scored twice (61', 64') as Bayern Munich blanked punchless Dinamo Zagreb 2-0 on the road.

At Piraeus, Greece:

A natural hat trick from Oliver Giroud (29', 49', PK-67') propelled Arsenal to a 3-0 road domination of Olympiacos---and a berth in the knockout stage, relegating the hosts to the Europa League's Round of 32.  Here's Ollie (left), celebrating with Theo Walcott after converting his spot kick.

AFP/Getty Images photos

Final Group F Standings:

1. Bayern Munich (GP: 6; GD: +16; PTS: 15)
2. Arsenal (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
3. Olympiacos (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 9)
4. Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 6; GD: -11; PTS: 3)

Bayern Munich and Arsenal (who outscored Olympiacos 5-3 in the two games between the clubs) advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage. Olympiacos qualified for the Europa League's knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group E: Leverkusen Relegated To Europa League Despite Road Draw With Barca; Scoreless Home Stalemate Sends Wolves To CL Round Of 16

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

At Leverkusen, Germany:

Javier Hernandez's equalizer in the 23rd minute carried Bayer Leverkusen to a 1-1 home draw with Barcelona.  Lionel Messi scored for the visitors in the 20th minute, as shown here.  The draw was not good enough, though, for the German club, who will be playing in the knockout stage of the Europa League.

Getty Images photo

At Rome:

A 0-0 stalemate between AS Roma and visiting FC BATE Borisov lifted the hosts into the Champions League's knockout rounds and ended the Belorussian club's European advanture.  Here, the Wolves' Edin Dzenko has his eyes on the ball while BATE's Filip Mladenovic looks on.

AFP/Getty Images photo

Final Group E Standings:

1. FC Barcelona (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 14)
2. AS Roma (GP: 6; GD: -5; PTS: 6)
3. Bayer Leverkusen (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
4. FC BATE Borisov (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 5)


FC Barcelona and AS Roma (who had a win and a draw in two contests with Bayer Leverkusen) advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage. Bayer Leverkusen qualified for the Europa League's knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Citizens Double Up Gladbach (End German Club's European Campaign), Win Group; Sevilla Knock Off Juve, Head To Europa League

Two games were played as Group D action in the UEFA Champions League ended on Tuesday.

At Manchester, England:

Raheem Sterling scored twice (79', 81', that's him celebrating) as Manchester City doubled-up visiting Borussia Monchengladbach 4-2 and overtook Juventus and won Group D.

At Seville, Spain:

Fernando Llorente (that's him, center) scored the lone goal in the 65th minute as Sevilla defeated visiting knockout-stage-bound Juventus 1-0 and took the group's Europa League Round of 32 berth.

AFP/Getty Images photos

Final Group D Standings:

1. Manchester City (GP: 6; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2. Juventus (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 11)
3. Sevilla (GP: 6; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 5)


Manchester City and Juventus advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage. Sevilla qualified for the Europa League's knockout stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Mattress Makers Down Eagles To Win Group; Home Draw With Astana Puts Galatasaray In Europa League Knockout Stage

Two games were played on Tuesday as Group C action in the UEFA Champions League came to a close.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Selcuk Inan's goal in the 64th minute (he's celebrating here after scoring) lifted Galatasaray to a 1-1 home draw with Astana and a berth in the knockout rounds of the Europa League.  Patrick Twumasi scored in the 62nd minute for the Kazakh club, whose European campaign ended with the draw.

At Lisbon:

Saul Nigrez Esclapez (33') and Luciano Vietto (55', he's shown here celebrating after scoring) each scored a goal as Atletico Madrid upended hosts SL Benfica 2-1 and overcame the Eagles in winning Group C.

AFP/Getty Images photos

Final Group C Standings:

1. Atletico Madrid (GP: 6; GD: +8; PTS: 13)
2. SL Benfica (GP: 6; GD: +2; PTS: 10)
3. Galatasaray (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 5)
4. FC Astana (GP: 6; GD: -6; PTS: 4)

Atletico Madrid and Benfica advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage.  Galatasaray qualified for the Europa League's group stage.

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Wolfsburg Knock Out Red Devils To Win Group; PSV Top Horses To Reach Knockout Stage

Group B play in the UEFA Champions League concluded on Tuesday with two games.

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

Naldo scored twice (13', 84', that's him after scoring his first tally) as VfL Wolfsburg knocked off Manchester United 3-2 (and knocked the Red Devils into the Europa League's knockout stage) and won Group B.

Getty Images photo

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

Luuk de Jong (78') and Davy Propper (85',which is celebrating by happy teammates) each scored once as PSV Eindhoven came from behind to overtake visiting CSKA Moscow 2-1 and locked up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage while the Horses' European campaign came to a close.

AFP/Getty Images photo

Final Group B Standings:

1. VfL Wolfsburg (GP: 6; GD: +3; PTS: 12)
2. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 6; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
3. Manchester United (GP: 6; GD: 0; PTS: 8)
4. CSKA Moscow (GP: 6; GD: -4; PTS: 4)

VfL Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage.  Manchester United qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Shutout Wins For PSG, Galacticos; Malmo Out Of European Competition

The final week of UEFA Champions League group-stage play commenced with eight games contested on Tuesday.  Two of those matches took place in Group A.

At Paris:

Lucas Moura (57', that's him being congratulated after scoring) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (86') each scored a goal as Paris Saint-Germain blanked visiting Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0.  Despite the defeat, the Ukrainian club will play in the Europa League's Round of 32.

Getty Images photo

At Madrid:

Cristiano Ronaldo (shown here celebrating) scored four goals (39', 47', 50', 58') and Karim Benzema added a hat trick (12'm 24', 74') as Real Madrid napalmed visiting Malmo FF 8-0 as the Swedish club's European adventure came to an ignoble conclusion.

AFP/Getty Images photo

Final Group A Standings:

1. Real Madrid (GP: 6; GD: +16; PTS: 16)
2. Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 6; GD: +11; PTS: 13)
3. Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 6; GD: -7; PTS: 3)
4. Malmo FF (GP: 6; GD: -20; PTS: 3)

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Champions League's knockout stage.  Shakhtar Donetsk (who outscored Malmo FF 4-1 in their two games) qualified for the knockout stage of the Europa League.