MLS Cup Playoffs: Impact, Reds, Galaxy, Sounders Take Conference Semifinal Series Openers

All four conference semifinal series opened on Sunday as Major League Soccer's MLS Cup Playoffs resumed.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Montreal:

Matteo Mancosu scored the only goal of the match in the 61st minute as the Montreal Impact defeated the visiting New York Red Bulls 1-0 in game one of their conference semifinal series, which will conclude next Sunday at Harrison, New Jersey (1:00 PM Pacific Time, ESPN).

At Toronto:

Jozy Altidore (84') and Tosaint Ricketts (90'+2) each scored once as Toronto FC blanked visiting New York City 2-0 in the opening match of their two game conference semifinal series, spoiling the Citizens' playoff debut.

The series will resume next Sunday at 3:30 PM Pacific Standard Time at Yankee Stadium in The Bronx (Fox Sports 1).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Carson, California:

Giovani dos Santos scored the game's lone goal in the 55th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy defeated the visiting Colorado Rapids 1-0 in the opening contest of the conference semifinal series, which will continue at Sunday at 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time at Commerce City, Colorado (ESPN).

At Seattle:

Nicolas Lodeiro scored twice (55', 58') and Nelson Valdez (50') once as the Seattle Sounders dominated visiting FC Dallas 3-0 in game one of their conference semifinal series.  The series will conclude next Sunday night at 6:00 PM Pacific Time at Frisco, Texas (Fox Sports 1). 

Big Sam To Manage Wolves?

Hmmmmmmmm.  It's a possibility.

New Boss For Dynamo

Remember, boys and girls, this fellow used to coach the late, lamented Goats (a.k.a. Chivas USA).

MLS Cup Playoffs: Impact, Sounders Advance To Conference Semifinals

The knockout round in the MLS Cup Playoffs concluded on Thursday with two games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Washington:

Matteo Mancosu scored twice (43', 58') as the Montreal Impact knocked off DC United 4-2 on the road to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Seattle:

Nelson Valdez scored the game's lone goal in the 88th minute while goalkeeper Stefan Frei made seven saves as the Seattle Sounders continued their late-season momentum with a 1-0 home victory over Sporting Kansas City, who were knocked out in the knockout round for the third consecutive year.




Here are the matchups for the conference semifinals (with the away goals rule in effect) with all kickoff times Pacific:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Sunday:

At Montreal:

Montreal Impact vs. New York Red Bulls, 12:00 (ESPN)

At Toronto:

Toronto FC vs. New York City FC, 4:00 PM (Fox Sports 1)

Sunday, November 6:

At Harrison, New Jersey:

New York Red Bulls vs. Montreal Impact, TBD

At New York:

New York City FC vs. Toronto FC, TBD



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Sunday:

At Carson, California:

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Colorado Rapids, 2:00 PM (ESPN)

At Seattle:

Seattle Sounders FC vs. FC Dallas, 6:30 PM (Fox Sports 1)

Sunday, November 6:

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy, TBD

At Frisco, Texas:

FC Dallas vs. Seattle Sounders FC, TBD

MLS Cup Playoffs: Reds And Galaxy Advance To Conference Semis After Knockout Wins At Home

Major League Soccer's MLS Cup Playoffs commenced on Wednesday with two opening-round games.

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

At Toronto:

Sebastian Giovinco (15'), Jonathan Osorio (48'), and Jozy Altidore (85') each scored once as Toronto FC picked up their first-ever playoff victory, 3-1 over the visiting Philadelphia Union.  Next up for the Reds will be a two-match conference semifinal series against New York City FC with the first contest to take place on Sunday in Toronto.



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

At Carson, California:

Alan Gordon had a hand in three goals, scoring in the 14th minute while assisting on both of Emmanuel Boateng's tallies (26', 34') as the Los Angeles Galaxy smothered visiting Real Salt Lake 3-1 in a one-match knockoff playoff rounder.  The Galaxy will host the opening game of a two-contest conference semifinal series against the Colorado Rapids this coming Sunday.

Rowdies And Fury Defect

Both Tampa Bay and Ottawa are leaving the NASL for the USL effective next season.

The Timbers' Season May Be Over

And still, their woes continue.

Week Of Woes For Timbers

Heading into this past week, Portland was in position to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League's knockout stage, qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs, and win the Cascadia Cup.

They ended up with nothing.

MAMELODI SUNDOWNS WIN FIRST AFRICAN CLUB TITLE (FIRST FOR A SOUTH AFRICAN CLUB SINCE 1995)

At Alexandria, Egypt:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision on Sunday to Zamalek, Mamelodi Sundowns won the CAF Champions League's two-match final 3-1 on aggregate and became the first South African club to win Africa's continental club championship since Orlando Pirates did the trick in 1995.

The Sundowns will play in December's FIFA Club World Cup, set to take place in Osaka and Yokohama, Japan.

MLS: Regular Season Closes As Philly, Sounders, SKC, RSL Clinch Playoff Berths; Hoops Win Supporters Shield; Revs, Timbers Eliminated

Ten games were contested on Sunday, the final day of Major League Soccer's regular season.  

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Shkelzen Gashi's equalizer lifted the Colorado Rapids to a 1-1 home draw with the Houston Dynamo.  The Rapids will finish second in the Western Conference standings and will play in a two-game conference semifinal series.  Andrew Wenger scored for the Dynamo in the 20th minute.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Benny Feilhaber (PK-27') and Graham Zusi (88') each scored once as Sporting Kansas City locked up their sixth successive playoff berth with a 2-0 home blanking of the San Jose Earthquakes.

At Carson, California:

A 0-0 road stalemate against the Los Angeles Galaxy assured FC Dallas of their first Supporters' Shield title.

At Foxborough, Massachusetts:

Diego Fagundez (13'), Juan Agudelo (60'), and Kei Kamara (71') each scored a goal as the New England Revolution dominated the visiting Montreal Impact 3-0.  Despite the victory, the Revs will still miss out on the MLS Cup Playoffs.

At New York City:

Steven Mendoza (45'), Jack Harrison (75'), Khiry Shelton (77'), and David Villa (90'+3) each scored once as New York City assured themselves of a first-round playoff bye with a 4-1 home domination of the Columbus Crew.

At Orlando, Florida:

Kaka scored once (21') and assisted twice (on goals by Kevin Molino and Cristian Higuita in the 13th and 50th minutes respectively) as Orlando City closed out their season with a 4-2 home doubling of playoff-bound DC United.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:

Bradley Wright-Phillips (26') and Alex Muyl (57') delivered the goals as the New York Red Bulls clinched top spot in the Eastern Conference following their 2-0 road blanking of the Philadelphia Union, who still qualified for the playoffs for the first time in five years.

At Seattle:

Cristian Roldan scored the winning goal in the 31st minute as the Seattle Sounders defeated visiting Real Salt Lake 2-1 as both clubs clinched playoff berths (the Sounders for the eighth straight year, and RSL for the eighth time in nine seasons).

At Toronto:

Jonathan Osorio scored the winning goal in the 62nd minute as playoff-bound Toronto FC held off the visiting Chicago Fire 3-2.

At Vancouver, British Columbia:

Giles Barnes scored twice (13', 32') as the Vancouver Whitecaps dominated the visiting Portland Timbers 4-1 to end the visitors' dreams of making the MLS Cup Playoffs and win the Cascadia Cup as well.  The Timbers, the only club to go winless on the road in league play this year, become the first reigning champions to miss the playoffs in ten years and with Columbus having already been eliminated, this will mark the first time that both of the previous season's MLS Cup finalists miss the postseason.



FINAL MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 34; GD: +17; PTS: 57)
2.   New York City FC (GP: 34; GD: +5; PTS: 54)
3.   Toronto FC (GP: 34; GD: +12; PTS: 53)
4.   DC United (GP: 34; GD: +6; PTS: 46)
5.   Montreal (GP: 34; GD: -4; PTS: 45)
6.   Philadelphia (GP: 34; GD: -3; PTS: 42)
7.   New England (GP: 34; GD: -10; PTS: 42)
8.   Orlando City SC (GP: 34; GD: -5; PTS: 41)
9.   Columbus (GP: 34; GD: -8; PTS: 36)
10. Chicago (GP: 34; GD: -16; PTS: 31)

NOTE:  With Philadelphia and New England level on points (42) and wins (11), the Union have the superior goal differential (-3, to the Revolution's -10).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   FC Dallas (GP: 34; GD: +10; PTS: 60)
2.   Colorado (GP: 34; GD: +7; PTS: 58)
3.   Los Angeles (GP: 34; GD: +15; PTS: 52)
4.   Seattle (GP: 34; GD: +1; PTS: 48)
5.   Kansas City (GP: 34; GD: +1; PTS: 47)
6.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 34; GD: -2; PTS: 46)
7.   Portland (GP: 34; GD: -5; PTS: 44)
8.   Vancouver (GP: 34; GD: -7; PTS: 39)
9.   San Jose (GP: 34; GD: -8; PTS: 38)
10. Houston (GP: 34; GD: -6; PTS: 34)



MLS CUP MATCHUPS (OPENING ROUND:

Here are the match-ups for the one-game knockout playoffs to take place on Wednesday and Thursday with the hosts listed first and all kickoff times Pacific:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

Wednesday:

At Toronto:

Toronto FC vs. Philadelphia Union, 4:30 PM (ESPN 2)

Thursday:

At Washington:

DC United vs. Montreal Impact, 4:30 PM (UniMas)



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

Wednesday:

At Carson, California:

Los Angeles Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 PM (UniMas(

Thursday:

At Seattle:

Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City, 7:00 PM (Fox Sports 1)

The New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, as the top two seeded clubs in the Eastern Conference, advanced to the conference finals; the same holds true for FC Dallas and the Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference.

CONCACAF Champions League: Hoops, Pumas Advance To Quarterfinals As Group-Stage Play Ends

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

GROUP A:

At Mexico City:

Eduardo Herrera (30', 40'), Jesus Gallardo (55', 71'), and Fidel Francisco Martinez (85', 89') each scored twice as Pumas destroyed visiting W Connection 8-1 to win the Group A title and advance to the quarterfinal round.

Final Group A Standings:

1. Pumas UNAM (GP: 4; GD: +10; PTS: 10)
2. Honduras Progreso (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3. W Connection (GP: 4; GD: -10; PTS: 1)

Pumas won Group A and advanced to the quarterfinal round.



GROUP H:

At Guatemala City:

Carlos Armando Gruezo Arboleda (27'), Matt Hedges (35'), Atiba Harris (15'), Miguel Gonzalez (OG-87'), and Carlos Lizarazo (90') each scored once as FC Dallas, after trailing 2-0, scored five unanswered goals in overpowering CD Suchitepequez 5-2 on the road and winning the Group H crown and a berth in the quarterfinal round.

Final Group H Standings:

1. FC Dallas (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. CD Suchitepequez (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 5)
3. Real Esteli (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 2)

FC Dallas won Group H and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

Europa League Group-Stage Play Reaches Midway Point

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

GROUP A:

At Manchester, England:

Paul Pogba scored twice (PK-31', 45'+1) as Manchester United dominated visiting Fenerbahce 4-1.

At Rotterdam, Netherlands:

Nicolai Jorgensen scored the only goal of the match in the 55th minute as Feyenoord Rotterdam defeated visiting Zorya Luhansk 1-0.

Group A Standings:

1. Feyenoord Rotterdam (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
2. Manchester United (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. Fenerbahce (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
4. Zorya Luhansk (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

NOTE:  Feyenoord Rotterdam defeated visiting Manchester United 1-0 on September 15.



GROUP B:

At Pireaus, Greece:

Seba scored twice (34', 65') as Olympiacos dominated visiting  Astana 4-1.

At Bern, Switzerland:

Guillaume Hoarau produced a hat trick (18', 52', PK-82') as BSC Young Boys downed visiting APOEL FC 3-1

Group B Standings:

1. APOEL FC (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
2. Olympiacos (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS; 6)
3. BSC Young Boys (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 1)
4. Astana (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)

NOTE:  APOEL FC defeated Olympiacos 1-0 on the road on September 29.



GROUP C:

At Saint-Etienne, France:

Ricardhino's own goal in the 70th minute lifted Saint-Etienne to a 1-0 home win over Gabala.

At Mainz, Germany:

Lukasz Teodorczyk's equalizer in the 65th minute lifted RSC Anderlecht to a 1-1 road draw with Mainz 05.  Yunus Malli successfully converted a penalty kick for the hosts in the 10th minute.

Group C Standings:

1. RSC Anderlecht (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS; 5)
2. Saint-Etienne (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. FSV Mainz 05 (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
4. Gabala (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)

NOTE:  Saint-Etienne gained a 1-1 road draw with FSV Mainz on September 15.



GROUP D:

At Dublin, Ireland:

Robert Mak (71') and Giuliano de Paula (77') each scored once as Zenit Saint Petersburg came from behind to overtake Dundalk 2-1 on the road.

At Alkmaar, Netherlands:

Eyal Golasa scored the winning goal as Maccabi Tel Aviv knocked off AZ Alkmaar 2-1 on the road.

Group D Standings:

1. Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
2. Dundalk FC (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Maccabi Tel Aviv (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. AZ Alkmaar (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)



GROUP E:

At Rome:

Raphael Holzhauser (16'), Dominik Prokop (82'), and Olarenwaju Kayode (84') each scored once as Austria Vienna battled back from two goals down and gained a 3-3 road draw with AS Roma.  Stephan El Shaarawy scored twice (19', 34') and Alessandro Florenzi once (69') for the Wolves.

At Plzen, Czech Republic:

Tomas Horava's own goal in the 64th minute proved decisive as Astra Giurgiu knocked off FC Viktoria Plzen 2-1 on the road.

Group E Standings:

1. Austria Vienna (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. AS Roma (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 5)
3. Astra Giurgiu (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 3)
4. FC Viktoria Plzen (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)

NOTE:  Austria Vienna gained a 3-3 road draw with AS Roma on Thursday.



GROUP F:

At Genk, Belgium:

Jakub Brabec (40') and Wilfred Ndidi (GP: 83') each scored once as KRC Genk blanked visiting Athletic Bilbao 2-0.

At Vienna, Austria:

Thomas Schrammel cost Rapid Vienna two points at home with his own goal in the 66th minute as Sassuolo gained a 1-1 road draw with the Green-Whites.  Louis Schaub tallied in the seventh minute for the hosts.

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. KRC Genk (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
2. Sassuolo (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
3. Rapid Vienna (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Athletic Bilbao (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 3)



GROUP G:

At Vigo, Spain:

Hakim Ziyech (22') and Amin Younes (71') each scored once as Ajax Amsterdam gained a 2-2 road draw with Celta Vigo.  Andreu Fontas (29') and Fabian Orellana (82') each delivered a goal for the hosts.

At Liege, Belgium:

Edmilson Junior (PK-45'+1) and Ishak Belfodil (82') each scored once as Standard Liege came back from two goals down to gaina 2-2 home draw with Panathiniakos.  Victor Ibarbo scored both goals (12', 36') for the Shamrock.

Group G Standings:

1. Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
2. Celta Vigo (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 5)
3. Standard Liege (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 2)
4. Panathinaikos (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)



GROUP H:

At Lviv, Ukraine (due to war conditions in eastern Ukraine):

Viktor Kovalenko opened the scoring in the 12th minute as five different goal scorers each tallied once in Shakhtar Donetsk's 5-0 demolition of visiting KAA Gent.

At Konya, Turkey:

Abdel Hassan's equalizer in the 55th minute lifted SC Braga to a 1-1 road draw with Konyaspor.  Deni Milosovic scored for the hosts in the ninth minute.

Group H Standings:

1. Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 3; GD: +8; PTS: 9)
2. KAA Gent (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
3. SC Braga (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
4. Konyaspor (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)



GROUP I:

At Krasnodar, Russia:

Yevhen Konoplyanka's goal in the 11th minute was all the scoring as Schalke 04 knocked off FC Krasnodar 1-0 on the road.

At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:

Alassane Plea scored the game's lone goal in the 13th minute as Nice picked up a nice 1-0 road victory at FC Red Bull Salzburg's expense.

Group I Standings:

1. FC Schalke 04 (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 9)
2. FC Krasnodar (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 6)
3. OGC Nice (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. FC Red Bull Salzburg (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 0)



GROUP J:

At Baku, Azerbaijan:

Dani Quintana (56') and Rahid Amirguliyev (87') delivered the goals as Qarabag blanked visiting PAOK FC 2-0.

At Liberec, Czech Republic:

Nikola Kalinic scored twice (8', 23') as Fiorentina defeated FC Slovan Liberec 3-1 on the road.

Group J Standings:

1. Fiorentina (GP: 3; GD: +6; PTS: 7)
2. Qarabag (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
3. PAOK FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. FC Slovan Liberec (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)

NOTE:  Qarabag defeated visiting PAOK FC 2-0 on Thursday.



GROUP K:

At Beersheba, Israel:

Matej Pulkrab scored the only goal of Sparta Prague's 1-0 road win over Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the 71st minute.

At Milan, Italy:

Antonio Candreva scored the onle goal of the match in the 67th minute as Inter Milan defeated visiting Southampton 1-0.

Group K Standings:

1. Sparta Prague (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
2. Southampton (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
3. Hapoel Be'er Sheva (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
4. Inter Milan (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)



GROUP L:

At Bucharest, Romania:

Moussa Kone's equalizer in the 86th minute lifted FC Zurich to a 1-1 road draw with Steaua Bucharest.  Bojan Golubovic scored in the 63rd minute for the hosts.

At Ankara, Turkey:

Alfred N'Diaye (56') and Alexandre Pato (74') each scored a goal in the second half as Villarreal came back from a two-goal deficit to gain a 2-2 road draw with Osmanlispor.  Raul Rusescu scored twice for the Turkish club during a two-minute span (23', 24').

Group L Standings:

1. Villarreal (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
2. FC Zurich (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Osmanlispor (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
4. Steaua Bucharest (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)

NOTE:  FC Zurich defeated visiting Osmanlispor 2-1 on September 29. 

CONCACAF Champions League: Saprissa and Pachuca Advance To Quarterfinals

Three games are set for Wednesday in the CONCACAF Champions League with the hosts listed first and the kickoff times Pacific.

GROUP B:

At Portland, Oregon:

Rolando Blackburn's goal in the 23rd minute enabled Deportivo Saprissa to gain a 1-1 road with the Portland Timbers, enough for the Costa Rican club to win Group B and advance to the quarterfinals.

Final Group B Standings:

1. Deportivo Saprissa (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 8)
2. Portland Timbers (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3. CD Dragon (GP: 4; GD: -8; PTS; 1)

Deportivo Saprissa won Group B and advanced to the quarterfinal round.



GROUP C:

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Cameron Porter (49'), Nansel Selbol (55'), and Connor Hallisey (PK-90') each scored once as Sporting Kansas City defeated visiting Central FC 3-1 in the tournament finale for both clubs.

Final Group C Standings:

1. Vancouver Whitecaps (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 12)
2. Sporting Kansas City (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
3. Central FC (GP: 4; GD: -6; PTS; 1)

The Vancouver Whitecaps won Group C and advanced to the quarterfinal round.



GROUP E:

At Tegucigalpa, Honduras:

Victor Guzman (14'), Franco Jara (PK-36'), Jonathan Urretaviscaya (59'), and Erick Gutierrez (69') each scored a goal as Pachuca gained a 4-4 road draw with CD Olimpia, good enough for the Mexican club to win Group E and advance to the knockout stage.

Final Group E Standings:

1. Pachuca (GP: 4; GD: +15; PTS: 10)
2. CD Olimpia (GP: 4; GD: +7; PTS: 7)
3. Police United (GP: 4; GD: -22; PTS; 0)

Pachuca won Group E and advanced to the quarterfinal round.

AFC Champions League: It's Jeonbuk vs. Al-Ain For The Marbles

At Seoul, South Korea:

Ricardo Lopes scored in the 59th minute on Wednesday as Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, despite dropping a 2-1 road decision in game two of their AFC Champions League semifinal series with FC Seoul, won their series 5-3 on aggregate.

Jeonbuk will face Al-Ain in the two-match Champions League final, which will open on November 19 at Jeonju, South Korea.  The return match is set to take place on  November 26 at Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

The winner will advance to December's FIFA Club World Cup set to take place in Japan.

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Wednesday Wins For Mattress Makers, Bayern

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

At Rostov-on-Don, Russia:

Yannick Carrasco scored the game's lone goal in the 62nd minute as Atletico Madrid downed FC Rostov 1-0 on the road.

Photo from UEFA Website

At Munich, Germany:

Thomas Muller (13'), Joshua Kimmich (21', that's him celebrating with teammates after scoring), Robert Lewandowski (59'), and Arjen Robben (84') each scored once as Bayern Munich dominated visiting PSV Eindhoven 4-1.

VI Images photo via Getty Images

Group D Standings:

1. Atletico Madrid (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 9)
2. Bayern Munich (GP: 3; GD: +7; PTS: 6)
3. PSV Eindhoven (GP: 3; GD: -4; PTS: 1)
4. FC Rostov (GP: 3; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Gladbach, Barca (With Leo The Lion's Triple) Rack Up Shutout Wins

Two Wednesday contests in Group C in the UEFA Champions League took place on Wednesday

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Lars Stindl (58') and Andre Hahn (77', that's him celebrating after scoring) each scored once as Borussia Dortmund blanked Celtic 2-0 on the road.

Getty Images photo by Mark Runnacles

At Barcelona:

A hat trick from Lionel Messi (17', 61', 69'; that's Leo the Lion celebrating after his first goal) propelled Barcelona to a 4-0 demolition of visiting Manchester City.

Getty Images photo by David Ramos

Group C Standings:

1. Barcelona (GP: 3; GD: +12; PTS: 9)
2. Manchester City (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
3. Borussia Monchengladbach (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 3)
4. Celtic (GP: 3; GD: -9; PTS: 1)

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Two Sets Of Eagles Win On The Road

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

At Naples, Italy:

Vincent Aboubakar scored twice (38', 86') as Besiktas knock off Naples 3-2 on the road. It was the Black Eagles' first Champions League victory in seven years.  Here, we see the Light Blues' Dries Mertens (right) sprinting past a player from the visiting Turkish club.

ANSA photo via Associated Press by Ciro Fusco

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Eduardo Salvio (PK-9') and Franco Cervi (55') delivered the goals to propel SL Benfica to a 2-0 road blanking over Dynamo Kiev.  Here are Dynamo fans supporting the home team---as it turned out---in vain.

Associated Press photo by Efrem Lukatsky

Group B Standings:

1. Napoli (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 6)
2. Besiktas (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 5)
3. SL Benfica (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
4. Dynamo Kiev (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)