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

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

At Brussels, Belgium:

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

At Marseille, France:

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

At Rome:

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

At Istanbul, Turkey:

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

At Donetsk, Ukraine:

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

At Bucharest, Romania:

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

At Eindhoven, Netherlands:

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

At Tel Aviv, Israel:

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

At Turin, Italy:

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

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

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

At Salzburg, Austria:

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

At Valencia, Spain:

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

At Bremen, Germany:

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

At Istanbul, Turkey:

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

At Lisbon, Portugal:

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

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

Hamburg vs. RSC Anderlecht

FC Rubin Kazan vs. Vfl Wolfsburg

Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting

SL Benfica vs. Marseille

Panathinaikos vs. Standard Liege

LOSC Lille Metropole vs. Liverpool

Jeventus vs. Fulham

Valencia vs. Werder Bremen

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

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

Group One:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

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

GROUP ONE STANDINGS:

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

Group Two:

At Monterrey, Mexico:

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

Group Three:

At Chiclayo, Peru:

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

GROUP THREE STANDINGS:

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

Group Seven:

At Belo Horizone, Brazil:

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

GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:

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

Group Eight:

At Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:

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

GROUP EIGHT STANDINGS:

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

AFC Champions League: Pohang Title Defense Off To Inauspicious Start

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

Group C:

At Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates:

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

At Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:

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

GROUP C STANDINGS:

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

Group D:

At Doha, Qatar:

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

At Kerman, Iran:

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

GROUP D STANDINGS:

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

Group G:

At Suwon, South Korea:

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

At Zhengzhou, China:                 

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

GROUP G STANDINGS:

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

Group H:

At Hiroshima, Japan:

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

At Adelaide, South Australia, Australia:

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

GROUP H STANDINGS:

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

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

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

At Moscow:

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

At Milan, Italy:

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

Both Photos © Getty Images

Late Pair Send Rossoneri Into Second Place In Serie A

At Florence, Italy:

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

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

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

At Stoke-On-Trent, England:

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

At West Bromwich, England:

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

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

At Birmingham, England:

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

At London:

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

Three Games Tuesday In Copa Libertadores

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

Group Five:

At Porto Alegre, Brazil:

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

GROUP FIVE STANDINGS:

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

Group Six:

At Morelia, Mexico:

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

GROUP SIX STANDINGS:

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

Group Seven:

At Caracas, Venezuela:

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

UEFA Europa League: Eagles Pound Hertha To Advance

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

At Lisbon, Portugal:

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

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

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

At Stuttgart, Germany:

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

At Athens, Greece:

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

Both photos are from Getty Images.

AFC Champions League: Group Stage Play Commences

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

Group A:

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

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

At Jeddah, Saudi Arabia:

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

GROUP A STANDINGS:

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

Group B:

At Tashkent, Uzbekistan:

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

At Isfahan, Iran:

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

GROUP B STANDINGS:

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

Group E:

At Seongnam, South Korea:

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

At Beijing, China:

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

GROUP E STANDINGS:

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

Group F:

At Jakarta, Indonesia:

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

At Kishima, Japan:

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

GROUP F STANDINGS:

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

Road Win In Bari For Rossoneri

At Bari, Italy:

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

Another Road Defeat For Parakeets

At Malaga, Spain:

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

Smashing Win For Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

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

Scoreless In Olhao

At Olhao, Portugal:

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

Lens Club Monaco

At Lens, France:

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

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

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

Group A:

At Waitakere, New Zealand:

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

GROUP A STANDINGS:

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

#Eliminated from tournament

FC Nuremberg Snap Bayern Winning Streak At 14 With Home Draw

At Nuremberg, Germany:

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

Bhoys Get Big Home Win

At Glasgow, Scotland:

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

Didier Drogba Double Sinks Wolves

At Wolverhampton, England:

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

Scotland Loses Second Champions League Spot To Belgium

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

Alianza Lima and Universidad de Chile Come Up Thursday Winners

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

Group Three:

At Lima, Peru:

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

Group Eight:

At Vina del Mar, Chile:

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

Wolverhampton's Indianapolis Colts Impersonation

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

Fifteen Games On Europa League Docket

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

At Villeneuve d'Asca, France:

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

At Enschede, Netherlands:

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

At Liege, Belgium:

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

At Villarreal, Spain:

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

At Bruges, Belgium:

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

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

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

At Kazan, Russia:

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

At Madrid:

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

At Berlin:

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

At Hamburg, Germany:

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

At Liverpool, England:

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

At London:

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

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

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

At Bilbao, Spain:

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

At Athens, Greece:

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

Universitario de Deportes and Banfield Pick Up Copa Group Stage Wins

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

Group Four:

At Lima, Peru:

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

GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:

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

Group Six:

At Cuenca, Ecuador.

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

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

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

At Porto, Portugal:

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

At Munich, Germany:

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

Both photos from Getty Images.

Baby Blues Smother Visting Marist In O-League Sunday Play

At Lautoka, Fiji:

Osea Vakatalesau, Alvin Avinesh, and Jone Vonu Junior each tallied once as Lautoka FC overpowered visiting Marist FC 3-0 Sunday in Group B play in the Oceania Champions League.

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. Lautoka FC (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2. PRK Hekari United (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 7)
3. Tafea FC (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
4. Marist FC# (GP: 4; GD: -8; PTS: 0)

#Eliminated

Easy Win For Libertad; Colo-Colo Victorious, Too

Two games were played on Tuesday as group stage action in the Copa Libertadores resumed.

Group Four:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Rodolfo Gamarra doubled (67', 90'+1) as Club Libertad routued visiting Club Blooming of Bolivia 4-0.

Group Seven:

At Santiago, Chile:

Esteban Peredes scored the only goal of the match at 59 minutes as Colo-Colo downed visiting Deportivo Italia (Venezuela) 1-0.

GROUP SEVEN STANDINGS:

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

FC Moscow Quit RPL; Could Disappearance of Portsmouth From EPL Be Next?

The Russian Premier League confirmed that FC Moscow has withdrawn from the 2010 Premier Liga.

Toffees Take Opener But Lions Score Late To Stay In Series

The UEFA Europa League began its' Round of 32 on Tuesday.

At London:

Steven Pienaar (35') and Sylvain Distin (49') each tallied once as Everton took match one of their two-game series with Sporting 2-1. The Lions still scored what could be a precious away goal with Miguel Veloso's successful penalty kick at 87 minutes.

Wayne Rooney Double Lifts Red Devils; Lyon On Top After Home Win

The knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League commenced Tuesday with the opening of the Round of 16.

At Milan, Italy:

Manchester United, thanks to goals from Paul Scholes (36') and Wayne Rooney (66', 74'; he's pictured here in this Getty Images photo milking the applause from visiting fans) took match one of their two-game series with AC Milan 3-2 on the road.

At Lyon, France:

Jean Il Makoun scored the only goal of the match at 47 minutes Lyon defeated Real Madrid at home for the third time in five years, taking match one 1-0. In this Getty Images photo, Jean is being mobbed by happy teammates.

Hey! This Ain't The Netherlands!

Even the Dutch Eredivisie scrapped the plan after a couple of years.

Qualifying For CAF Champions League Commences

Qualifying for the first round proper of this year's CAF Champions League took place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, with the opening matches of 24 two-match home-and-away sets.

Series A:

At Kigali, Rwanda:

Armee Patriotique Rwandaise FC were held to a 2-2 home draw by Recreativo Libolo from Angola on Saturday.

Series B:

At Bamako, Mali:

The Djoliba Athletic Club defeated visitng Ahly Benghazi of Libya 1-0 on Sunday in match one.

Series C:

At Saint-Louis, Senegal:

ASC Linguere defeated visiting Asante Kotoko (Ghana) 2-0 om Saturday's series opener.

Series D:

At Nairobi, Kenya:

Sofapaka were held to a 0-0 game one home stalemate Saturday by Ismaily of Egypt.

Series E:

At Le Tampon, Reunion:

US Stade Tamponnaise doubled up visiting Ajesala (Madagascar) 2-1 in game one played on Saturday.

Series F:

Canceled. Africa Sports from Ivory Coast automatically advanced to the first round proper. The Benin representative had been withdrawn.

Series G:

At Conarky, Guinea:

Morocco's Raja Casablanca took game one on the road 3-1 over Fello Star on Sunday as the visitors did not show much love on Valentine's Day.

Series H:

At Malabo, Equatorial Guinea:

CD Ela Nguema fell 3-2 at home to Angola's Atletico Petroleos Luanda in Sunday's series opener.

Series I:

At Kountche, Niger:

Sahel SC took game one 2-1 at home over Morocco's Club Africain on Sunday.

Series J:

At Bakau, The Gambia:

JS Kabylie took match one on the road 2-1 over Armed Forces FC on Saturday.

Series K:

An Ngbokaye, Chad:

Gazelle FC won 1-0 at home over Nigeria's Bayesla United in Sunday's series opener.

Series L:

At Addis Adeba, Ethiopia:

Saint-George SA were held to a 1-1 home draw in game one by Sudan's Al-Merreikh on Sunday.

Series M:

At Freetown, Sierra Leone:

Esperance ST from Morocco gained a 2-2 road draw Saturday with East End Lions FC in game one.

Series N:

At Port-Gentil, Gabon:

Burkina Faso's ASFA Yennega took match one 2-0 on the road at the expense of Stade Mandji on Sunday.

Series O:

At Victoria, Seychelles:

La Passe FC took match one 1-0 at home over Curepipe Starlight SC of Mauritius on Saturday.

Series P:

At Gabarone, Botswana:

Gabarone United were held on Saturday to a 0-0 game-one draw by South Africa's Orlando Pirates FC.

Series Q:

At Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania:

Saint Eloi Lupopo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo took match one on the road Saturday from Young Africans FC 3-2.

Series R:

At Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania:

Mafunzo FC from Zanzibar dropped a 2-1 home decision to Zimbabwe's Gunners FC in Sunday's series opener.

Series S:

At Bangui, Central African Republic:

Al-Ittihad from Libya took game one of their two-game series 2-1 on the road Sunday against AS Tempete Mocaf.

Series T:

At Mansoa, Guinea-Bissau:

Difaa El Jadida from Morocco held hosts Os Balantas to a 0-0 game-one Saturday stalemate.

Series U:

At Kampala, Uganda:

Uganda Revenue Authority SC blanked visiting Zanaco FC from Zambia 1-0 in the opening match of the clubs' two-game series on Friday.

Series V:

Canceled. Union Douala from Cameroon advanced to the first round proper by default as the Sao Tome and Principe representative was withdrawn.

Series W:

At Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo:

Daibles Noirs took match one Sunday at home over ES Setif of Algeria 3-2.

Series X:

At Bujumbura, Burundi:

Vital'O FC were held to a 2-2 home draw Saturday in match one by Cameroon's Tiko United.

Series Y:

At Lobamba, Swaziland:

Supersport United FC from South Africa took match one on the road versus Mbabane Swallows 3-1 on Sunday.

Series Z:

At Mitsamiouli, Comoros:

Club Ferroviario Maputo from Mozambique took the series opener 5-3 on the road against Apaches Club de Mitsamiouli on Friday.


All series are scheduled to resume during the period on February 27 and 28 with the winners advancing to the first round proper.

Along with Africa Sports and Union Douala who advanced by default, the other clubs who are already in the Round of 32 are:

TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of the Congo; defending champions)

Al-Hilal Omdurman (Sudan); they will play Africa Sports in the first round.

Dynamos FC (Zimbabwe)

Al-Ahly (Egypt)

ASEC Mimosas (Ivory Coast)

Heartland FC (Nigeria)

Rangers Extend Lead Atop SPL With Home Domination Of Hibs

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Rangers blanked visiting Hibernian 3-0 on Sunday to extend their lead over archrival Celtic atop the Scottish Premiership standings to 10 points. Steven Whittaker (50'), Kris Boys (PK-72'), and Kenny Miller (90') each scored once for 'Gers.

2-0 Home Win For Parakeets

At Barcelona:

In Sunday Spanish Premiera Division action, Joan Verdu (39') and Jose Maria Callejon (59') each scored a goal as Espanyol blanked visiting Deportivo La Coruna 2-0.

FA Cup: Cottagers Blast Notts County; Two Draws Force Replays

Three games were contested Sunday in the Round of 16 in England's FA Cup competition.

At Bolton, England:

Kevin Davies scored at 34 minutes to give homestanding Bolton a 1-0 lead, but Jermain Defoe equalized at 61 minutes to enable Tottenham Hotspur to gain a 1-1 road draw and force a replay on Spurs' home pitch in London. Trotters' goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen saved Tom Huddlestone's penalty kick at 72 minutes to preserve the draw.

At London:

Simon Davies (22'), Bobby Zamora (41'), Damien Duff (73'), and Stefano Okaka Chuka (79') each contributed a goal to Fulham's 4-0 home fistbeating of League Two club Notts County. The Cottagers advanced to the quarterfinal round.

At London:

Aston Villa battled back twice from behind and wound up earning a 2-2 road stalemate with Crystal Palace. The homestanding Eagles from the League Championship got goals from Johannes Ertl (24') and Darren Ambrose (70'), while Villa were represented on the scoreboard by James Collins (35') and Stiliyan Petrov (87'). The two teams will have a replay at a future date at Villa Park in Birmingham.

Shutout Road Win For Ajax

At Heerenveen, Netherlands:

Ajax Amsterdam, with goals from Dennis Rommedahl (49') and Luis Suarez (90') defeated SC Heerenveen 2-0 on the road in Dutch Eredivisie action on Saturday.

Own Goal Costs Monaco Home Game With Marseille

At Fontvieille, Monaco:

Nicolas Nkoulou's own goal at 89 minutes, coupled with Mamadou Niang's successful penalty kick at 37 minutes, carried Marseille to a 2-1 road win over AS Monaco in Saturday Ligue 1 play.

Home Comeback Win For Bayern

At Munich, Germany:

Bayern Munich, with goals from Mark Van Bommel (21'), Arjen Robben (50'), and Mario Gomez (65'), came from behind Saturday to defeat visiting Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in the German Bundesliga.

FA Cup: Easy Wins For Chelsea and Pompey; Birmingham City Victor Too; Two Saturday Draws Force Replays

The Round of 16 of England's FA Cup commenced with five games on Saturday.

At London:

Didier Drogba (2'), Michael Ballack (51'), Daniel Sturridge (69'), and Salomon Kalou (86') each scored once as Chelsea overpowered visiting Cardiff City (League Championship) 4-1.

At Southampton, England:

Portsmouth, in danger of going out of business this past week, put up an inspired performance in their 4-1 road win over Southampton (League One). Owusu-Abeyie Quincy (66'), Aruna Dindane (75'), Nadir Balhadj (82') , and Jamie O'Hara (85') each scored once for Pompey.

At Derby, England:

Scott Dann (73') and Liam Ridgewell (90'+2) provided the goalpower that carried Birmingham City to a 2-1 come-from-behind road win over Derby County of the League Championship.

At Reading, England:

In a battle of League Championship clubs, West Bromwich Albion and hosts Reading battled to a 2-2 stalemate. The host Royals were represented on the scoreboard by Jimmy Kebe (1') and Simon Church (73') while Robbie Koren (18') and Joe Mattock (87') each tallied once for the Baggies. The two teams will have a replay at West Bromwich.

At Manchester, England:

Ricardo Phillips' 57th-minuted equalizer canceled out Shawn Wright-Phillips' 11th-minute tally as Stoke City came from behind to gain a 1-1 road deadlock with Manchester City. The two teams will have a replay on the Potters' pitch at Stoke-on-Trent.

Dons Erase Two-Goal Deficit To Gain Draw With Bhoys

At Aberdeen, Scotland:

Steve MacLean's late double (PK-75', 88') enabled Aberdeen to erase a two-goal deficit to gain a 4-4 home draw with Celtic Saturday in Scottish Premier League action.

Auckland City Eliminate AS Manu-Ura; Easy Win For Hekari United

Group stage play in the Oceanic Champions League resumed on Saturday.

Group A:

At Papeete, Tahiti:

Goals from Ian Hogg (63') and Daniel Koprivcic (89') enabled Auckland City to defeat AS Manu-Ura 2-0 on the road, eliminating the French Polynesian club from contention for a berth in the Champions League final.

Group B:

At Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea:

Alick Maemae scored twice and Tuimasi Manuca and Joachim Warol each tallied once as Hekari United blasted visiting Tafea FC 4-0.

Scoreless In Pacos de Ferreira

At Pacos de Ferreira, Portugal:

FC Pacos de Ferreira and visiting Sporting battled to a 0-0 stalemate Friday in the Portuguese Liga.

Rossoneri Hold Off Udinese

At Milan, Italy:

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice (7', 57') as AC Milan defeated visiting Udinese 3-2 Friday in Serie A action.

Mauro Boselli Hat Trick Helps Estudiantes Start Title Defense In Style

Four game were played in Copa Libertadores group stage action on Thursday.

Group One:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Cesar Ramirez equalized at 56 minutes to help Cerro Porteno salvage a 1-1 home draw with Indepiente Medillin. Felipe Pardo scored at 17 minutes for the Colombian visitors.

Group Three:

At Quilmes, Argentina:

Mauro Boselli's hat trick (PK-6', 59', 71') helped guide Estudiantes to a 5-1 fistbeating of Peru's Juan Aurich in a very successful start to their Copa Libertadores title defense.

GROUP THREE STANDINGS:

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

Group Four:

At Santa Cruz, Bolivia:

Carlos Orejuela (52') and Rodolfo Espinoza (76') provided the scoring that carried Universitario de Deportes (Peru) to a 2-1 road win over Blooming.

GROUP FOUR STANDINGS:

1. Club Libertad (Paraguay) (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. Universitario de Deportes (Peru) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Blooming (Bolivia) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS; 0)
4. Lanus (Argentina) (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)

Group Six:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Mario Ignacio Requeiro Pintos doubled (46', 64') and Angel Morales' successful penalty kick at 82 minutes provided the winning margin as Club Nacional de Football defeated visiting Club Deportivo Cuenca from Ecuador 3-2.

GROUP SIX STANDINGS:

1. Club Nacional (Uruguay) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
2. Banfield (Argentina) (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)'
3. Club Deportivo Cuenca (Ecuador) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Morelia (Mexico) (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)


Note: The first place finishers in all eight groups and the six second-place teams with the best records would advance to the knockout stage, beginning with the Round of 16, where they would be joined by Mexican clubs Chivas of Guadalajara and San Luis. Those two clubs were guaranteed places in the knockout stage after they had withdrawn from last year's tournament because of concerns over Swine Flu.

Emelec Clinch Group Stage Berth; Sao Paulo and Argentinian Pair Among Wednesday Winners In Group Stage Play

The playoffs for group stage berths in the Copa Libertadores concluded Wednesday while four games from the group stage itself were played as well.

At Guayaquil, Ecuador:

Joao Rojas (46') and Carlos Quinonez (66') each tallied once as Club Sport Emelec defeated visiting Newell's Old Boys (Argentina) 2-1 in game two of their two-match set and took the series 4 points to 1. They will join fellow Ecuadorian club Deportivo Quito, Uruguay's Cerro, and Brazil's Internacional in Group Five.



Group Two:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Washington provided both goals (12', 76') as Sao Paulo blanked visiting Monterrey (Mexcio) 2-0.

GROUP TWO STANDINGS:

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

Group Three:

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Jose Fernandez scored twice (72', 74') as Alianza Lima (Peru) defeated Club Bolivar 2-1 on the road.

Group Six:

At Banfield, Argentina:

Banfield defeated visiting Mexican club Morelia 2-1. James Rodriguez (55') and Roberto Battion (79') provided the scoring for the hosts.

Group Seven:

At Buenos Aires, Argentina:

Santiago Silva (5') and Juan Manuel Martinez (76') each scored a goal as Velez Sarsfield blanked visiting Cruzeiro from Brazil 2-0.

Stay Of Execution For Pompey

Portsmouth were granted one week to get their financial act in order or face administration or shutdown.

A one-month stay was each granted for League Championship club Cardiff City and League One club Southend United.

Kris Boyd Salvages Road Draw For 'Gers

At Motherwell, Scotland:

Kris Boyd's goal at 80 minutes salvaged a 1-1 road draw Wednesday for Rangers against Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership. Tom Hateley scored at 28 points for the homestanding Steelmen.

Quickie Goals Lift Bhoys

At Glasgow, Scotland:

Goals from Glenn Loovens (49') and Marc-Antoine Fortune (50') carried Celtic to a 2-0 home win over Heart of Midlothian in Wednesday Scottish Premier League play.

Wolves Sweep Spurs To Escape Drop Zone

At Wolverhampton, England:

David Jones scored the only goal of the match at 27 minutes as Wolverhampton defeated visiting Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Wednesday in English Premier League action. The victory sealed a season series league sweep for Wolves and lifted them from 19th to 15th place in the Premiership standings.

Copa Libertadores: Playoffs Continue While Group Stage Play Commences

The final week of playoffs for berths in the Copa Libertadores began on Tuesday.

At Santiago, Chile:

David Henriquez (40'), Rodrigo Toloza (75'), and Juan Morales (83') each scored once as Universidad Catolica defeated visiting Colon de Santa Fe (Argentina) 3-2 in game two of their home-and-away series. With each team earning three points for winning a game, and each team scoring five goals in the two games, this series went into a penalty-kick shootout, won 5-3 by the Chilean club, with Rodrigo Toloza, Milovan Mirosevic, Pablo Vranjican, Damian Diaz, and Rodrigo Mannara each converting a spot kick. Universidad Catolica will move on to Group Eight, where they will compete with fellow Chilean club Universided de Chile, Brazil's Flamengo, and Venezuela's Caracas FC.

Meanwhile, Tuesday also marked the beginning of Group Stage play.

Group Two:

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Once Caldas (Colombia) knocked off Club Nacional 2-0 on the road, thanks to goals from Jaime Castrillion (22') and Darion Santoyo (64').

Group Four:

At Lanus, Argentina:

Another road club in this case was also triumphant in their group-stage opener as Paraguay's Club Libertad, propelled by tallies courtesy of Rodolfo Gamarra (66') and Pedro Valazquez (73') defeated Lanus 2-0.

Group Five:

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Claudio Dadoma (19') and Rodrigo Mora (62') provided the goalpower that carried Cerro to a 2-0 home win over Ecuador's Deportivo Quito.

Hey, Guess What?

We didn't just fire the coach. We fired whole freaking team!

Ajax Hand FC Twente Their First League Loss Of Season

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Ajax Amsterdam knocked off previously unbeaten (in league play this season) FC Twente Sunday with a 3-0 home triumph in Eredivisie action. Demy De Zeeuw (22'), Marko Pantelic (44'), and Dennis Rommedahl (75') each tallied once for the hosts, who climbed to within six points of second place in the league standings.

Monaco Stunned On Road

At Saint Etienne, France:

Blaise Matuidi (14'), Gonazalo Bergessio (76'), and Emmanuel Riviere (90') each tallied once as Saint-Etienne knocked off visiting AS Monaco 3-0 in Sunday Ligue 1 action.

Scoreless In Bologna

At Bologna, Italy:

AC Milan battled Bologna to a 0-0 stalemate on Sunday in Serie A action. The Rossoneri now sit 10 point behind front-running Inter Milan in the league standings.

Kevin Phillips Double Helps Brumbies Overtake Wolves

At Birmingham, England:

Kevin Phillips came off the bench to score two late goals (80', 85') as Birmingham FC came from behind to defeat visiting Wolverhampton 2-1 Sunday in English Premiership action. The Brumbies sweep the season series from their Midlands rivals.

More Diego Maradonas In The Making?

Here's one for the WTF file.

Sporting Knocked Off At Home

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Joao Ribeiro scored the game winner at 60 minutes as Academica de Coimbra defeated Sporting 2-1 on the road Saturday in action from the Portuguese Liga.

Parakeets No Match For Galacticos

At Madrid:

Sergio Ramos (5'), Kaka (30'), and Gonzalo Higuain (90') each provided a goal as Real Madrid overpowered visiting Espanyol 3-0 Saturday in Spanish La Liga play.

Convincing Road Win For Bayern

At Wolfsburg, Germany:

In Saturday action in the German Bundesliga, goals from Arjen Robben (2'), Daniel van Buyten (26'), and Franck Ribery (57') paced Bayern Munich to a 3-1 road win over VfL Wolfsburg.

Al-Wahda and SAFFC Qualify For AFC Group Stage

The qualifying playoffs for spots in the group stage in this year's AFC Champions League concluded Saturday.

At Singapore:

After 120 scoreless minutes, Indra Sahdan, John Wilkinson, Niklas Sandberg, and Daniel Bennett each converted a spot kick as Singapore Armed Forces FC won the penalty-kick shootout, 4-3 over Thailand's Muangthong United to win the East Asia playoff final and lock up a berth in Group G alongside Henan Construction (China), Gamba Osaka (Japan), and South Korea's Suwon Bluewings.

At Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates:

Fernando Baiano scored twice (45', 65') as Al-Wahda defeated India's Churchill Brothers SC 5-3 to win the West Asia playoff final and claim a spot in Group B where they would battle FC Zob Ahan (Iran), Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), and FC Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan).

Here are the other six groups in the 2010 AFC Champions League:

Group A:

Al-Ahli (Saudi Arabia)
Al-Gharafa (Qatar)
Al-Jazira (United Arab Emirates)
Esteghlal FC (Iran)

Group C:

Al-Ain FC (United Arab Emirates)
Sepahan (Iran)
Al-Shabab (Saudi Arabia)
FC Pakhtakor Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

Group D:

Al-Sadd (Qatar)
Al-Ahli (United Arab Emirates)
Mes Kerman (Iran)
Al-Hilal (Saudi Arabia)

Group E:

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma (South Korea)
Melbourne Victory (Australia)
Beijing Guoan (China)
Kawasaki Frontale (Japan)

Group F:

Kashima Antlers (Japan)
Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (South Korea)
Persipura Jayapura (Indonesia)
Changchun Yatai (China)

Group H:

Adelaide United (Australia)
Shandong Luneng (China)
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Japan)
Pohang Steelers (South Korea; defending champions)

Qualifying For AFC Champions League Commences

Qualifying for berths in the group stage of this year's AFC Champions League commenced over this past weekend.

East Asia Playoffs:

At Singapore:

Taisuke Akiyoshi (6'), Federico Martinez (PK-64'), and Indra Sahdan (PK-89') each scored once as Singapore Armed Forces FC smothered visiting Sriwijaya (Indonesia) 3-0 on Saturday to advance to this coming Saturday's East Asia playoff final.

At Da Nang, Vietnam:

With goals from Panupong Wongsa (33'), Christian Kouakou (45'), and Jakkraphan (81'), Muangthong United FC (Thailand) flattened SHB Da Nang FC 3-0 on the road, thus setting up a one-match East Asia final on Saturday at Singapore. The winner would advance to the Group Stage to be placed in Group G along with Henan Construction (China), Gamba Osaka (Japan), and Suwon Bluewings (South Korea).

West Asia Playoffs:

At Hims, Syria:

Mahmoud Khamis scored the only goal of the match at 72 minutes as Al-Wahda (United Arab Emirates) defeated hosts Al-Karamah 1-0 this past Saturday to advance to this coming Saturday's West Asia final at home against India's Churchill Brothers SC. The winner of that match will advance to the Group Stage where they would be place in Group B alsongside FC Zob Ahan (Iran), Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia), and FC Bunyodkor (Uzbekistan).

Racing Lock Up Berth In Copa Group Stage

One game was played Thursday in the qualifying round for group stage places in the Copa Libertadores.

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Liber Quinonez provided both goals (PK-11', 87') as Racing Club de Montevideo blanked visiting Atletico Junior Barranquilla 2-0 in game two of their two-match series, enabling them to win the series 4 points to 1.

Racing will be playing in Group One along with Corrinthians (Brazil), Cerro Porteno (Paraguay), and Independiente Medillin (Colombia).

Juan Aurich (Yes, Folks, That's The Name Of A Peruvian Club) And Cruzeiro Reach Group Stage

Two more clubs locked up berths in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores on Wednesday.

At Belo Horizonte, Brazil:

Seven different goal scorers each scored once as Cruzeiro destroyed visiting Real Potosi 7-0 in game two of the clubs' two-match series, enabling the Brazilian club to end up winning the series 4 points to 1.

Cruzeiro will be in Group Seven alongside Velez Sarsfield (Argentina), Colo-Colo (Chile), and Deportivo Italia (Venezuela).

At Zapopan, Mexico:

Luis Tejada (42') and Ricardo Ciciliano (73') provided the scoring that lifted Juan Aurich to a 2-1 road win in game two over Estudiantes Tecos, thus sweeping the two games from their Mexican opponents, getting the maximum six points for their efforts.

The Peruvian club will be joined in Group Three by fellow Peruvian club Alianza Lima, Bolivia's Club Bolivar, and Argentina's Estudiantes, who happen to be the defending continental club champions.

Luiz Suarez: One-Man Scoring Machine For Ajax

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Luiz Suarez scored four goals----all in the second half (PK-54', PK-69', 79', 86')---as Ajax Amsterdam smashed open a game that was scoreless at halftime in bludgeoning visiting Roda JC Kerkrade 4-0 Wednesday in Dutch Eredivisie action.

Libertad Advance To Group Stage

The second week of qualifying for group stage berths in the Copa Libertadores commenced on Tuesday.

At Asuncion, Paraguay:

Goals from Rodolfo Gamarra (41') and Pablo Valazquez (68', 81') paced Club Libertad to a 3-1 home win over Venezuela's Deportivo Tachira in match two of their two-game set. Over the two games each team won a game (three points each), but the Paraguayan club advanced to the group stage because of the fact that they outscored their opponents 3-2 overall.

Club Libertad will be in Group Four along with Lanus (Argentina), Blooming (Bolivia), and Universitario de Deportes (Peru).

Bhoys Stunned By Killie

At Kilmarnock, Scotland:

Christopher Maguire's goal at 53 minutes proved to be enough as Kilmarnock knocked off visiting Celtic 1-0 Tuesday in the Scottish Premier League.

Danny Butterfield Hat Trick Sinks Wolves

At London:

Danny Butterfield's second-half hat trick (62', 65', 68') powered Crystal Palace to a 3-1 home win over Wolverhampton Tuesday in the clubs' FA Cup fourth-round replay. For the financially-troubled Eagles, this win delivered a huge financial boost. The League Championship club will host Aston Villa on February 14 in the Round of 16.