FC SEOUL LOCK UP K-LEAGUE PLAYOFF TITLE

At Seoul, South Korea:

Jo-Gook Jung scored the only goal of the match in the 37th minute as FC Seoul defeated visiting Jeju United 1-0 on Wednesday and locked up the K-League's Championship Group title.  FC Seoul will play in the group stage for next year's AFC Champions League.

UEFA Champions League, Group D: Dortmund, Galacticos Clinch Berths In Champions League Knockout Stage; Ajax, Citizens Left To Battle For Europa League Berth

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

At Amsterdam, Netherlands:

Robert Lewandowski scored twice (41', 67') as Borussia Dortmund (with their players celebrating one of the goals, above) locked up a knockout-stage berth (and the Group D title) with their 4-1 road fist-beating of Ajax Amsterdam.

At Manchester, England:

Sergio Aguero's penalty kick in the 73rd minute enabled Manchester City to salvage a 1-1 home draw with knockout-stage bound Real Madrid.  Karim Benzima scored in the 10th minute for Los Galacticos (dejected citizens Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero look on afterward, here).  The draw was not good enough for the Citizens, as their hopes of advancing to the Champions League's knockout stage officially expired.

Photos from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP D STANDINGS:

1. xy-Borussia Dortmund (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 11)
2.   x-Real Madrid (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 8)
3.   o-Ajax Amsterdam (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
4.   o-Manchester City (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS; 3)

xy-Won Group D and advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League

x-Advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League

o-Eliminated from Champions League contention but still alive for a berth in the Europa League knockout stage

UEFA Champions League, Group C: Malaga, Rossoneri Advance To Knockout Stage

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

At Saint Petersburg, Russia:

Diego Buonanotte (8') and Sebastian Seba Fernandez (9') each scored a goal early in the first half as Malaga gained a 2-2 road draw with Zenit Saint Petersburg, clinching a Champions League knockout-stage berth (and Group C, in fact) for the Spanish club.  Danny (49') and Viktor Fayzulin (87') each tallied once for the hosts.  Here, we see the victorious Anchovies celebrating their Group-clinching win.

At Brussels, Belgium:

Stephan El Shaarawy (47'), Philippe Mexes (71'), and Alexandre Pato (90'+1) each delivered a goal in the second half as AC Milan, even with their struggles in Serie A, still locked up a berth in the Champions League's knockout stage with a 3-1 road win over RSC Anderlecht.  Shown here is Anderlecht's Massimo Bruno battling the Rossneri's Mario Yepes for the ball.

Photos from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP C STANDINGS:

1. xy-Malaga (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 11)
2.  x-AC Milan (GP: 5; GD: +2; PTS: 8)
3.  o-Zenit Saint Petersburg (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 4)
4.  o-RSC Anderlecht (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 4)

xy-Won Group C and clinched berth in the Champions League knockout stage

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

o-Eliminated from Champions League contention but still alive for berth in Europa League knockout stage

UEFA Champions League, Group B: Royal Blues, Gunners Advance To Knockout Stage

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

At London:

Jack Wilshire (49') and Lukas Podolski (63', that's him celebrating) each tallied once as Arsenal laid claim to a Champions League knockout-stage berth with their 2-0 home win over Montpellier, knocking the French club out of European competition.

At Gelsenkirchen, Germany:

Christian Fuchs scored the only goal of the match in the 77th minute as Schalke locked up a berth in the knockout stage with a 1-0 win over Olympiacos.  The visiting Greek club will play in the Europa League's Round of 32.  Here, we see the Royal Blues' Kyriakos Papadopoulos battling the visiting Legend's Kostas Mitroglou (in the vertically-striped red-and-white jersey) for the ball.

Photos from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP B STANDINGS:

1. x-FC Schalke 04 (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 11)
2. x-Arsenal (GP: 5; GD: +3; PTS: 10)
3. o-Olympiacos (GP: 5; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
4. z-Montpellier (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in the knockout stage of the Champions League

o-Eliminated from Champions League contention, but clinched berth in Europa League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group A: Dragons, PSG In Knockout Stage; Dynamo Kiev In Europa League Round of 32

Eight games were played on Wednesday as group-stage play in the UEFA Champions League continued.  Two of the games were played in Group A.

At Porto, Portugal:

Lucho Gonzalez (20'), Joao Moutinho (67', that's him battling Dinamo Zagreb's Sammir for the ball), and Silvestre Varela (85') each scored a goal as FC Porto blasted visiting Dinamo Zagreb 3-0.  The Dragons are heading for the Champions League's knockout stage while the Croatian champions will be exiting from European competition.

At Kiev, Ukraine:

Ezequiel Lavezzi scored twice (45', 52', that's him, on the right, celebrating with teammates) as Paris Saint-Germain locked up a knockout-stage berth with a 2-0 road win over Dynamo Kiev.  The Ukrainian club will play in the knockout stage of the Europa League.

Photos from Yahoo-Eurosport website

GROUP A STANDINGS:

1. x-FC Porto (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 13)
2. x-Paris Saint-Germain (GP: 5; GD: +10; PTS: 13)
3. o-Dynamo Kiev (GP: 5; GD: -4; PTS: 4)
4. z-Dinamo Zagreb (GP: 5; GD: -13; PTS: 0)

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

o-Eliminated from Champions League but clinched berth in Europa League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

Scoreless Tuesday In Johannesburg

At Johannesburg, South Africa:

The Tuesday South African Premier Soccer League contest between Bidvest Wits and struggling, visiting Ajax Cape Town played out to a 0-0 stalemate.

Convincing Road Win For Doorhamers

At Forfar, Scotland:

Nicky Clark scored twice (5', 49') as Scottish Second Division-leading Queen of the South dominated Forfar Athletic 5-1 on the road on Tuesday.

Road Win For Stanley

At Fleetwood, England:

James Beattie (PK-9'), George Miller (17'), and Romauld Boco (62') each scored once for Accrington Stanley in their 3-1 Tuesday English League Two road win over Fleetwood Town.

Blades Battle To 3-3 Home Draw

At Sheffield, England:

Shaun Miller (4'), Harry Maguire (30'), and Nick Blackman (51') each scored a goal for Sheffield United as the Blades gained a 3-3 Tuesday English League One home draw with Crewe Alexandra.  Mark Ellis (42'), Mathias Pogba (45'), and Chuks Aneke (47') each tallied once for the visitors.

Colo Colo Top Audax Italiano In Quarterfinal Series Opener

At Santiago, Chile:

Mauro Olivi (40') and Gonzalo Fierro (PK-44') each scored a first-half goal on Tuesday as Colo Colo defeated Audax Italiano 2-0 on the road as the quarterfinal round of the Chilean Primera Division Clausura Playoffs got under way.

UEFA Champions League, Group H: Galatasaray Knock Off Visiting Red Devils; CFR Cluj Still In Running For Knockout-Stage Berth

Two games were played in Group H of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

At Istanbul, Turkey:

Burak Yilmaz (that's him celebrating with coach Fatih Terim) scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute as Galatasaray stayed in the thick of the race for the second and final knockout-stage berth from Group H following their 1-0 home win over already Round-of-16-bound Manchester United.

At Cluj-Napoca, Romania:

Rui Pedro's hat trick in the first half (7', 15', 33', that's him mobbed by overjoyed teammates) as CFR Cluj defeated Sporting Braga 3-1 to knock the Portuguese club out of European competition.

Reuters photos

GROUP H STANDINGS:

1. xy-Manchester United (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 12)
2.       Galatasaray (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3.       CFR Cluj (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS:7)
4.   z-Sporting Braga (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 3)

xy-Won Group H and clinched a berth in the knockout stage of the Champions League

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group G: Leo The Lion Doubles For Barca; Eagles Jump Bhoys Into Second Place

Two games in Group G of the UEFA Champions League took place on Tuesday.

At Moscow:

Lionel Messi scored twice (26', 39', that's him celebrating) as Barcelona wrapped up top spot in Group G with a 3-0 road win against Spartak Moscow, eliminating the Russian club from European competition.

Reuters photo

At Lisbon, Portugal:

Ola John (shown here celebrating) scored in the seventh minute, while Ezequiel Garay scored the winning goal in the 71st minute as SL Benfica defeated visiting Celtic 2-1.

AFP photo

GROUP G STANDINGS:

1. xy-FC Barcelona (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 12)
2.       SL Benfica (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
3.       Celtic (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
4.   z-Spartak Moscow (GP: 5; GD: -6; PTS: 3)

xy-Won Group G and clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group F: Bayern, Valencia Clinch Round-of-16 Berths; FC BATE To Europa League; Mastiffs Out Of European Competition

Two Tuesday games were played in Group F of the UEFA Champions League.

At Minsk, Belarus:

Djibril Sidibe (14') and Gianni Bruno (31', that's him celebrating) each scored a goal as LOSC Lille Metropole ended FC BATE Borisov's flickering hopes of advancing to the Champions League's group stage with a 2-0 road win.  The Mastiffs have been eliminated from European competition while the Belarusian club will play in the Europa League's Round of 32.


At Valencia, Spain:

Thomas Muller's equalizer in the 82nd minute (that's him [right] celebrating with Mario Gomez [center] and Mario Mandzukic [left]) as Bayern Munich gained a 1-1 road draw with Valencia as both clubs locked up Champions League knockout-stage berths.  Sofiane Feghouli scored for the hosts in the 77th minute.

Reuters photos

GROUP F STANDINGS:

1. x-Bayern Munich (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2. x-Valencia (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 10)
3. o-FC BATE Borisov (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
4. z-LOSC Lille Metropole (GP: 5; GD: -8; PTS: 3)

x-Clinched Champions League knockout-stage berth

o-Eliminated from Champions League but clinched berth in Europa League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

UEFA Champions League, Group E: Shakhtar Clinch Berth In Knockout Stage; Chelsea Still Suffering From Baggies Hangover

The next-to-last match day in UEFA Champions League group-stage action started with eight games on Tuesday, two of them in Group E:

At Copenhagen, Denmark:

Luiz Adriano delivered a hat trick (26', 53', 81', that's him celebrating after his first goal) while Willian added a double (44', 50') as Shakhtar Donetsk buried FC Nordsjaelland 5-2 on the road to lay claim to a berth in the knockout stage while the not-so-Wild Tigers were eliminated from European competition.

AFP photo

At Turin, Italy:

Juventus jumped visiting Chelsea into second place in Group E following their 3-0 blanking of the Blues, who were still suffering the effects from their weekend EPL defeat at the hands of West Bromwich Albion.  Fabio Quagliarella (38', that's him celebrating), Arturo Vidal (61'), and Sebastian Giovinco (90'+1) each delivered a goal for The Old Lady.

Reuters photo

GROUP E STANDINGS:

1. x-Shakhtar Donetsk (GP: 5; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2.    Juventus (GP: 5; GD: +7; PTS: 9)
3.    Chelsea (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4. z-FC Nordsjaelland (GP: 5; GD: -13; PTS: 1)

x-Clinched berth in Champions League knockout stage

z-Eliminated from European competition

Scoreless In Haifa

At Haifa, Israel:

Maccabi Haifa battled visiting Bnei Sakhnin to a 0-0 stalemate in the lone Monday Israeli Premier League contest.

Warriors Overcome First-Half Deficit In Blowout Win

At Larnaca, Cyprus:

Despite giving up the first goal of the game in the 30th minute (scored by Ilias Vattis), Cypriot 1.Division-leading Anorthosis, with Juliano Spadacio scoring twice (45'+3, PK-79') scored five unanswered goals in their 5-1 home fist-beating of struggling Ethnikos Achna on Monday.

2012 MLS Cup Playoffs: Galaxy vs. Dynamo In Rematch Of Last Year's Final

The semifinal round in the Major League Soccer Cup Playoffs concluded with two games played on Sunday.

At Washington:

Boniek Garcia's goal in the 33rd minute gained a 1-1 road draw for the Houston Dynamo in the second match of the Eastern Conference Final with DC United, enabling the hosts to take the series 4-2 on aggregate.

At Seattle:

Robbie Keane successfully converted a penalty kick in the 68th minute as the Los Angeles Galaxy, despite dropping a 2-1 game-two decision on the road, won their two-game Western Conference Final with the Seattle Sounders, 4-2 on aggregate.

The Galaxy will host the Dynamo in the 2012 MLS Cup Final on Saturday December 1 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, where Los Angeles defeated Houston in last year's title game.

2012 Liga MX Apertura Playoffs: Toluca, Club Tijuana Advance To Semifinals

The quarterfinal round of the Mexican Liga MX Clausura playoffs concluded on Sunday with two games.

At Toluca de Lerdo, Mexico:

Wilson Matias (56'), Lucas Silva (58'), and Juan Cacho (72') each provided a goal as Toluca held off visiting Chivas de Guadalajara 3-1 in game two and won their two-match serie 5-2 on aggregate.

At Tijuana, Mexico:

Pablo Aguilar scored in the 51st minute as Club Tijuana gained a 1-1 home draw with Monterrey in game two and took out the Striped Gang 2-1 on aggregate to advance.

In the semifinal round, Toluca will take on Club America while Tijuana will battle Leon in two-game home-and-away series.

More Woe For Racinguistas

At Montevideo, Uruguay:

Hector Acuna scored the only goal of the match as El Tanque Sisley defeated struggling Racing Club de Montevideo 1-0 on the road in Sunday Uruguayan Primera Division action.

Road Win For Metalist

At Mariupol, Ukraine:

Jonathan Cristaldo scored both goals (10', 58') in FC Metalist Kharkiv's 2-0 Sunday Ukrainian Premier League road win over Illichivetts'.