Bayern crash out but Juventus secure second phase place
Mike Collett
Bayern Munich, European champions just 17 months ago, crashed out of the Champions League on Tuesday when they lost 2-1 at Deportivo Coruna, their fourth defeat in five first-phase matches.
The Germans, who have taken just one point from a possible 15, cannot even qualify for the UEFA Cup as the third placed team in Group G.
With just one match to play they cannot catch third-placed Lens (7 points) or Deportivo (9) who are both looking to join group leaders AC Milan (12 points) in the second phase.
Victor put Deportivo ahead early in the second half resulting from a free-kick, and, although substitute Roque Santa Cruz headed an equaliser 13 minutes from time, one goal was never going to be enough for Bayern who had to win to keep their faint hopes alive.
They were ended a minute from time when Dutch striker Roy Makaay, who scored a hat-trick when Coruna won 3-2 in Munich in September, grabbed the winner with a stunning volley.
Milan lost their 100 per cent record when they went down 2-1 at Lens, but had already assured their place in the last 16 after four straight wins last week.
Manchester United also lost their 100 per cent record when their weakened side lost 3-0 to Maccabi Haifa in neutral Nicosia.
Despite their win, Haifa cannot finish higher than third in Group F because they have an inferior head-to-head record with Bayer Leverkusen who sealed second place with a 2-0 revenge win over Olympiakos Piraeus. The Greek side had beaten them 6-2 in the opening match.
Goals from Juan (14) and Bernd Schneider (90pen) gave the Germans victory. United have 12 points, Leverkusen 9, Haifa 6 and Olympiakos 3.
Haifa, for whom Yaniv Katan (40) and Raimondas Zutautas (56) scored blistering long-range goals, will at least go into the UEFA Cup if they avoid a four-goal defeat at Olympiakos in two weeks time.
Yakubu Ayegbeni (77pen) completed the rout as United lost in the Champions League proper for the first time in 17 matches.
JUVE THROUGH
Juventus ensured their place in the last 16 with a 2-0 home win over Feyenoord with two goals from Marco Di Vaio lifting them on to 10 points in Group E. But the battle to join them is wide open following Newcastle United's 2-1 home win over Dynamo Kiev.
Juve will win the group if they avoid defeat by Dynamo in Kiev in two weeks time.
But Newcastle, looking dead and buried after three straight defeats, are alive again after a second successive win.
Goals from Gary Speed (58) and a 69th-minute Alan Shearer penalty gave them victory over a Kiev side who had gone ahead through Maksim Shatskin in the 47th minute.
Everything now hangs on their match against Feyenoord in Rotterdam while Kiev will qualify no matter what happens in the Netherlands if they beat Juve.
Barcelona, who qualified last week, were left with the only 100 per cent record in the competition after a largely reserve side beat Club Bruges 1-0 with a second-half winner from Juan Riquelme.
But while Barca are out of sight on 15 points, Bruges (5 points), Galatsaray (4) and Lokomotiv Moscow (4) are all still chasing the second qualifying spot.
Lokomotiv scored a shock 2-1 win over Galatsaray in Istanbul where a pre-match silence was held as a mark of respect to those who died in the Moscow Theatre siege.
Late goals from Dmitry Loskov (71) and Vadim Yevseyev (76) edged it Lokomotiv's way with Hasan Sas (73) scoring for the home side.
