 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Ruthless Bayern Munich scored five goals in the first 35 minutes on the way to a 7-1 demolition of AS Roma on Tuesday which bore an uncanny resemblance to Germany's win over Brazil by the same score in the World Cup semi-final.
Champions League: Neymar, Messi guide Barca to win over Ajax
Just as Germany did in Belo Horizonte three months ago, Bayern enjoyed a scarcely believable spell midway through the first half when their opponents' defence imploded and every attack resulted in a goal.
Roma's coaching staff, substitutes and supporters looked on in stunned amazement as Bayern ripped through their shell-shocked defence, scoring four goals between the 23rd and 35th minutes on their way to their record European away win.
With their 38-year-old talismanic forward Francesco Totti performing a disappearing act, the hosts had no answer to Bayern's relentless pressing and struggled to get the ball out of their own half, with every mistake starting off another surgical Bayern attack.
Bayern's side included four players from the Belo Horizonte match which also ended 7-1 - Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Thomas Mueller and Jerome Boateng.
Arjen Robben scored twice, while Mario Goetze, Robert Lewandowski and Mueller, from a penalty, also chipped in before halftime and substitutes Franck Ribery and Xherdan Shaqiri completed the rout after the break.
Gervinho provided Roma's consolation and prevented Bayern keeping a clean sheet for the ninth match in a row in all competitions.
Roma, who had never conceded more than three goals in a home European game before, equalled their heaviest-ever European defeat, a 7-1 loss to Manchester United.
"It was a technical collapse, not a mental one," said Roma coach Rudi Garcia, whose last match against Bayern ended in a 6-1 rout when he was coach of French club Lille two seasons ago.
Record Chelsea win prompts talk of another title assault
Chelsea scored their biggest Champions League victory when they thrashed Maribor 6-0 at StamfordBridge on Tuesday with a performance that underlines the belief that they are real contenders to rule Europe again.
Fittingly two heroes from their 2012 final triumph over Bayern Munich -- the returning Didier Drogba and skipper John Terry -- were back among the goals along with the outstanding Eden Hazard.
Belgian midfielder Hazard played a pivotal role with a superb performance with two goals, one from the spot, as Jose Mourinho's men stretched their unbeaten run from the start of the season to 12 matches.
Veterans Drogba, 36, who also scored a penalty, and skipper Terry, 33, both scored in the first half, along with Loic Remy.
An own goal and Hazard's two came after the break with Chelsea now almost certain to make it to the last 16 and with Maribor's coach Ante Simundza saying his team simply had no answer to Chelsea's dominance, tipping them to go all the way this season.
"Chelsea were out of reach for us and are one of the favourites for the title. They have great individual quality and they were exceptional today," he told reporters afterwards.
Cavani scores late winner as under-par PSG down APOEL
Paris St Germain's Edinson Cavani made up for the absence of talismanic frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic by netting in the 87th minute to give the French side a 1-0 win over APOEL Nicosia in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Uruguayan had toiled all night and appeared to be carrying a knock but was on hand to give the French side an undeserved win that kept them top of Group F on seven points.
Devoid of any cohesion and rhythm going forward, PSG were unable to create a clear goalscoring opportunity all night against a well-drilled and organised APOEL side until Cavani managed to bundle the ball home from close range.
The Cypriot side, who are bottom of the group with one point, will feel they created the better chances during the match to merit a win, but were left to curse their luck as a lack of quality and two goal-line clearances from David Luiz kept them at bay.
While PSG manager Laurent Blanc was happy enough with the win, he said the performance was less satisfying.
Records fall as Adriano hits five in Shakhtar romp
Brazilian striker Luiz Adriano struck five times, becoming the first player in Champions League history to score four goals in the opening half, as Shakhtar Donetsk trounced BATE Borisov 7-0 in Group H on Tuesday.
On a record-breaking night, Luiz Adriano joined Barcelona's Lionel Messi -- against Bayer Leverkusen in 2012 - as the only players to hit five goals in a Champions League game.
Shakhtar's 6-0 halftime lead also created a new mark for Europe's elite club competition and the margin of victory equalled the best away from home set by Olympique Marseille when they triumphed 7-0 at MSK Zilina in 2010.
The biggest Champions League win by any team came in 2007 when Liverpool crushed visiting Besiktas 8-0 at Anfield.
Ukrainians Shakhtar are now second in the group on five points, two behind leaders Porto who beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1.
BATE are third with three points from three matches while Bilbao have one.
"That was a very entertaining performance in the first half," Shakhtar coach Mircea Lucescu told a news conference.
"We were very good on the counter attack tonight but I am sure we will see a different BATE in the return game in two weeks."
Man City stumble again as late penalty earns CSKA 2-2 draw
CSKA Moscow staged a stirring fightback to come from 2-0 down and earn a 2-2 draw against Manchester City in a Champions League clash played behind closed doors on Tuesday.
First-half goals from Sergio Aguero and James Milner put the visitors in command, but the Russian side fought back after the break, with Seydou Doumbia's strike giving them a lifeline and Bebras Natcho's 86th-minute penalty earning them a point.
The result is a damaging blow to City's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages and left them with two points from their opening three Group E games, four behind leaders Bayern Munich and two adrift of AS Roma in second.
CSKA, who were forced to play behind closed doors due to the repeated poor behaviour of their fans in recent Champions League matches, are bottom of the group with one point.
"Football is 95 minutes, it's not just the first half," City manager Manuel Pellegrini said of his side's failure to see out what would have been a crucial victory.
Bilbao keeper's blunder hands Porto victory
A 75th-minute blunder by goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz handed Porto a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday that helped the 1987 and 2004 winners maintain a vice-like grip on Champions League Group H.
Three minutes after coming on as a substitute, Ricardo Quaresma's right-foot shot from the edge of the area went straight at Iraizoz but the Spaniard somehow let the ball squirm under his body.
Porto had gone in front on the stroke of halftime when Mexican Hector Herrera produced an emphatic right-foot finish following a neat pass from Juan Quintero.
Bilbao equalised 13 minutes after the break when Guillermo Fernandez neatly sidestepped two defenders before expertly sliding the ball beyond Brazilian keeper Fabiano.
Several players squared up in a minor kerfuffle immediately after Guillermo's goal, with Porto's Danilo and Markel Susaeta of Bilbao being booked.
It was a quiet night for Porto striker Jackson Martinez who was unable to add to the three goals he scored in his side's opening two games.
Schalke beat Sporting 4-3 with stoppage-time penalty
A stoppage-time penalty from Schalke 04's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting snatched a 4-3 win against Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday for their first victory and a winning return to the competition for new coach Roberto Di Matteo.
In a rollercoaster game, Schalke squandered a two-goal lead after coming from a goal down when Adrien Silva struck twice in the second half. But Choupo-Moting kept his cool to win the game for Schalke deep in stoppage time.
Portugal winger Nani, on loan from Manchester United this season, had put the visitors ahead on 14 minutes before Schalke levelled through Nigerian Chinedu Obasi with the Portuguese down to 10 men after the dismissal of Mauricio in the 33rd.
It looked all over when second-half goals from Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and captain Benedikt Hoewedes put the hosts two goals ahead.
But two goals from Silva, a spot kick and a header with 12 minutes remaining, looked to have turned the game around before Chuopo-Moting's last-gasp penalty.
Schalke are second in Group G on five points, two behind leaders Chelsea, who crushed Slovenia's Maribor 6-0. Sporting are on one.