Champions League: CSKA hold Real, Villas-Boas in the balance

Cristiano Ronaldo put Real Madrid in front at CSKA's home stadium, Moscow and right at the end of the game, CSKA equalised to take the result to Madrid. André Villas-Boas started the season as the golden boy, having won everything at FC Porto and entering Stamford Bridge as the most expensive manager, ever. And now?

First Leg Tuesday February 21

SSC Napoli 3 - Chelsea FC 1

Lavezzi 39, 65  Juan Mata, 27

Cavani 45+2

Chelsea scored first but by half time were losing and the result will put tremendous pressure on Villas-Boas, who by now must be asking himself why he did not stay at FC Porto.

Napoli: De Sanctis, Aronica, Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Maggio, Hamšík, Zúñiga, Gargano, Inler, Cavani, Lavezzi. SUBS: Rosati, Grava, Dossena, Fernández, Britos, Dzemaili, Pandev.

Chelsea: Čech, Ivanović, Luiz, Bosingwa, Cahill, Ramires, Malouda, Meireles, Mata, Drogba, Sturridge. SUBS: Turnbull, Cole, Essien, Lampard, Mikel, Torres, Kalou.

PFC CSKA Moskva 1 - Real Madrid CF 1

Wernbloom 90+3           Cristiano Ronaldo 28

Real controlled the game and did not take full advantage of opportunities to score; CSKA started well but were dulled by Real's brilliance and went off the boil after Ronaldo's goal. However, the last-gasp effort went in and if CSKA scores one in Madrid...

CSKA: Chepchugov, Ignashevich, Aleksei Berezutski, Vasili Berezutski, Schennikov, Wernbloom, Dzagoev, Musa, Tošić, Aldonin, Doumbia SUBS Revyakin, Šemberas, Honda, Rahimić, Oliseh, Kim In-Sung, Necid.

Real Madrid: Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Coentrão, Arbeloa, Khedira, Özil, Alonso, Ronaldo, Callejón, Benzema SUBS Adán, Carvalho, Marcelo, Varane, Kaká, Granero, , Higuaín.

Second Leg: Wednesday March 14

Previous games

First Leg Wednesday February 15

AC Milan (ITA) 4 - Arsenal FC (ENG) 0

Boateng (15)

Robinho (38, 49)

Ibrahimovic (79, pen.)

This was Arsenal's heaviest ever away defeat in UEFA competitions. The result speaks for itself.

Milan: Abbiati, Mexès, Abate, Thiago Silva, Antonini, Van Bommel, Seedorf, Nocerino, Boateng, Ibrahimović, Robinho SUBS: Amelia, Nesta,, Bonera, Ambrosini, Emanuelson, Pato, El Shaarawy.

Arsenal: Szczęsny, Sagna, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Gibbs, Rosický, Arteta, Ramsey, Song, Van Persie, Walcott SUBS: Fabiański, Djourou, Benayoun, Coquelin, Henry, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arshavin.

FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) 3 - SL Benfica (POR) 2

Shirokov (27)                                  Maxi Pereira (20)

Semak (71)                                      Óscar Cardozo (87)

Shirokov (88)

Playmaker Danny, strikers Darko Lazović and Aleksandr Bukharov were missing from Zenit's starting line-up, yet Spalletti's team was too good for a spirited Benfica. Roman Shirokov got two goals for Zenit, the team which pressed more on the night at the Petrovskiy Stadium where the temperature was minus 10 degrees Celsius.

Things will be hotter for Zenit in Lisbon, no doubt.

Zenit: Zhevnov, Anyukov, Bruno Alves, Lombaerts, Hubočan, Shirokov, Zyryanov, Fayzulin, Denisov, Kerzhakov, Kanunnikov SUBS: Borodin, Luković, Cheminava, Rosina, Huszti, Semak, Bystrov.

Benfica: Artur, Emerson, Luisão, Maxi Pereira, Garay, Bruno César, Gaitán, Matić, Witsel, Óscar Cardozo, Rodrigo SUBS: Eduardo, Miguel Vítor, Jardel, Nolito, Aimar, Nélson Oliveira, Saviola.

Second Leg: Tuesday March 6

Tuesday February 14, the first round of the Champions League last 16 got under way with the matches Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) - APOEL FC (CYP) and Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) - FC Barcelona (ESP). The results were, respectively 1-0 and 1-3.

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) 1 - APOEL FC (CYP) 0

Lacazette, 58

One goal to nil, 18 shots to one, 64% of ball possession against 36% shows to what extent Lyon dominated the game.

Lyon: Lloris, Cris, Koné, Réveillère, Cissokho, Källström, Ederson, Bastos, Lacazette, Gonalons, Lisandro. SUBS:Vercoutre, Dabo, Fofana, Umtiti, Gourcuff, Gomis, Briand.

APOEL: Chiotis, Jorge, Kaká, Poursaitides, Morais, Sousa, Boaventura, Charalambides, Pinto, Aílton, Tričkovski. SUBS: Pardo, Satsias, Manduca, Alexandrou, Solomou, Marcinho, Solari.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) 1 - FC Barcelona (ESP) 3

M. Kadlec, 52                                            Alexis Sanchez 41, 55

                                                                  Messi, 88

The first half belonged to Barcelona, with two shots on target and one goal, while Leverkusen did not manage a single shot on goal. In the second half, the Germans came storming back with 4 shots on target and equalised on 52 minutes. However, Barça managed a further five shots on goal and added a couple more goals. Messi, inevitably, was on the scoreboard.

Leverkusen: Leno, Schwaab, Reinartz, Friedrich, Ćorluka, Kadlec, Castro, Rolfes, Bender, Augusto, Schürrle SUBS: Yelldell, Oczipka, Da Costa, Toprak, Ortega, Bellarabi, Kiessling.

Barcelona: Valdés, Alves, Puyol, Abidal, Fàbregas, Iniesta, Mascherano, Busquets, Adriano, Sánchez, Messi SUBS: Pinto, Bartra, Thiago, Dos Santos, Roberto, Pedro, Cuenca.

Second Legs of these games to be played on Wednesday March 7

The Draw

1. Olympique Lyonnais (FRA) - APOEL FC (CYP)

2. SSC Napoli (ITA) - Chelsea FC (ENG)

3. AC Milan (ITA) - Arsenal FC (ENG)

4. FC Basel 1893 (SUI) - FC Bayern München (GER)

5. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER) - FC Barcelona (ESP)

6. PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS) - Real Madrid CF (ESP)

7. FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS) - SL Benfica (POR)

8. Olympique de Marseille (FRA) - FC Internazionale Milano (ITA)

 

First Leg Wednesday February 22

FC Basel 1893 - FC Bayern München

Olympique de Marseille - FC Internazionale Milano

Second Leg : Tuesday March 13

 

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

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