Lyon, Fenerbahce storm into Champions League last 16

By DPA

Hamburg : Olympique Lyon charged into the knock-out stage of the Champions League with a 3-0 drubbing of Glasgow Rangers while Fenerbahce advanced to the last 16 for the first time with a 3-1 win over CSKA Moscow.


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Lyon and Fenerbahce are the last two sides Wednesday to clinch their tickets for the last 16.

Lyon needed to win in Glasgow and got the points thanks to a Sidney Govou goal in the first half and a late brace from Karim Benzema.

The victory leaves Lyon, a French side, second in Group E behind already-qualified Barcelona who came from behind to defeat VfB Stuttgart 3-1.

In Istanbul, Fenerbahce downed CSKA Moscow 3-1 with a double from Ugur Boral to go through from Group G. Group leaders Inter Milan were 1-0 winners at PSV Eindhoven, who had needed a win plus a Fenerbahce defeat to qualify.

Rangers required only a point against Lyon in Ibrox Park to secure progress to the last 16, but were second best against the French visitors.

Govou mopped up from close range in the 16th minute when goalkeeper Allan McGregor could only a parry a low cross from Benzema. The French striker ended all hopes for the Scottish side with a second five minutes from time when he took advantage of poor marking from a long free-kick to rifle the ball past McGregor.

Two minutes later, he broke clear from the half-way line to shoot firmly past the diving McGregor from 20 metres out. Rangers woes ended with a stoppage-time dismissal for Jean-Claude Darcheville who reacted angrily after a tackle and stamped on an opponent.

Lyon finish on 10 points, four behind Barcelona, with Rangers on seven and now heading into the UEFA Cup, with Germany’s Stuttgart bottom of the group on three.

Fenerbahce found themselves behind against CSKA Moscow after Edu Dracenu put the ball into his own net on the half hour. Just two minutes later, Brazilian Alex levelled for the Turkish side with a 25-metre drop-shot, Ugur Boral hit a second in first-half injury time and notched his second and his side’s third with a header in the last minute.

Eindhoven’s hopes were meanwhile dashed when Edison Mendez was sent off for a professional foul in the first half against Inter Milan. The Dutch, playing for an hour with 10 men, could do nothing to stop David Suazo setting up Julio Cruz to net from close range in the 64th.

The results leave Inter Milan top of Group G on 15 points, with Fenerbahce on 11, PSV on seven and CSKA on one.

England’s Manchester United dropped their first points in the group stage with a 1-1 draw at AS Roma.

A 33rd-minute header from Gerard Pique was cancelled out by Roma’s Alessandro Mancini in the 71st. Both sides had already qualified from Group F, with United ending on 16 points and Roma on 11.

Sporting Lisbon moved up to seven points with a 3-0 defeat of Dynamo Kiev, Anderson Polga converting a penalty 10 minutes before the break, Joao Moutinho adding a second in the 67th and the Brazilian Liedson a third in the 89th. The Ukrainian visitors end their campaign with a sixth successive defeat.

Spanish side Sevilla were 3-0 winners at Slavia Prague to secure top spot in Group H on 15 points. Substitute Luis Fabiano in the 66th, Frederic Kanoute four minutes later and Daniel Alves three minutes from time settled the affair.

Arsenal – like Sevilla already qualified – had to make do with second place in the group on 13 points despite a 2-1 win over visiting Steaua Bucharest.

Abou Diaby in the eighth minute and Nicklas Bendtner three minutes before the break put a youthful Arsenal team in command before the visitors pulled one back with a Dorel Zaharia header mid-way through the second half.

Slavia Prague, already assured of third place, end on five points, with Steaua left with just one.

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