Barcelona Trounce Basel; Sporting Win in Donetsk

By DB Peters
10:17, October 23rd 2008
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Hamburg - Barcelona showed why they are one of the favourites to lift the Champions League title this season with a resounding 5-0 victory against Basel in a Group C match played in Switzerland on Wednesday.

There were also good victories for PSV Eindhoven, who won 2-0 through two Danny Koevermans goals, and Bordeaux, who beat Romanian first-timers CFR Cluj 1-0.

In Basle Lionel Messi gave the Spanish giants the ideal start with a fourth minute opener. Sergi Busquets added a second in the 15th minute, before 18-year-old starlet Bojan Krkic scored the first of his two goals in the 22nd minute.

Any hopes of a remarkable comeback in the second half for the home side were effectively squashed within the first three minutes after the restart when Bojan first scored his second a minute after the start to the second half and Xavi Hernandez made it five for the rampant La Liga side just two minutes later.

The other game in the group saw Shakhtar Donetsk go down at home to Sporting Lisbon, for whom Liedson scored the only goal of the match late in the second half.

Barcelona are the only side left in the Champions League with a full compliment of nine points from their three games, while Sporting are second with six points.

In Madrid, Atletico Madrid took on Liverpool in their Group D game in their Estadio Calderon after Europe's governing body UEFA had postponed a two-match stadium ban imposed for security problems at a previous Champions League game.

Robbie Keane's 14th minute goal gave the visitors the lead, but Simao equalized in the 83rd minute.

Koevermans' two goals gave PSV Eindhoven a 2-0 victory against Olympique Marseille in the other group D game.

The results see Atletico and Liverpool top the group with seven points, while PSV have three points.

Chelsea left it late in their Group A game against Roma before John Terry found the winner in the 77th minute, while a Cadu own goal gave Bordeaux the winner against Cluj, who also had Eugen Trica sent off in the last minute.

The Premier League club lead the group with seven points, while Cluj are also still in the running with four points. Both Bordeaux and Roma have three points.

Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said that he was happy with the result.

"We have only one more game at home so this victory was very important. They played very well, they play football - win or lose. It is a tactical game and maybe we won today because we were able to create a goal. It is difficult to say we are the best, but we have won and that is the best result.

"I think it was a beautiful game, but the result is only 1-0. What I saw, the players tried to play beautiful football, keeping possession. I expected the game to be like this and the next game in Roma will be the same," he said.

In Group B, Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen drew 2-2, while Inter Milan won 1-0 against Cypriot rookies Anorthosis Famagusta.

In Athens German international defender Per Mertesacker gave Bremen the lead in the 29th minute, but Evangelos Mantzios scored once in both halves to put the home side up before Portuguese international Hugo Almeida gave the visitors the draw that took them to third in the group on three points.

Germany midfielder Torsten Frings was disappointed that his side had again let in two goals. "I am pleased that we fought back to get a draw which keeps us in the competition, but I am disappointed that we again let in two goals.

"I think once we manage to get our problems in the back sorted, we will be on the right track. We are doing well, but are still leaking too many goals.

"Having said that, one should not forget that we were playing away from home and for that it is not a bad result. We have not lost any of our three games in the Champions League."

Anorthosis, who lost in Milan to a Adriano goal just before the break, are second behind Inter on four points.



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