Manchester rivals get big wins in Champions League

GENEVA >> It was Manchester’s night in the Champions League as United stunned Juventus with late goals and City routed Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliant goal — a volley from a long pass that dropped into his path over his right shoulder — was set to give Juventus victory against his former club with minutes to play in Turin.

Man United hit back through Juan Mata’s free kick and a scrambled own-goal from a cross that bounced into the net off two defenders on the line for a 2-1 win. United boss Jose Mourinho, a former Inter Milan coach, taunted home fans after the final whistle by cupping his right hand to his ear, and was confronted by some Juve players.

Man City’s 6-0 win over visiting Shakhtar will be remembered most for a comical penalty kick awarded for Raheem Sterling’s fall when kicking the turf in a failed attempt to shoot.

Their wins nicely set up a Manchester derby game in the Premier League on Sunday.

Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Roma also won yet no team joined Barcelona which advanced to the knockout stage on Tuesday after four rounds of group games.

Three-time defending champion Madrid scored four times in the first half at Viktoria Plzen before ending a 5-0 winner for interim coach Santiago Solari.

Robert Lewandowski scored both Bayern’s goals in a routine 2-0 win over AEK Athens which has lost four straight. woodwork twice and missed chances to seal the game before United again found a resilient response that seemed to elude Mourinho’s team until recent weeks.

Mata curled his shot over the Juve wall in the 86th, and a 90thminute free kick from the left flank sneaked in off Bonucci and then Alex Sandro.

Juve still leads Group H by two points from Man United, and it is two more points back to Valencia which beat visiting Young Boys 3-1.