Juventus boots Chelsea from Champions League
LONDON – Juventus knocked defending champion Chelsea out of the Champions League with a 1-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, while Galatasaray and Celtic also qualified for the last 16 after the final round of group matches.
Chelsea, which needed to better Juventus’ result in Ukraine to finish second in Group E, kept its part of the bargain by thrashing FC Nordsjaelland 6-1 for Rafa Benitez’s first win as interim manager.
It was in vain, however, as Olexander Kucher’s own goal earned Juve victory and top spot ahead of Shakhtar.
“We knew it could happen, unfortunately the damage had been done before,” said Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, whose side became the first reigning champion to exit at the group stage.
Galatasaray beat Braga 2-1 to finish ahead of CFR Cluj, which won 1-0 at below-strength Manchester United, in Group H. Celtic defeated Spartak Moscow 2-1 in Group G thanks to a controversial late penalty to oust Benfica, whose 0-0 draw at Barcelona was marred by a left knee injury to Lionel Messi.
Lying on a stretcher, Messi was driven off the field on a cart, jeopardizing the Argentina star’s hopes of breaking Gerd Mueller’s 40-year-old scoring record for a calendar year. Messi has 84 goals, one less than the German great, with four more games left in 2012.
“He’s receiving medical tests, let’s hope it’s nothing serious and that he can soon be with us back to 100 per cent,” captain Carles Puyol said.
Bayern Munich topped Group F by thrashing BATE Borisov 4-1, finishing ahead of Valencia despite the Spanish side’s 1-0 win at Lille.
Both Bayern and Valencia were already sure of going through.
Chelsea, Cluj and Benfica will bemoan the fact they have been eliminated despite picking up 10 points from six matches.