Soccer:Barcelona qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over 10-man Viktoria Plzen in Prague on foot of a hat-trick from Lionel Messi, including one from the penalty spot. Cesc Fabregas grabbed the Spanish side's other goal as they took advantage of the fact that AC Milan could only manage a 1-1 draw against Bate Borisov.
Cypriot side Apoel Nicosia required an injury time goal from Manduca to squeeze past Porto at home with a 2-1 victory and take a significant stride towards a place in knock-out stage of the tournament. In Group G’s other match Nicolas Lombaerts powered home a header seconds before the break to boost Zenit St Petersburg’s hopes with a 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk at Petrovsky Stadion.
In Arsenal’s Group F bottom side Borussia Dortmund brought themselves right back into contention with a 1-0 victory at home to Olympiakos. The German side travel to the Emirates stadium later this month.
Valencia’s 3-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen means that Group E now contains three teams, including leaders Chelsea, who can still qualify for the knock-out phase of the competition. The Spanish side struck through Jonas, Soldado and Rami.
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