UEFA Champions League matches of the fifth round of the group stage were played on Wednesday. The first match took place in St. Petersburg, where the local "Zenit" clashed with Lisbon's "Benfica". After a tough battle, the hosts defeated the guests from Portugal. No goals were seen in the first half, but "Zenit" players attacked more aggressively and forced the goalkeeper Julio Cesar to work. The crucial goal was scored in the 79th minute, when the team captain Danny found the net after a precise pass from Hulk. After the victory, "Zenit" rose to the second place with 7 points, while "Benfica" lost any chances to reach the quarterfinals. In Group A, last year's finalist Madrid's "Atletico" and Turin's "Juventus", who won for the first time on the road, celebrated victories. The Spanish champions easily crushed Piraeus' "Olympiakos" 4-0. Mario Mandzukic shined with a hat-trick. Meanwhile, "Bianconeri" won against "Malmo" with a two-goal margin. Now the Italians climbed to the second place, leading over the Greek champions by three points. In Group B, a single goal by Cristiano Ronaldo gave Madrid's "Real" victory over "Basel", while "Liverpool" painfully let the victory slip through their hands in a match against Razgrad's "Ludogorets", complicating their chances to reach the quarterfinals. Leading 2-1 after the first half, the English team was penalized with a goal by Georgi Terziev at the end of the match. A win by the Merseyside team would have allowed them to overtake the Swiss champions, but now the "Reds" reduced their gap to just two points. In another match in Group C, "Monaco" surprisingly defeated the group leader Leverkusen's "Bayer" away and prevented them from securing a spot in the next stage. Important three points were gifted to Leonardo Jardim's pupils by Lucas Ariel Ocampos. Currently, the Germans have nine points, Monaco has eight, "Zenit" has seven, and "Benfica" has four. In Group D, fans could witness London's "Arsenal" victory against Dortmund's "Borussia". The "Gunners" won thanks to an early goal by Yaya Sanogo, for whom it was the first goal representing the English team in official matches. However, there was a slight offside noticeable in the replay of the episode. Alexis Sanchez added another fantastic long-range goal. Brussels' "Anderlecht" also won 2-0 against Istanbul's "Galatasaray" and secured a place in the UEFA Europa League. Results: Group A "Atletico" 4 - 0 "Olympiakos" [1-0] 9' Raul Garcia [2-0] 38' Mario Mandzukic [3-0] 62' Mario Mandzukic [4-0] Mario Mandzukic "Malmo" 0 - 2 "Juventus" [0-1] 49' Fernando Llorente [0-2] 88' Carlos Tevez Group B "Basel" 0 - 1 "Real Madrid" [0-1] 35' Cristiano Ronaldo "Ludogorets" 2 - 2 "Liverpool" [1-0] 3' Dani Abalo [1-1] 8' Rickie Lambert [1-2] 37' Jordan Henderson [2-2] 88' Georgi Terziev Group C "Zenit" 1 - 0 "Benfica" [1-0] 79' Danny 90' Luisao ("Benfica") sent off "Bayer" 0 - 1 "Monaco" [0-1] 72' Lucas Ariel Ocampos Group D "Arsenal" 2 - 0 "Borussia" [1-0] 2' Yaya Sanogo [2-0] 57' Alexis Sanchez "Anderlecht" 2 - 0 "Galatasaray" [1-0] 44' Chancel Mbemba Mangulu [2-0] 86' Chancel Mbemba Mangulu
