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On Tuesday, the last matches of group stages E, F, G, and H were played. Earlier, five teams were already clear, continuing the battle in the knockout rounds, and now the remaining three teams have also emerged - they are "Milan", "PSV", and "Rangers".
Group E
Tuesday's match stats:
3 - 2
42` [1 - 0] Andrea Pirlo
44` [1 - 1] Christian Poulsen
52` [2 - 1] Kaka
60` [3 - 1] Kaka
66` [3 - 2] Lincoln
2 - 0
14` [1 - 0] Philip Cocu
85` [2 - 0] Jefferson Farfan
Final tournament table:
1. "Milan" 6 3 2 1 12-6 11
2. "PSV" 6 3 1 2 4-6 10
3. "Schalke" 6 2 2 2 12-9 8
4. "Fenerbahce" 6 1 1 4 7-14 4
In Group E, the first place was secured by the "Milan" club, who won 3-2 at the San Siro stadium against the Gelsenkirchen "Schalke" team. Although "Schalke" showed more determination to score in the first half, Andrea Pirlo's penalty shot put the Milan club ahead. However, the Germans did not give up, and just two minutes later, Cristian Poulsen scored with his head, giving hope to the visitors. Nevertheless, in the second half, the hosts gathered themselves, and thanks to the individual skill of Brazilian Kaka, scored two goals, and Lincoln's goal for "Schalke" in the 66th minute did not make a big impact on the game outcome. So, after the final whistle, the Italian club's players celebrated their place in the next stage.
The other team from this group advancing to the next stage is "PSV", who secured a 2-0 victory at their home against visitors from Turkey - the "Fenerbahce" team. Just fourteen minutes into the match, "PSV" veteran Philip Cocu cleverly scored to take his team ahead. The well-organized Dutch defense resisted attempts from "Fenerbahce" players to equalize the score, and five minutes before the end of the match, the host team's forward Jefferson Farfan secured his team's victory by scoring the second goal from close range.
Group F
Tuesday's match stats:
2 - 1
7` [0 - 1] Sergio Ramos
50` [1 - 1] Erol Bulut
87` [2 - 1] Rivaldo
2 - 1
33` [1 - 0] Karim Benzema
68` [1 - 1] Daniel Braaten
90` [2 - 1] Fred
Final tournament table:
1. "Lyon" 6 5 1 0 13-4 16
2. "Real" 3 1 2 10-8 10
3. "Rosenborg" 6 1 1 4 6-11 4
4. "Olympiacos" 6 1 1 4 7-13 4
Another failure for Madrid's "Real". This time, the royal club fell 1-2 away against the Piraeus "Olympiacos" team. Although "Los galacticos" jumped ahead after 7 minutes with Sergio Ramos' goal, the hosts not only equalized in the second half but also turned the score around. In the 50th minute, the ball was sent into the net by Olympiacos player Erol Bulut, and the victory for the Olympiacos team was sealed after 87 minutes with a goal from Rivaldo, a former "Barcelona" player. However, this defeat had no significance for the "Real" club, as the Spanish team had already secured their place in the next stage.
In other matches of Group F, "Lyon" continued their unbeaten streak this season. The French champions managed to snatch a 2-1 victory in the last minute at home against Trondheim's "Rosenborg" team. The hosts took the lead in the 33rd minute when 17-year-old Karim Benzema scored after a pass from Norwegian John Carew, but the Norwegian club did not give up and equalized in the 68th minute with a goal from Daniel Braaten. However, in extra time, "Lyon" Brazilian legionnaire Fred secured the victory for his team and added three more points to their tally.
Group G
Tuesday's match stats:
0 - 1
44` [0 - 1] Vincent Kompany
0 - 0
Final tournament table:
1. "Liverpool" 6 3 3 0 6-1 12
2. "Chelsea" 6 3 2 1 7-1 11
3. "Betis" 6 2 1 3 3-7 7
4. "Anderlecht" 6 1 0 5 1-8 3
In Group G, both English teams "Premier" league champion London's "Chelsea" and the defending Champions League winner "Liverpool" played against each other since they have already secured their places in the next stage. As in the first leg match, as well as in last year's tournament semifinals, this time the match ended goalless 0-0. This result allowed "Liverpool" to overtake their opponents by one point and take the first place in the group.
In the other Group G match, both Bratislava's "Artmedia" and "Porto" teams ended in a draw, but this result did not help both teams avoid elimination - the Slovak team, with 7 points in the group, took third place and will travel to the UEFA Cup tournament, while "Porto", who won the Champions League a couple of years ago, gathered only 6 points in six matches and finished in the last place.
Group H
Tuesday's match stats:
1 - 1
30` [0 - 1] Adriano
38` [1 - 1] Peter Lovenkrands
87` Cristiano Zanetti dismissed ("Inter")
0 - 0
Final tournament table:
1. "Inter" 6 4 1 1 9-4 13
2. "Rangers" 6 1 4 1 7-7 7
3. "Artmedia" 6 1 3 2 5-9 6
4. "Porto" 6 1 2 3 8-9 5
In Group H, only one team could feel calm before the final round - the group winner from Milano "Inter" club. All other teams had real chances to fight for a spot in the knockout rounds until today's matches. For the first time in the history of participation of Scottish clubs in the tournament, the Glagow "Rangers" team, who are performing poorly in the national championship, managed to secure a spot in the knockout stages by drawing 1-1 against the group leader "Inter" at home, recovering from an Adriano goal and scoring through Peter Lovenkrands.
The match between Bratislava's "Artmedia" and "Porto" also ended in a draw, but this result did not help both teams avoid elimination - the Slovak team, with 7 points in the group, took third place and will travel to the UEFA Cup tournament, while "Porto", who won the Champions League a couple of years ago, gathered only 6 points in six matches and finished in the last place.
