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UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, after playing the second leg matches of the Round of 16, surprises were avoided and the home favorites progressed to the quarterfinals: after a fierce match ending in a draw, "Barcelona" took revenge on "Chelsea" for last year's failure, "Juventus" club snatched victory with a bizarre goal against "Werder", and "Villarreal" eliminated "Rangers" after another draw.
In the first leg, "Chelsea" had to score two goals, but in the fierce first half both teams struggled to create anything more dangerous. "Barca" lost Lionel Messi to injury in the 24th minute and tried to secure their win with long-range shots multiple times, while the guests had Didier Drogba and Arjen Robben with chances to score, but they didn't pose bigger problems for Victor Valdes, and Joe Cole's attempt to chip the goalkeeper was off target.
The game picked up in the second half when "Chelsea" coach Jose Mourinho introduced Eidur Gudjohnsen and Hernan Crespo to the field, but the hosts created a more dangerous attack first - Samuel Eto'o's shot deflected by P. Cech from under the defender's leg. Shortly after, the English team had perhaps the best chance of the match, but after a J. Cole cross from the wing, H. Crespo, left unmarked, couldn't redirect the ball into the goal with a single touch.
Ultimately, the first goal was scored in the 78th minute by Ronaldinho, who tore apart the opponents' defense with impressive passes. The Brazilian received the ball from S. Eto'o, avoided three opponents, infiltrated the penalty area and beat P. Cech with a precise shot. Later, S. Eto'o could have doubled the score, but his shot from the left edge of the penalty area hit the crossbar.
At the end of the match, the triumph for the Catalan club was slightly marred by a controversial penalty awarded to V. Valdes' goal, which was converted by Frank Lampard to equalize. However, this was just a consolation goal - "Barca" eliminated the opponents and paid back "Chelsea" for the loss experienced at the same stage last season.
In Turin, there was almost a sensation when Bremen's "Werder" club almost defeated the local "Juventus" team after a tough battle and a glorious goal. The visitors from Germany took the lead in the 13th minute through Frenchman Johan Micoud.Soon after, the guests were saved multiple times by goalkeeper Tim Wiese, but he couldn't help anymore halfway through the second half when David Trezeguet equalized the score after a combination with Pavel Nedved.
However, the Turin team needed another goal, and although it seemed that they wouldn't achieve it, two minutes before the end of the match, Fabio Capello's pupils received a gift - T. Wiese, who had played brilliantly throughout the match, made a mistake in a harmless situation in the penalty area, presenting the ball to Emerson, who took advantage of the opportunity and scored into the empty net. "Juve" won and overcame Bremen club due to away goals, advancing to the quarterfinals.
Two opponents' goals in the opponent's field also determined the ticket to the next stage for the "Villarreal" team, who recovered after a missed goal in the home match against Glasgow "Rangers" and played to a draw. The Scots were ahead at the start of the match with a goal by Peter Lovenkrands, but in the 49th minute of the fourth minute of the second half, Rodolfo Arruabarrena leveled the score. As the first leg in Glasgow ended in a 2-2 draw, the winner of the pair became the Spanish team.
On Wednesday, four more Round of 16 matches will take place, and the final fifth one will be played next Tuesday - where Milan's "Inter" will host Amsterdam's "Ajax" club.
Results of Tuesday's Round of 16 matches:
2 - 1 (First leg 2-3, Aggregate 4-4) "Juventus" win due to away goals 13` [0 - 1] Johan Micoud 65` [1 - 1] David Trezeguet 88` [2 - 1] Emerson
1 - 1 (First leg 2-2, Aggregate 3-3) "Villarreal" win due to away goals 12` [0 - 1] Peter Lovenkrands 49` [1 - 1] Rodolfo Arruabarrena
1 - 1 (First leg 2-1, Aggregate 3-2) 78` [1 - 0] Ronaldinho 90+2` [1 - 1] Frank Lampard (Pen.)
