Apparently this baby was watching Manchester United tie Villareal 0-0. I apologize for saying that the game might be chippy, because it was the exact opposite of chippy. Ronaldo did play, but with Evans, O'Shea, Nani and Anderson all starting it was a second rate United side. United still dominated possession, and each side had a few chances, but it was a horrible example of how two great teams can decide to come out and play for a tie. Capdevilla earned a late red card for a high tackle on Ronaldo, but United couldn't make anything of it. Aalborg defeated Celtic 2-1 to clinch the UEFA Cup place in Group E. Celtic have a truly horrid away record in the Champions League, and they need to make some serious changes if they want to become a presence in Europe.Bayern Munich defeated Steaua Bucharest 3-0 to move into the knockout round. Klose hit a brace, with Toni scoring the other goal. Podolski did not even make it to the bench, and it looks like he will move on in January. Lyon defeated Fiorentina 2-1 to clinch their progression into the knockout round. Lyon is tied with Bayern on 11 points, so their game in Lyon in two weeks time will decide who wins Group F. Fiorentina needs a win or a draw against Steaua to make it into the UEFA Cup.
Arsenal defeated Dynamo Kiev 1-0 thanks to a late Bendtner goal. The Gunners dominated possession and controlled the game, but didn't score until the 86th minute. It was a very young Arsenal squad, with Aaron Ramsey, Carlos Vela, Song and Djourou all starting. Gallas performed well at the back, and it was Fabregas' quick free quick that led to the goal, and saw Arsenal progress to the next round. FC Porto defeated Fenerbahce 2-1, thanks to a Lisandro Lopez double. Former Sheffield United player Colin Kazim-Richards scored for Fenerbahce, who are likely to be dumped out of all competitions. Porto play Arsenal in the final match of the group, and if they defeat the Gunners they will top Group G.
Zenit St. Petersburg and Juventus tied 0-0, in a game Juve looked the more likely to win. Juve have now progressed to the knockout round and Zenit have all but clinched a spot in the UEFA Cup. Real Madrid defeated BATE Borisov 1-0 to book their own spot in the knockout round. They still have a shot at winning the group, but Juve should make easy work of BATE.
