Gent 2 Zenit St Petersburg 1
Debutants Ghent became only the second Belgian side to advance to the Champions League knockout phase when they ended Zenit St Petersburg’s 100 percent record in Group H with a dramatic 2-1 win on Wednesday.
Danijel Milicevic scored a left-footed winner 12 minutes from time to secure the points for Ghent after Laurent Depoitre had put them ahead at halftime, only for Artem Dzyuba to equalise in the 65th minute.
Ghent matched the achievement of Anderlecht in the 2000-01 season by finishing second in the group, ending with 10 points behind Zenit who amassed 15.
Depoitre, recently capped for the first time by Belgium, headed the home team ahead in the 18th minute, connecting powerfully with Moses Simon‘s cross after rising above Zenit’s Belgian international defender Nicolas Lombaerts, who had began his career at Ghent a decade ago.
Depoitre should have had a second just after the half-hour mark when a stray back pass from Luis Neto fell perfectly for the centre forward to run onto but as he bore down on the goalkeeper an outstretched leg from Yuri Lodygin rescued Zenit.
There were several occasions in both halves where Ghent’s defending looked nervy and ultimately it saw them cede their lead when the failure by both Sven Kums and Lasse Nielsen to clear an innocuous-looking cross set up Dzyuba.
It was the sixth goal in the group phase for the Russian international.
Yet the crowd at the Ghent Stadium exploded back into life once more when the Swiss-born Milicevic restored the lead.
Roma 0 BATE Borisov 0
Listless AS Roma sneaked into the last 16 after a 0-0 draw against BATE Borisov at the Stadio Olimpico.
Victory would have guaranteed Roma a place in the knockout rounds as Group E runners-up behind Barcelona, but they appeared content to play for a draw, banking on Bayer Leverkusen failing to win against Barca at the BayArena.
Roma were booed off at the final whistle as Rudi Garcia’s side got away with their limp performance, while Leverkusen could only manage a 1-1 draw against Barcelona.
The wheels have come off for Roma in recent weeks and their intensity has dipped noticeably since a 6-1 hammering by Barca and a miserable 2-0 defeat by Atalanta in Serie A.
The scintillating attacking form they showed during the early portion of the season was absent against BATE and the Giallorossi wholly lacked the creativity and intensity required to break down the Belarusian side.
Only Miralem Pjanic went close with several efforts in the first half, notably when he forced Syarhey Chernik into a fine save in the 28th minute.
Edin Dzeko spurned Roma‘s best chance two minutes after halftime when he broke through one on one with Chernik, only to be thwarted by the goalkeeper’s outstretched foot.
Sensing fragility on the part of their hosts, BATE began to surge forward, and Wojciech Szczesny was forced into a superb save in the 68th minute when he instinctively blocked from Ihar Stasevich at point-blank range.
Barcelona topped the group with 14 points from six games, while Roma join them in the next round on six. Leverkusen, also on six points, finished third, with BATE bottom of the group on five.
Bayer Leverkusen 1 Barcelona 1
A Javier Hernandez strike gave Bayer Leverkusen a 1-1 draw against Group E winners Barcelona but it was not enough for them to reach the last 16.
In-form Hernandez netted his 12th goal in 11 games just three minutes after Lionel Messi had given a weakened Barca side the lead after 20 minutes.
Leverkusen were guilty of missing several good openings in the second half especially by Hakan Calhanoglu when a win would have seen them qualify for the next round.
However, the draw meant they finished third in Group E level on six points with Roma, who drew 0-0 with BATE Borisov, but eliminated due to a poorer head to head record.
Dinamo Zagreb 0 Bayern Munich 2
Bayern Munich eased into the last 16 after a second-half double by top scorer Robert Lewandowski gave them a 2-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb in their Group F match on Wednesday.
Bayern, who had already secured top spot in the group, finished with 15 points from six games, six ahead of Arsenal, who booked their berth with a 3-0 win at Olympiakos Piraeus.
After a tepid first half, Bayern coach Pep Guardiola brought on Thomas Mueller into his makeshift side at the interval and Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner made a telling impact despite missing a 90th-minute penalty.
Mueller’s perfect cross allowed Lewandowski to break the deadlock with a diving header on the hour and the Poland striker added the second with a dinked finish three minutes later.
Five times European champions Bayern dominated from the start but Dinamo missed the best two chances in the first half on a chilly night in Zagreb.
Bayern’s Sven Ulreich denied El Arabi Hilal Soudani with a superb save before the Algeria striker headed wide after the German side‘s reserve keeper misjudged an inviting cross by Dinamo’s 18-year old midfielder Ante Coric.
The lively Coric also tested Ulreich early on, before Lewandowski’s scuffed shot from a good position was easily cleared by the home team‘s defenders at the other end.
Ulreich then kept out a stinging shot by Junior Fernandes before Lewandowski opened the scoring thanks to good work by Mueller, who replaced the ineffective Franck Ribery.
The irrepressible Lewandowski showed his class when he made it 2-0 with an exquisite finish after racing clear of a defender and leaving Dinamo keeper Eduardo clutching at thin air, taking his Champions League tally this season to seven goals from six games.
