Bayern Munich advances in Champions League
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mario Gomez scored inside 10 minutes as 0, on Tuesday to seal its spot in the group stage 0 aggregate victory.
Bayern won the first leg of the Champions League playoff series in Munich 2-0, and the fast goal by Gomez at Letzigrund Stadium put the German side on cruise control in Switzerland.
With Arjen Robben absent through injury, Thomas Muller moved out to right wing and provided the assist to Gomez just minutes into the match. Gomez settled in open space, took the ball just inside the area and scored to the bottom left.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Bundesliga's leading scorer last season, Gomez scored his first in league play over the weekend and added his first in the Champions League this season before leaving at halftime with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
Zurich needed to score four goals in the second half to overturn the deficit - and away goal - but rarely threatened in the final 45 minutes.
Bayern, which hosts the Champions League final in May, took the first step on the journey to its own Allianz Arena. Zurich was eliminated.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Villarreal 3, Odense 0
Villarreal, Spain - Giuseppe Rossi scored a brace early in the second half and Villarreal overturned a first-game deficit to beat Odense, 3-0, on Tuesday for a 3-1 aggregate win in the Champions League playoff round.
Denmark's Odense beat Villarreal 1-0 in the first leg last week, and after the club played scoreless for 45 minutes in the second, Rossi scored in the 50th and 66th minutes for the Spanish side. Carlos Marchena added a third goal in the 82nd.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Villarreal advanced to the group stage. Odense was eliminated.
APOEL 3, Wisla Krakow 1
Nicosia, Cyprus - Ailton Jose Almeida scored twice in the second half, the second in the 86th minute, as APOEL beat Wisla Krakow 3-1 to overturn a first- leg deficit for a 3-2 aggregate win in the Champions League playoff series.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Wisla won the first game 1-0, but Sergei Pareiko's own goal midway through the first half tied the series. Almeida scored on 54 minutes to put APOEL back in front, but Cezary Wilk's 71st-minute goal had Wisla ahead on away goals.
But Almeida added a second goal four minutes from time, as APOEL sealed a spot in the group stage. Wisla was eliminated.
Malmo 2, Dinamo Zagreb 0
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Malmo, Sweden - Wilton Figueiredo and Pontus Jansson scored in the second half to lead Malmo to a 2-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, but the Swedish side was eliminated on aggregate 4-3 by the Croatian club in the Champions League.
Dinamo won the first leg 4-1 last week, leaving Malmo a lot of work to do this week at Swedbank Stadion, but the hosts fell one goal short of tying the match on aggregate to advance on away goals from the playoff round.
Dinamo, which played a man down for the final 40 minutes, advanced to group play. Malmo was eliminated.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Genk 2, Maccabi Haifa 1, AET
Genk, Belgium - Jelle Vossen and Thomas Buffel scored in the first half and Genk beat Maccabi Haifa, 2-1, on Tuesday to tie their Champions League playoff series on aggregate to advance to the group stage on penalty kicks.
Genk won the shootout 4-1 to snap the 3-3 aggregate deadlock at Cristal Arena.