Drogba sends Chelsea into last 16
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Didier Drogba scored twice and assisted on 0 win over Valencia on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and Valencia entered the last matchday in Group E even on eight points for second place, but Drogba helped settle the match early with a goal after 3 minutes and an assist on Ramires' strike in the 22nd.
Drobga added his second goal in the 76th, also his third of the tournament, as Chelsea went from the verge of elimination to group winners. Bayer Leverkusen, which beat Chelsea two weeks ago, tied Genk 1-1 to surrender the top spot.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Leverkusen, which previously clinched advancement, followed Chelsea into the last 16 as the second-place team from Group E. Valencia grabbed third and will enter the Europa League in the last 32.
Although Chelsea could have advanced with a scoreless draw, Drogba eliminated that possibility early and made sure the Blues gave themselves a chance at new life in the knockout stage.
Drogba took a pass from Juan Mata on the left side of the box, cut back to his left to open space against Valencia's Antonio Barragan and drove a left-footed off goalie Diego Alves' left hand and just inside the right post.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jordi Alba hit the left post and David Albelda forced a diving save from Petr Cech as Valencia looked to equalize, but Chelsea added its second goal before the half-hour mark to take control of the match.
Drogba played Ramires into the box on the left side, allowing the Brazilian to hustle around Victor Ruiz for an open chance on Alves that he converted to the near post from deep inside the area.
Daniel Sturridge nearly added a third for Chelsea minutes later, then Valencia made a last chance to get back in the match early in the second half but Cech made another fine save.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Chelsea sealed the match when Mata played Drogba through in the 76th, and the hitman shot with the outside of his right foot to leave Alves no chance as the Blues sealed a berth in the knockout stage for the ninth straight year.
Marseille 3, Borussia Dortmund 2
Dortmund, Germany - Andre Ayew and Mathieu Valbuena scored late as Marseille overcame an early two-goal deficit for a 3-2 victory over Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday at Signal Iduna Park to advance to the Champions League knockout stage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Olympiacos took an early lead in its Group F game against group winner Arsenal and was positioned for second place and the last 16, but Loic Remy scored with seconds left in the first half and Ayew and Valbuena added late goals.
Jakub Blaszczykowski and Mats Hummels handed Dortmund the quick two-goal lead, but with the German side needing a lopsided win to have any chance to advance, Marseille followed with the next three goals to secure its knockout spot.
Ayew scored his goal off a corner, as he turned Morgan Amalfitano's cross into the top-right corner from close range. Valbuena followed with his goal off an assist from Djimi Traore, as he also found the upper right.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marseille finished second behind Arsenal, and Dortmund finished on the bottom of the group and was eliminated from European competition.
FC Porto 0, Zenit 0
Porto, Portugal - Zenit held FC Porto to a 0-0 draw at Estadio do Dragao in Group G of the Champions League on Tuesday to secure a berth in the knockout stage.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Zenit entered the match with a one-point cushion over Porto for second place, and escaped the trip to Portugal with the point it needed to qualify for the last 16.
Porto finished third and dropped into the Europa League, where it can defend its title.
APOEL from Cyprus ended first in the group despite a loss Tuesday to Shakhtar Donetsk, as Group G produced two of the surprise round of 16 teams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barcelona 4, BATE 0
Barcelona, Spain - Pedro scored twice and Sergi Roberto and Martin Montoya had goals as defending European champion Barcelona capped an unbeaten run through Champions League Group H with a 4-0 win over BATE on Tuesday at the Camp Nou.
Barcelona, which previously clinched first place and a knockout berth from the group, fielded a young lineup, but the Spanish champions had little trouble in the match against the winless Belarusians.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Barca finished atop the group with five wins and a draw from six games, while BATE picked up just two points - both draws against Viktoria Plzen.
Roberto bagged the first goal after 35 minutes for Barca, and Isaac Cuenca set up the following two goals in a quick stretch of the second half. Montoya sent a shot into net in the 60th, and Pedro in the 65th.
Pedro notched the fourth goal with a penalty in the 88th. BATE was eliminated from European competition.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Olympiacos 3, Arsenal 1
Piraeus, Greece - Rafik Djebbour, David Fuster and Francois Modesto all scored as Olympiacos defeated Arsenal 3-1 on Tuesday in Champions League Group F play at Karaiskakis Stadium, but settled for third place and a Europa League spot.
Olympiacos needed a win and for Marseille to lose to Borussia Dortmund, but the French side rallied for a 3-2 win. Olympiacos still moved to third to get new life in the Europa, which takes the third-place finisher from each group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Arsenal, which got its goal from Yossi Benayoun, previously clinched first in the group and a knockout berth.
AC Milan 2, Viktoria Plzen 2
Prague, Czech Republic - Brazilians Pato and Robinho both scored early in the second half, but AC Milan settled for a 2-2 draw against Viktoria Plzen in its Champions League Group H finale Tuesday at Synot Tip Arena.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Pato scored 2 minutes into the second half off an assist from Robinho and then returned the favor 2 minutes later. But David Bystron scored with 2 minutes to go in normal time and Michal Duris scored 3 minutes into extra time for Plzen.
The Italian side previously clinched advancement and could not catch Barcelona for first place. Viktoria Plzen maintained third, and moves into the knockout stage of the Europa League.
Genk 1, Bayer Leverkusen 1
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Genk, Belgium - Bayer Leverkusen surrendered first place in Group E on Tuesday as it settled for a 1-1 draw against Genk at Cristal Arena in the Champions League.
Jelle Vossen fired the Belgian side in front on the half-hour, and Leverkusen was only able to equalize through Eren Derdiyok 12 minutes from time.
Leverkusen entered the match with a one-point cushion on Chelsea and Valencia, but the English side moved atop the group with a 3-0 win over Valencia. Bayer finished second. Valencia finished third to fall into the Europa League.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Genk finished last and was eliminated from European competition.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2, APOEL 0
Nicosia, Cyprus - APOEL lost its final match in Champions League Group G play to Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday at GSP Stadium, 2-0, but the Cyprus club still ended as surprise winners of the group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}APOEL held a one-point lead on Russian side Zenit for first entering the final matchday, and although Zenit earned a draw to secure its last 16 spot, it held onto first on a tiebreaker.
APOEL and Zenit finished level on nine points, but APOEL had a win and a draw in the two matches against Zenit. Luiz Adriano and Yevhen Seleznyov scored for Shakhtar, which finished fourth and was eliminated from European play.