Champions League: Record win guarantees Liverpool nothing

Ozren Podnar

Manchester United, Arsenal and Milan have mathematically won a place in the sudden death phase of the Champions League with two games to go in the present stage. Barcelona, Inter and Sevilla are extremely close to the same achievement, while Chelsea, Real Madrid and Fenerbahce are also doing quite fine. These are the most successful teams after the first four days of the world's top club competition.

If Inter and Chelsea succeed in their attempts, Milan and London will be the two most distinguished soccer cities in Europe. Three other cities have an outside chance of seeing two teams to the round of 16, namely Glasgow (with Celtic and Rangers both in an uncertain situation), Rome (with Roma close and Lazio half way through to the goal) and Istanbul (with Fenerbahce almost in and Besiktas virtually out). It is curious, no doubt, that even Besiktas can still qualify after their 0-8 drubbing at Anfield, but it would not be the first time a team makes it to the knockout stage after conceding eight goals. Deportivo of La Coruna did that four years ago despite losing 3-8 to Monaco.

Of the big teams, Valencia faces the hardest odds since not even two wins over Schalke and Chelsea in the Group B guarantee their passage, since Rosenborg and Chelsea could still finish above them. Liverpool in the Group A are in serious danger, but if at least they depend on themselves since beating Porto at home and Marseille away would pull them level on points with Marseille, with a superior goals' difference. Lyon can still go through if they defeat Barcelona at home and Rangers in Glasgow in order to neutralize the disastrous defeat by the Scots at their Gerland stadium.

How the three-way race in the Group C between Lazio, Olympiacos and Werder will play out is anybody's guess, since each team has one difficult match to play in the remaining two rounds.

Celtic and Shahtar look doomed to finish level on points, in which case the Celts will need a three-goal win over the Ukrainians due to their 0-2 loss in Donetsk. Roma in Group G have preserved a three-point lead over Sporting in the last minute of their head to head clash in Lisbon thanks to a terribly unlucky own goal by Polga. This means that one win (or one Sporting defeat) will suffice for Roma to qualify.

Müller's record in peril

Liverpool and Filippo Inzaghi have made history in the fourth day matches of the Champions' League; the Reds have knocked in eight goals against Besiktas for the biggest win ever in the prime competition since the Champions Cup was revamped and renamed in 1992.

With a couple of goals against Shahtar, Inzaghi has equalized Gerd Müller's record of 62 goals in UEFA's competitions; however, this ranking also includes Pippo's seven goals in the Intertoto Cup, while not taking into account the much more important Intercity Fairs Cup, the UEFA Cup's predecessor, on grounds not organized by UEFA themselves.

When goals in that competition are computed, as they should be, Müller still leads with 67 goals. In any case, the record will not stay in the German "Bomber's" hands for long, as Inzaghi with 62, Shevchenko and Raul with 60 are lurking.

Group A

1. day
Marseille vs. Besiktas 2-0
Porto vs. Liverpool 1-1

2. day
Besiktas vs. Porto 0-1
Liverpool vs. Marseille 0-1

3. day
Marseille vs. Porto 1-1
Besiktas vs. Liverpool 2-1
4. day
Porto vs. Marseille 2-1
Liverpool vs. Besiktas 8-0
5. day
Liverpool vs. Porto
Besiktas vs. Marseille
6. day
Porto vs. Besiktas
Marseille vs. Liverpool
1. Porto 4 2 2 0 5-3 8
2. Marseille 4 2 1 1 5-3 7
3. Liverpool 4 1 1 2 10-4 4
4. Besiktas 4 1 0 3 2-12 3

Group B

1. day
Chelsea vs. Rosenborg 1-1
Schalke vs. Valencia 0-1
2. day
Rosenborg vs. Schalke 0-2
Valencia vs. Chelsea 1-2
3. day
Chelsea vs. Schalke 2-0
Rosenborg vs. Valencia 2-0
4. day
Schalke vs. Chelsea 0-0
Valencia vs. Rosenborg 0-2
5. day
Valencia vs. Schalke
Rosenborg vs. Chelsea
6. day
Schalke vs. Rosenborg
Chelsea vs. Valencia
1. Chelsea 4 2 2 0 5-2 8
2. Rosenborg 4 2 1 1 5-3 7
3. Schalke 4 1 1 2 2-3 4
4. Valencia 4 1 0 3 2-6 3

Group C

1. day
Olympiakos vs. Lazio 1-1
Real vs. Werder 2-1
2. day
Werder vs. Olympiakos 1-3
Lazio vs. Real 2-2
3. day
Real vs. Olympiakos 4-2
Werder vs. Lazio 2-1
4. day
Olympiakos vs. Real 0-0
Lazio vs. Werder 2-1
5. day
Lazio vs. Olympiakos
Werder vs. Real
6. day
Olympiakos vs. Werder
Real vs. Lazio
1. Real Madrid 4 2 2 0 8-4 8
2. Olympiakos 4 1 2 1 6-6 5
3. Lazio 4 1 2 1 6-6 5
4. Werder 4 1 0 3 5-8 3

Group D

1. day
Milan vs. Benfica 2-1
Shahtar vs. Celtic 2-0
2. day
Benfica vs. Shahtar 0-1
Celtic vs. Milan 2-1
3. day
Milan vs. Shahtar 4-1
Benfica vs. Celtic 1-0
4. day
Shahtar vs. Milan 0-3
Celtic vs. Benfica 1-0
5. day
Benfica vs. Milan
Celtic vs. Shahtar
6. day
Shahtar vs. Benfica
Milan vs. Celtic
1. Milan 4 3 0 1 10.4 9
2. Celtic 4 2 0 2 3-4 6
3. Shahtar 4 2 0 2 4-7 6
4. Benfica 4 1 0 3 2-4 3

Group E

1. day
Rangers vs. Stuttgart 2-1
Barcelona vs. Lyon 3-0
2. day
Stuttgart vs. Barcelona 0-2
Lyon vs. Rangers 0-3
3. day
Rangers vs. Barcelona 0-0
Stuttgart vs. Lyon 0-2
4. day
Barcelona vs. Rangers 2-0
Lyon vs. Stuttgart 4-2
5. day
Lyon vs. Barcelona
Stuttgart vs. Rangers
6. day
Barcelona vs. Stuttgart
Rangers vs. Lyon
1. Barcelona 4 3 1 0 7-0 10
2. Rangers 4 2 1 1 5-3 7
3. Lyon 4 2 0 2 6-8 6
4. Stuttgart 4 0 0 4 3-10 0

Group F

1. day
Roma vs. Dinamo 2-0
Sporting L. vs. Manchester Utd. 0-1
2. day
Dinamo K. vs. Sporting 1-2
Manchester Utd. vs. Roma 1-0

3. day
Roma vs. Sporting L. 2-1
Dinamo K. vs. Manchester Utd. 2-4
4. day
Sporting L. vs. Roma 2-2
Manchester Utd. vs. Dinamo K. 4-0
5. day
Manchester Utd. vs. Sporting L.
Dinamo K. vs. Roma
6. day
Sporting L. vs. Dinamo K.
Roma vs. Manchester Utd.
1. Manchester Utd. 4 4 0 0 10-2 12
2. Roma 4 2 1 1 6-4 7
3. Sporting Lisabon 4 1 1 2 5-6 4
4. Dinamo Kijev 4 0 0 4 3-12 0Group G
1. day
PSV vs. CSKA M. 2-1
Fenerbahce vs. Inter 1-0
2. day
CSKA M. vs. Fenerbahce 2-2
Inter vs. PSV 2-0
3. day
PSV vs. Fenerbahce 0-0
CSKA M. vs. Inter 1-2
4. day
Fenerbahce vs. PSV 2-0
Inter vs. CSKA M. 4-2
5. day
Inter vs. Fenerbahce
CSKA M. vs. PSV
6. day
Fenerbahce vs. CSKA M.
PSV vs. Inter
1. Inter 4 3 0 1 8-4 9
2. Fenerbahce 4 2 2 0 5-2 8
3. PSV Eindhoven 4 1 1 2 2-5 4
4. CSKA Moscow 4 0 1 3 6-10 1


Group H
1. day
Arsenal vs. Sevilla 3-0
Slavia vs. Steaua 2-1
2. day
Steaua vs. Arsenal 0-1
Sevilla vs. Slavia 4-2
3. day
Arsenal vs. Slavia 7-0
Sevilla vs. Steaua 2-1
4. day
Slavia vs. Arsenal 0-0
Steaua vs. Sevilla 0-2
5. day
Steaua vs. Slavia
Sevilla vs. Arsenal
6. day
Slavia vs. Sevilla
Arsenal vs. Steaua
1. Arsenal 4 3 1 0 11-0 10
2. Sevilla 4 3 0 1 8-6 9
3. Slavia Prague 4 1 1 2 4-12 4
4. Steaua 4 0 0 4 2-7 0

Ozren Podnar

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.