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| Man Utd lose record, Bayern revive hopes |
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Friday, November 27, 2009
LONDON: Manchester United’s 23-match unbeaten Champions League home run ended with a 1-0 loss to Besiktas on Wednesday, sending the battle for top spot in Group B down to the final match.
An under-strength United, which had already qualified for the knockout phase, lost to Rodrigo Tello’s 20th-minute strike.
Tello’s effort from 30 meters dipped and bounced beyond United goalkeeper Ben Foster to give bottom-place Besiktas its first win in the group.
United still has a three point lead over Wolfsburg and CSKA Moscow, which beat the Germans 2-1 in Moscow earlier Wednesday.
United, which is at Wolfsburg on December 8, will want to take top spot to secure a more favorable draw in the last 16.
“I think we were a bit anxious but its not a bad thing — they’re young and you expect that,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, who fielded a largely young side for the match.
“It was a stellar performance in terms of the flow of the game and we’ve shown some really good things,” added Ferguson.
Bayern Munich, facing an early Champions League exit, revived their chances of reaching the last 16 as they beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 and rivals Juventus lost at Girondins Bordeaux, who have qualified for the knockout stage.
Bayern dominated and controlled the ball from the start, who produced good goal scoring opportunities but failed to score at the first half.
Macabi Haifa staged a well-positioned defence to resist Bayern’s attack. After interval, Bayern striker Ivica Olic opened the scoring at the 62nd minute.
Mario Gomez hammered to target but was denied by Maccabi goalkeeper Nir Davidovitch before Olic slotted in from close distance into the open goal.
Fernando Menegazzo and Marouane Chamakh both scored to give Bordeaux a 2-0 win over Juventus that guarantees the French side top spot in Group A.
Bayern will in the next round face Juventus, who have eight points, one clear of third-placed Bayern.
Haifa, bottom of the group, have yet to score a point or a goal in the competition.
In Group C, nine-time champions Real Madrid took a huge step towards securing their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 victory over FC Zurich.
Cristiano Ronaldo ended two months of injury torment with a 20-minute appearance.
A 21st minute goal from Argentine Gonzalo Higuain secured a narrow victory for Real who now lead the group, two points ahead of AC Milan who drew 1-1 with Marseille, and need just a point in the final game at Marseille to secure qualification.
Milan took an early lead when Marco Borriello rounded Gabriel Heinze and shot past Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda in the 10th minute.
Marseille drew level six minutes later when Lucho Gonzalez pounced on a loose ball in the box and fired home after Milan goalkeeper Dida failed to clear a cross.
In Group D, Nicolas Anelka stunned Porto for the second time this season as Chelsea finished top of Group D with a 1-0 victory in the Estadio do Dragao.
Anelka, who scored the winner when the two teams met at Stamford Bridge, stooped to head home a cross from Florent Malouda in the 69th minute.
Chelsea have 13 points from five matches with Porto on nine. Atletico Madrid have three and APOEL Nicosia have two following their 1-1 draw in the group’s oter game.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
