There were some big wins for European giants including Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Ajax Amsterdam, while there were also important results for the Manchester pair.
Group A
| Pos | Team | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | +4 | 7 |
| 2 | Napoli | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | Manchester City | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Villarreal | -5 | 0 |
Napoli 1 (Badstuber og 39’) drew with Bayern Munich 1 (Kroos 2’)
Napoli preserved their recent unbeaten run at home in European competition however Bayern might’ve taken all three points. Toni Kroos put the Germans ahead early before Holger Badstuber turned into his own net. Mario Gomez would later fail from the spot for Bayern.
Bayern boss Jupp Heynckes said: “Napoli are a dangerous team and you always have to be vigilant against them but we didn’t allow them a single chance until the equaliser. The goal we conceded was unlucky but we can make mistakes too. They’re footballers, but also humans.”
Manchester City 2 (Marchena og 43’, Aguero 90’) def Villarreal 1 (Cani 4’)
Cani struck early for the Spaniards who have been struggling in recent times, however they couldn’t make the most of their early goal, with the Sky Blues levelling through a Carlos Marchena own goal. Sergio Aguero then came off the bench to grab the winner in the third minute of stoppage-time from close range.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said: “[Sergio Agüero’s late winner] was an important goal because now everything is very open for first place. We conceded a goal after two minutes and after that it was difficult but we scored an equaliser and had another two chances and a couple in the second half; for this we deserved to beat them.”
Group B
| Pos | Team | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internazionale | 1 | 6 |
| 2 | CSKA Moscow | +2 | 4 |
| 3 | Trabzonspor | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | Lille | -1 | 2 |
CSKA Moscow 3 (Doumbia 29’, 86’, Cauna 76’) def Trabzonspor 0
Seydou Doumbia’s rampant recent form continued with a fine brace as the Russians easily accounted for Trabzonspor in Moscow. Doumbia’s second goal was something special too, as CSKA move ahead of the Turkish club and into second in the group.
CSKA boss Leonid Slutski said: “It’s obvious that we’re a bit tired of all the misfortune we’ve had lately [with injured players and league results] but everything is starting for us now and we’re glad to be still in the group. At this stage, with all our injured players, getting a result is the priority. We need to give our all in every game.”
Lille 0 def by Internazionale 1 (Pazzini 21’)
Giampaolo Pazzini hit a fine winner after a neat Inter move to down French champions Lille on the road. The Italians have been struggling in all competitions this season, so the result was a big boost for them.
Inter boss Claudio Ranieri said: “There is still a long way to go for us to find our best form, but my players are working hard and it’s clear they want to turn the corner. These kind of results are good for the players’ confidence and we have to continue on this path.”
Group C
| Pos | Team | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica | +3 | 7 |
| 2 | Manchester United | +2 | 5 |
| 3 | FC Basel | -1 | 4 |
| 4 | Otelul Galati | -4 | 0 |
Otelul Galati 0 def by Manchester United 2 (Rooney 64’ pen, 90’ pen)
The English champions were held goalless in the first-half in Romania but Nani and Wayne Rooney stepped it up a gear in the second-half to help the Red Devils clinch their first win of the 2011-12 Champions League. Rooney’s two penalties were coolly taken, although Nemanja Vidic’s straight red card didn’t help United’s cause.
A relieved United boss Sir Alex Ferguson said: “We won – that’s the important thing. We said all along we needed to win our next two games, the double-header with Oţelul. Basel have to go to Benfica and that is not easy as we know. The important thing is we do our job at Old Trafford. I’ve always said 10 points is enough to get you through.”
FC Basel 0 def by Benfica 2 (Bruno Cesar 20’, Cardozo 75’)
Benfica moved up to seven points with a classy 2-0 win in Switzerland to dent Basel’s hopes of progressing. Basel, who recently saw manager Thorsten Fink leave for Germany, were unable to cope with Benfica who produced a fine move for Bruno Cesar’s opener, before Oscar Cardozo’s free-kick. Emerson was sent off late for the Portuguese but they weathered Basel’s late rally.
Benfica boss Jorge Jesus wasn’t getting carried away, when he said: “I don’t believe that qualification is near and there are three teams [Benfica, Basel and Manchester United] fighting for it. We have three more points than Basel and that’s nothing.”
Group D
| Pos | Team | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | +8 | 9 |
| 2 | Ajax Amsterdam | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Olympique Lyon | -2 | 4 |
| 4 | Dinamo Zagreb | -5 | 0 |
Real Madrid 4 (Benzema 14’, Khedira 47’, Lloris og 55’, Sergio Ramos 81’) def Lyon 0
The Spanish giants cruised past the French outfit at the Santiago Bernabeu with ex-Lyon striker Karim Benzema breaking the deadlock before setting up Sami Khedira for the second. There were further goals to ensure the rout, which puts Real all but through to the next stage.
Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho said: “We played well and won well. From the first minute I felt we were going to win the match”. It is important to have nine points, especially now that Ajax and Lyon have four points each. We are almost there in terms of finishing first in the group, which is our main objective.”
Dinamo Zagreb 0 def by Ajax Amsterdam 2 (Boerrigter 49’, Eriksen 90’)
Croatian champions Dinamo remain pointless and without a goal in this group after going down 2-0 at home to Ajax who scored twice in the second-half. Dinamo had some early pressure but couldn’t capitalise and the Dutch champions began to dominate and eventually got their goals.
Ajax boss Frank de Boer said: “We knew from the start that Madrid away would be a difficult task and that although we would like to take three points at home to Lyon, the Zagreb matches would be crucial to at least play in Europe after the winter break. We have taken a big step in the right direction.”