Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

Champions League: Bayern canter through, Rossi rescues Villarreal

August 24, 2011 09:44 IST

Bayern Munich cantered into the Champions League group stages after a 1-0 victory at FC Zurich on Tuesday while two goals from Giuseppe Rossi rescued Villarreal against Odense.

Former European Cup winners Bayern, who will host the final at their Allianz Arena stadium in May, never looked in danger after Mario Gomez's seventh-minute goal completed a 3-0 aggregate win in their playoff against the Swiss side.

FC Bayern's Munich Mario Gomez celebrates with teammates Thomas Mueller (right) and Franck Ribery (left) after scoring against FC ZurichVillarreal, with a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Danes Odense, struggled to break the deadlock until Rossi scored twice in 16 minutes in the second half and Carlos Marchena added a third to seal a 3-0 win on the night.

Dinamo Zagreb progressed 4-3 on aggregate despite losing 2-0 at Sweden's Malmo, who like Odense had never qualified for the Champions League proper.

Wisla Krakow, another side hoping to make their debut, were also thwarted as they lost 3-1 at APOEL Nicosia and were beaten 3-2 overall.

Ailton scored twice for the Cypriot side including the decisive goal in the 87th minute.

Racing Genk's match at home to Maccabi Haifa went into extra-time when the Belgians led 2-1 after normal time, the Israelis having won the first leg by the same score.

Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.