Barcelona 3-1 AC Milan (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

Lionel Messi rocketed back into goalscoring form by firing Barcelona into the knock-out stages of the Champions League in a 3-1 win over AC Milan.

The Argentina international had not scored in three games prior to the Group H clash, but he put the Catalan giants ahead after half an hour at Camp Nou, scoring from the penalty spot after Neymar had been brought down by Ignazio Abate.

Sergio Busquets headed the home side further in front nine minutes later, when he got just enough contact on an inswinging set piece from Xavi to guide the ball home and register his second goal of the season.

Milan pulled one back a minute before the break courtesy of Gerard Pique's own goal - with Kaka's cross being diverted past Victor Valdes courtesy of a ricochet off the defender.

But Messi scored his second after 83 minutes, following good link-up play with Cesc Fabregas, as Barcelona moved five points clear at the top of their group and kept up their unbeaten home record. 

Carles Puyol failed to make the bench for Barca, despite having featured twice since his return from a long-term knee injury, with Javier Mascherano and Pique starting in the centre of defence for the second successive game.

Massimiliano Allegri left striker Mario Balotelli on the bench, after a run of four games without a goal, while Kaka made his 90th Champions League appearance as the coach sought to avoid a fifth successive match without a win.

The home side made much of the early running, Xavi curling a free kick just wide after three minutes, before Messi was crowded out in the area as he attempted to fashion an opportunity.

Alexis then came close to nudging home Adriano's cross after 21 minutes, but he was unable to connect at the far post.

Barca went ahead through Messi on the half-hour mark when he powered a penalty past Christian Abbiati.

Neymar was hauled down in the box by Abate as he attempted to reach a dinked Andres Iniesta throughball, with Messi keeping his cool to score his fifth goal of Barcelona's European campaign.

Riccardo Montolivo almost levelled six minutes later, flashing an effort wide of Valdes' right-hand post, but Barca continued to dominate and doubled their lead five minutes from the break.

Busquets glanced home a header from Xavi's delivery to give Abbiati no chance.

Milan, though, pulled one back in the final minute of the half, when they were given a lifeline in somewhat fortuitous circumstances as Kaka's attempted pull back clipped Pique and found its way past a wrong-footed Valdes.

Balotelli was introduced at the break and was quickly into the action, shaking off Mascherano and Adriano in the area before hitting a fierce shot that Valdes smothered.

The Italian then set up Kaka, who could only fire wide from close range, as Milan started the second half with purpose. 

However, while they enjoyed plenty of possession, they failed to carve out clear-cut chances, as Barca's defence stood firm, while Neymar and Sanchez reminded Milan of their threat on the counter.

Messi completed his double and wrapped up the match seven minutes from time, finishing neatly after a clever one-two with Fabregas to put Barca on the verge of the knockout phase.

Borussia Dortmund 0-1 Arsenal (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

The visitors took the lead in the 62nd minute with a header from Aaron Ramsey - the side's first attempt on goal - and went on to repel a late siege from Dortmund to secure a valuable three points.

Victory leaves Arsenal top of the group on nine points, while Dortmund - playing their 100th tie in the European Cup - slip out of the top two as a result of Napoli's win over basement club Marseille.

Jurgen Klopp made one enforced change from the side that stormed to a 6-1 Bundesliga victory over Stuttgart on Friday, with Mats Hummels (thigh) making way for Neven Subotic.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were unchanged from a 2-0 victory over Liverpool that sent them five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

It was Subotic who had Dortmund’s first meaningful shot at goal, capitalising on a poor Aaron Ramsey clearance from a Marco Reus free-kick to hook narrowly wide of Wojciech Szczesny’s right-hand post.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan spurned the best chance of the first half eight minutes from the interval as he guided the ball wide of the left-hand post from the edge of the penalty area after receiving the ball from Jakub Blaszczykowski.

Szczesny was called into action early in the second half as Reus got on the end of a cross from the right and forced the goalkeeper into a diving save amid some questionable marking.

Reus had the ball in the back of the net a couple of minutes later as the hosts began to find holes in the Arsenal defence. Szczesny made a superb save from Blaszczykowski, before Reus pounced on the rebound only to be deemed offside by the assistant referee.

Klopp compared Arsenal's style of play to a symphony orchestra in the build-up to this match, while stating a preference for his own brand of heavy-metal football, but Dortmund were left singing the blues as Ramsey put the London club ahead with their first chance of the match.

Mesut Ozil chipped a wonderful ball into the penalty area and Olivier Giroud got his head to it before Ramsey provided the decisive touch, nodding beyond Roman Weidenfeller.

The Welshman went close to doubling the visitors' lead four minutes later but was denied by an improvised Weidenfeller save, and Nuri Sahin was forced to clear off the line from the resulting corner.

As Arsenal suddenly stepped up a gear, Per Mertesacker was next to go close, cushioning a header narrowly over the Dortmund crossbar.

Robert Lewandowski headed over in the dying minutes, but Arsenal held on for maximum points.

Chelsea 3-0 Schalke (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

The visitors' experienced goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand paid the price for dwelling on the ball in the first half when his belated attempt at a clearance hit Samuel Eto’o and went into the back of the net.

Eto’o was the scourge of the Schalke keeper once again after the break, the Cameroon striker converting only his third goal for Chelsea, and his replacement Demba Ba scored his first of the season to ensure Jose Mourinho's men moved clear top of Group E.

Chelsea have now won all three Champions League games since losing their opening fixture against Basel and this was their 100th victory in UEFA competitions.

Schalke, by contrast, suffered a first defeat in eight away games, but remain second and still in with a good chance of repeating last season’s achievement of reaching the knockout stages.

Eden Hazard was not even on the bench and Eto'o replaced the injured Fernando Torres (thigh) as Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho reacted to Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle by making six changes to his starting line-up.

Schalke manager Jens Keller opted for the experience of Jermaine Jones in midfield over teenager Max Meyer and striker Adam Szalai was passed fit despite requiring an ear operation after Saturday's win at Hertha Berlin.

Mourinho was baffled by his side's display at Newcastle and will likely have been scratching his head again in the first five minutes as Schalke spurned two opportunities.

Petr Cech could only watch on as Julian Draxler's right-foot strike flashed just past the far post and the Germany midfielder then set off on an incisive run before setting up Szalai, who also fired narrowly wide.

Chelsea started to get into their stride and Hildebrand gifted them the lead after 31 minutes as Eto'o charged down the 34-year-old's clearance.

The lively Draxler came close once again early in the second period when he cut in from the right and lined up a measured left-foot strike, but Cech made a fine fingertip save.

the hosts doubled their lead nine minutes into the half as Willian surged forward and played in Eto'o. The former Barcelona striker beat Hildebrand with a clinical right-foot finish across goal.

Ba then got in on the act when Frank Lampard set him up for a well taken left-foot volley seven minutes from time.

Napoli 3-2 Olympique de Marseille (CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)

Napoli claimed an exciting 3-2 victory over  Olympique de Marseille to remain in position to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League.

The French side stunned their hosts early on when Andre Ayew opened the scoring but goals from Gokhan Inler and Gonzalo Higuain had Rafael Benitez's side ahead at the break. Florian Thauvin levelled matters but Higuain proved the match winner.

Barcelona vs AC Milan

Barcelona will aim to extend their 22-match unbeaten streak when they host AC Milan at Camp Nou on Wednesday.

The Catalan giants have made an excellent start to the season, topping La Liga with 11 wins from 12 fixtures, while also leading the way in Champions League Group H with seven points from three games. 

New head coach Gerardo Martino has not lost a match since taking over at Barcelona - the club's last defeat came to Bayern Munich in May - and they would move five points clear of Milan with a win on Wednesday.

Their recent form is in spite of a goal drought from Lionel Messi, who has scored just once, during the 1-1 draw at San Siro in last month’s reverse fixture with Milan, in his last five matches.

Messi has still scored four goals in three Champions League fixtures this term, with the Argentine netting a hat-trick on matchday one against Ajax.

That was his fourth Champions League treble - a feat no other player has achieved - and his 24th hat-trick for the Blaugrana.

Barcelona have lost just one of their last 23 Champions League fixtures at home - that being the 3-0 reverse against Bayern in last season's semi-finals - while they have won 21 in a row at home in La Liga.While Messi has not been among the goals in recent times, Alexis Sanchez has helped to fill the void, netting five in as many matches.

Jonathan dos Santos suffered knee ligament damage last month and has been sidelined until next year, while Jordi Alba (hamstring), Ibrahim Afellay (thigh) and Isaac Cuenca (knee) are all long-term absentees.

Milan - who sit second in Group H with five points from three matches - have not won on their last five visits to Spain and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Fiorentina on Saturday, a result that saw them slide to 11th in Serie A.

Massimiliano Allegri's side are already 19 points behind table-toppers Roma and a repeat of last season's third-placed finish looks unlikely, although they also started poorly in 2012-13.

The Rossoneri have not won an away match this season, losing three and drawing four, and all signs point towards that trend continuing on Wednesday.

Defender Mattia De Sciglio (knee) made his first appearance since August last month, but attackers Stephan El Shaarawy (thigh) and Giampaolo Pazzini (knee) will be sidelined for some time.

Another defender, Daniele Bonera, is back in training following a knee injury, but is unlikely to feature in Spain.

Juventus 2 - 2 Real Madrid

Juventus and Real Madrid have played equal ( 2-2 ) to match valid for the fourth lap the group stage of the Champions League . Although there was no winner , the show did not fail in the face of two giants of European football .
T-shirts black and white players were dominant in every part of the field in the first faction to control the flow and pace of the game .

Bianconeri created numerous occasions in the first half , but did not show their effective completion . In some cases protection and Iker Casillas guest proved decisive .

However , the involvement of local players has paid off with the wrong intervention to the detriment of Pogbas Varanese who was punished with penalties . Arturo Vidal had to lead the Lady ( 42 ' ) .

As for guests , offensive stage was silent during the first faction , but there were strikes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale .

The locals went terribly wrong the second half with an error of Caceres , who Benzemas enabled him to grab the ball and follow the one who does not forgive - Cristiano Ronaldo ( 52 ' ) .

A few minutes later Xabi Alonso stadium shook with a powerful shot that crashed into the pole .

The reversal came from Gareth Bale . After a counterattack Los Blancos , Welshman did well to score the lead ( 60 ' ) .

However , the Bianconeri returned quickly to level the score through Llorentes Fernando , who scored thanks to Martin Caceres cross ( 65 ' ) .

In the minutes following the pace of the game dropped . Bianconeri tried to snatch full points , while waiting to punish kings . However , no other goals were scored .

After four lap , Real Madrid counts 10 points while battling for second place Galatasaray , Copenhagen ( with four points) and Juventus has three points at the end of the group .

Real Madrid 2-1 Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo starred as Real Madrid defeated 10-man Juventus to put one foot in the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.

Ronaldo scored twice in the first half - his sixth and seventh goals of the competition this season - either side of Fernando Llorente's equaliser, before Juve saw Giorgio Chiellini sent off for an alleged elbow on the Portugal international.

Chiellini, who conceded the penalty that handed Ronaldo his second, was shown a straight red card three minutes into the second period when it looked as though he had done nothing more than fend off the forward with his arm.

Carlo Ancelotti made four changes from Saturday's 2-0 win over Malaga, including the return of Iker Casillas in goal and Karim Benzema up front.

For Juventus, Martin Caceres was in action for the first time since suffering a knee injury in early September, the defender one of three changes from Sunday alongside Angelo Ogbonna and Arturo Vidal.

The visitors threatened as early as the second minute - Claudio Marchisio stinging the palms of Casillas with a rasping drive from 25 yards.

However, two minutes later Ronaldo put Madrid in front with a well-taken goal. The Portuguese forward was slipped in by Angel Di Maria, before rounding Gianluigi Buffon and slotting home.

Midway through the half, Juventus drew level as Llorente fired home a rebound from six yards after Casillas had kept out Paul Pogba's back-post header from Caceres' cross.

Parity lasted for just seven minutes as Ronaldo netted his second of the night from the penalty spot.

Chiellini was adjudged to have brought down Sergio Ramos inside the area while defending a free kick and Ronaldo placed the resulting set piece high to Buffon's right.

Five minutes later Andrea Pirlo wasted a chance to equalise for a second time, blazing over from a tight angle following a scramble in the box.

Ronaldo then fired narrowly wide having being fed by Benzema four minutes before the break as the contest continued at a furious pace.

Two minutes after the interval, the visitors were dealt a cruel blow when Chiellini was shown a straight red card for what the referee deemed to be an elbow on Ronaldo, although replays suggested the decision was harsh.

Benzema should have put Madrid further ahead on the hour, somehow turning the ball over from point-blank range after being picked out by Alvaro Arbeloa.

Sami Khedira was next to threaten in the 72nd minute, sending a tame chip into the arms of Buffon when clear on goal but it did not matter as Madrid made it three wins from as many European matches this season.

Galatasaray 3-1 Copenhagen Match Report

Galatasaray kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Copenhagen on Wednesday.

First-half goals from Felipe Melo, Wesley Sneijder and Didier Drogba handed Roberto Mancini his first victory in Europe with the Turkish side, despite Claudemir's late strike.

It keeps them in with a shout of qualifying from Group B - which is led by Real Madrid and also includes Juventus - while their Danish opponents are rock-bottom with one point from three matches.

Galatasaray coach Mancini opted to make three changes from the 2-1 Super Lig win over Karabukspor last Saturday, with a double switch-up at the back seeing Dany Nounkeu and Emmanuel Eboue drafted in.

There was also a return to the starting line-up for 18-year-old attacker Bruma, who was preferred to his more senior counterpart Ceyhun Gulselam for the encounter.

There were two changes for Copenhagen boss Stale Solbakken following the 3-0 league win over AAB: Pierre Bengtsson came in for Christoffer Remmer, and Daniel Braaten was also given the nod in a more experienced line-up.

It was the home side that were quickly on top, though, with Melo putting his men ahead after just 10 minutes, heading home a stunning cross from Nounkeu that left goalkeeper Johan Wiland with little chance.

The strong start clearly fired Mancini's men up as Drogba went close to doubling the tally only minutes later, but after holding off Ragnar Sigurdsson he saw his shot blocked by Wiland.

Sneijder, who was on hand to fire home the second in the 38th minute, though, converting from the edge of the box after collecting a pass from Eboue.

And Galatasaray practically wrapped up the points on the stroke of half-time when Drogba added the third from inside the area.

It was little surprise that Solbakken changed things around at half-time, adding Christian Bolanos and Fanendo Adi to the mix.

It looked to have paid off soon after as Nicolai Jorgensen flicked on a fine ball, only to see Aurelien Chedjou cut it out.

They were almost made to rue the missed opportunity in the 66th minute when Burak Yilmaz went one on one with Wiland, but having beaten the 32-year-old, he poked the ball just wide.

The visitors did get their consolation with four minutes left, but Claudemir's measured finish past Fernando Muslera was too little, too late.

Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Stefan Kiessling once again made the headlines as his double helped Bayer Leverkusen seal an emphatic victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Group A.

Kiessling had been at the centre of controversy with a 'ghost goal' in his side's Bundesliga win over Hoffenheim last week, but there was no doubt about his strikes on Wednesday as he headed the Germans in front midway through the first half, before Simon Rolfes slotted home from the spot just after the break.
 
Sidney Sam added a third with a well-taken finish, before Kiessling poked home his second of the night with 18 minutes left to confirm the win.
 
The result extends Leverkusen's unbeaten run at home in the Champions League group stages to eight games, and leaves them just a point behind Group A leaders Manchester United.
 
Leverkusen coach Sami Hyypia made four changes to the side that beat Hoffenheim, with Emir Spahic, Giulio Donati, Emre Can and Son Heung-Min all handed starts. Lars Bender missed out with a thigh injury.
 
The visitors, who travelled to Germany on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run, made two changes, welcoming back captain Darijo Srna while Tomas Hubschman was preferred to Taras Stepanenko.
 
Leverkusen made the more encouraging start, with first Rolfes and then Sam testing Andriy Pyatov within the opening 10 minutes.
 
Much had been made of Shakhtar's attacking threat, but the visitors struggled to find any sort of rhythm during the early exchanges, although the hosts breathed a sigh of relief when Yaroslav Rakitsky sent an early free-kick just wide of the post.
 
Leverkusen continued to have the upper hand in the centre of the park, and they were rewarded for their efforts after 23 minutes when Kiessling rose brilliantly to meet Donati's whipped cross and head his side into the lead.
 
The in-form striker should have doubled his tally just before half-time, but could not keep his header down this time.
 
Shakhtar were nearly level just a few seconds later when Alex Teixeira raced away from the defence before lashing his shot into the side-netting.
 
Leverkusen continued to press, though, and they increased their lead after the break when captainRolfes slotted home from the spot, after Kiessling had been brought down by Srna.
 
Things soon got even better for the hosts when some slack defending allowed Sam to beat the offside trap and calmly slot home for his 11th goal in 15 games.
 
Shakhtar substitute Bernard should have found the net 10 minutes later, but he could not connect with Douglas Costa's low cross.
 
Kiessling continued to cause problems, and he was soon rewarded again for his fine performance 18 minutes from time, pouncing on a mistake by Pyatov to score from close range.
 
The hosts could have had a fifth late on, with both Can and Sam missing good opportunities, on what was otherwise a fantastic night for Hyypia's men.

Bayern Munich 5-0 Viktoria Plzen Match Report

Bayern Munich maintained their 100 per cent record in Champions League Group D by thrashing Viktoria Plzen 5-0 at the Allianz Arena.

Franck Ribery scored twice to take his tally to three goals in his last two Champions League games as the European champions sent out another message of intent.

Pep Guardiola's side dominated from start to finish, with David Alaba, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Mario Gotze also on target as Czech champions Plzen were totally outclassed.

Free-scoring Bayern have scored 11 goals in their first three Group D matches and they will take some stopping on this evidence, while Plzen are yet to pick up a point.

Ribery (ankle) was passed fit to return to Bayern's starting line-up as Thomas Muller dropped to the bench.

Guardiola drafted in left-back Diego Contento to partner Daniel Van Buyten at the heart of the Bayern defence in the absence of Dante (ankle) and Jerome Boateng (suspension).

Plzen, meanwhile, were boosted by the return of defender David Limbersky from a calf injury after a month on the sidelines.

The Germans wasted no time in putting the Czech champions on the back foot and Arjen Robben should have scored just five minutes in, when Mario Mandzukic nodded the ball into the Dutch winger's path, but he failed to hit the target from six yards out.

Plzen were struggling to contain the European champions and they fell behind after 26 minutes, when Robben waltzed into the penalty area and was upended by Roman Hubnik.

Ribery cooly placed the resulting spot-kick into the bottom-right corner of the net for his second Champions League goal of the season.

It was one-way traffic, and Bayern and could have had a second goal two minutes later as the lively Robben released Mandzukic and the Croatia striker dragged the ball back inside, only for goalkeeper Matus Kozacik to come out to narrow the angle and deny him.

Kozacik then kept out a Van Buyten header from close range,  but he could do nothing to preventAlaba doubling Bayern's lead eight minutes before half-time when the Austrian full-back cut inside and found the bottom corner.

Plzen looked mesmerised by Bayern's slick movement and another fine spell resulted in Ribery crossing for Mandzukic to slot home from close range, but the striker was adjudged to be offside.

France winger Ribery then opted to go it alone after 61 minutes, when he turned his marker inside out on the edge of the box before dinking the ball over the advancing Kozacik and into the net.

Three minutes later, Gotze made an instant impact  after coming off the bench as he laid on a fourth goal for Schweinsteiger, who turned sharply and produced a clinical finish.

Gotze then got his name on the scoresheet in time added on when he converted Robben's inviting cross to seal the win.

Fernando Torres inspires Chelsea win

It was a professional display from Jose Mourinho's side, as they weathered some good attacking spells from a lively Schalke but picked their opponents off with three expertly taken goals, two via slick breakaways.

Mourinho's side are now top of Group E after Basel could only draw with Steaua Bucharest in Romania.

Schalke's defence was exposed early on when Frank Lampard's inswinging corner was glanced on by Branislav Ivanovic.

The ball evaded the Schalke defence and goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand for Torres to nod in at the far post.

Schalke enjoyed plenty of possession and were dynamic in attack. Kevin-Prince Boateng, once of Tottenham and Portsmouth, Christian Clemens, Julian Draxler and Max Meyer operated as a fluid front four, without finding a clinical final pass or shot.

Twice Petr Cech saved when a Schalke player was offside, while Atsuto Uchida passed up a glorious opportunity when played in by Roman Neustadter, lifting his shot high.

Chelsea were struggling to get the ball, let alone keep it. But there were still warning signs for Schalke and a dazzling Hazard run went unrewarded as the ball became caught under the Belgian's feet inside the box.

A Schalke surge closed the first half, with Cesar Azpilicueta blocking from Meyer when Cech could only claw away a Dennis Aogo cross before the goalkeeper tipped over a Boateng shot.

From the resulting corner Cech had to acrobatically tip over a header from the unmarked Neustadter.

The next set-piece resulted in a goalmouth scramble which ended when Benedikt Howedes backheeled wide.

John Terry then blocked from Draxler as the half ended with Chelsea's slender advantage intact.

The visitors had little respite early in the second half, but came close to extending their advantage when Lampard lofted a free-kick into the box and Torres leapt to meet it, his header rebounding down off the woodwork.

A Schalke set-piece troubled the visitors once more when Howedes lost his marker, but headed wide.

The hosts were made to pay in thrilling style by a Hazard-inspired break.

As another Schalke attack broke down, the Belgian nipped in ahead of a sliding Aogo and burst into the Schalke half - where Oscar assumed possession.

Three blue-shirted attackers swarmed forward and the Brazilian showed great strength to hold off Jones and play the ball square for Torres.

The Spaniard's first touch wrong-footed Hildebrand and he was able to fire in to complete a scintillating counter-attack.

Recognising Chelsea had exerted the near knockout blow, Mourinho brought on defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel for Andre Schurrle and David Luiz for Oscar.

The Blues then showed a ruthless streak with a late third. Ramires prodded the ball forward for Hazard to run half of the field, Torres provided a distraction and the Belgian tucked in to complete victory.

AC Milan 1-1 Barcelona (Match Report) Champions League 2014

Lionel Messi struck his sixth goal against Milan in the Champions League to earn Barcelona a 1-1 draw in their Group H clash with AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday.

The hosts took the lead early in the match with a well-worked move that saw Kaka set-up his Brazilian team-mate Robinho to give Milan an eighth-minute lead.

But Messi, who was making his first start since recovering from a thigh problem, saved a point for the Catalans.

Robinho and Adriano Correia both missed excellent opportunities to secure all three points in the second half, but neither could force either goalkeeper into action.

Marco Amelia replaced Christian Abbiati in goal for the hosts, while Mario Balotelli was fit enough to take his place on the bench after recovering from thigh problem of his own.

Messi returned to the Barcelona starting line-up after coming on a substitute in Barca's goalless draw with Osasuna at the weekend, although Carles Puyol was rested.

Milan started well and looked threatening with Kaka and Robinho, and the latter opened the scoring in the ninth minute.

The Brazilian pair linked up well on the counter attack and, when Kaka rolled a perfect pass across the penalty area, Robinho made no mistake as he fired past Victor Valdes.

Barcelona raised their game after being stunned by the former Real Madrid striker's goal and began to control large spells of possession, Messi going close to an equaliser from a free-kick before he did level the scores midway through the first half.

Messi drifted in off the right to receive a pass from Iniesta, beat his defender and rifled the ball into the bottom corner to give Amelia no chance.

Both sides had chances to take the lead before half-time, but both Philippe Mexes and Alexis Sanchez missed from close range.

The hosts should have retaken the lead seven minutes into the second half only for Robinho to miss when unmarked inside the penalty area.

Milan broke on the counter attack as Sulley Muntari was released down the left and he delivered an early cross into the penalty area that evaded Gerard Pique and left the Brazilian with the simple task of firing home, but he missed his kick and the ball rolled to safety.

With twenty minutes remaining, Adriano could have scored for the Liga side but wasted a fantastic opportunity. The Brazilian was picked out perfectly by Messi, after escaping the attentions of Kaka, but fired wide from close range.

The result leaves Barcelona top of Group H with seven points, two clear of Milan after their opening three matches.

Arsenal 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (Match Report)Champions League 2014

Robert Lewandowski's late goal condemned Arsenal to their first defeat since the opening day of the season in a 2-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger, who celebrated his 64th birthday on Tuesday, saw his Arsenal side start slowly and the Premier League leaders were quickly punished when Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot past Wojciech Szczesny.

Olivier Giroud was on hand to draw Arsenal level shortly before the break, as he took his tally for the season to nine, before Robert Lewandowski grabbed the winner for last season's beaten finalists eight minutes from time. 

The hosts brought former Dortmund midfielder Tomas Rosicky in for the injured Mathieu Flamini, while Ramsey regained his starting spot ahead of Santi Cazorla, having come off the bench to score his fifth Premier League goal of the season against Norwich City on Saturday.

Jurgen Klopp served the second and final game of his touchline ban after being sent to the stands against Napoli in September and he made three changes from Saturday's 1-0 win against Hannover.

Mats Hummels returned in defence along with Marcel Schmelzer, who made his first start for the club since September following a thigh injury.

Jakub Blaszczykowski was preferred ahead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Assistant coach Zeljko Buvac took Klopp's place in the dugout and saw Dortmund enjoy more possession early on, but were unable to test Szczesny, with Kevin Grosskreutz and Hummels both firing well over in the opening six minutes.

Marco Reus powered an effort just past Szczesny's right-hand post before the Germany international dispossessed Ramsey well to allow Mkhitaryan a sight on goal after 16 minutes.

Robert Lewandowski then played the loose ball into the Armenia international, who fired low past a helpless Szczesny to put the visitors in front with his first Champions League goal for the club.

Arsenal's first attempt came six minutes later, with Laurent Koscielny heading a Mesut Ozil free kick over Roman Weidenfeller's bar before Jack Wilshere almost got on the end of a clipped Rosicky through-ball, only for it to get away from him and roll behind for a goal kick.

The home side continued to grow into the game and were almost rewarded when Rosicky's shot was blocked on the line by Neven Subotic, with Weidenfeller beaten, eight minutes from the break.

The Premier League leaders were level just three minutes late, however, courtesy of Giroud's close-range finish after a defensive mix-up from the visitors.

Bacary Sagna's delivery clipped Subotic, causing Weidenfeller to fumble, with Giroud on hand to level in emphatic fashion as he scored his second in as many Champions League matches.

Grosskreutz had the first chance of the second half for the visitors, but he saw his sidefooted effort saved easily by Szczesny before substitute Cazorla hit the angle of post and bar with a curled effort from outside the area.

Dortmund got the crucial goal after 82 minutes, courtesy of Lewandowski's 10th strike of the season.

The Poland international ghosted in at the far post to calmly stroke home Grosskreutz's delivery and ensure Dortmund ended Arsenal's 12-game unbeaten run in all competitions.

Schalke 0-3 Chelsea (Match Report) Champions League 2014

The Spain striker, making his 100th start for Chelsea, opened the scoring with an early header and was on target again in the second half to take his tally to five goals in his last five Champions League games.

And Eden Hazard put the icing on the cake with a third goal three minutes from time as Schalke pressed forward.

Jose Mourinho's side did not have things all their own way in Gelsenkirchen on Tuesday, but the victory ensured they are now joint top of Group E along with their German opponents.

Schalke won their opening two matches in the group and had not conceded a goal before facing Chelsea, but a lack of cutting edge in the absence of injured duo Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jefferson Farfan was evident.

Mourinho made five changes to the Chelsea side that beat Cardiff City in the Premier League on Saturday, with Cesar Azpilicueta starting in an unfamiliar left-back role as Ryan Bertrand dropped to the bench.

Huntelaar (knee) and Farfan (groin) were sidelined for the hosts, but they did welcome back midfielders Kevin-Prince Boateng and Jermaine Jones along with goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand.

Torres was another player recalled to Chelsea's line-up and he took less than two minutes to make his presence felt, turning sharply in the box and unleashing a shot that was deflected for a corner.

And the Spain striker opened the scoring three minutes later when Frank Lampard's corner was flicked on by Branislav Ivanovic and Torres stooped unmarked at the back post to head home.

Schalke started to get into their stride and marauding right-back Atsuto Uchida burst into the Chelsea penalty area but blazed high and wide at full stretch after 26 minutes.

Boateng stung Petr Cech's palms with a long-range drive seven minutes before half-time and from the resulting corner the Chelsea keeper had to be alert once again to tip over Roman Neustadter's towering header.

Torres was unfortunate not to double Chelsea's lead five minutes after the break when he met Lampard's inviting free kick with a glancing header that struck the bar.

The 29-year-old then got on the end of another Lampard corner but headed wide at the far post from close range before Cech palmed away a shot from Benedikt Howedes at the other end.

Howedes had another great chance but headed wide after 66 minutes and he was made to pay when Chelsea extended their advantage three minutes later.

Schalke were caught in possession in midfield and Chelsea broke sharply, with Oscar racing down the right and finding Torres, who took a touch to round Hildebrand before slotting into the empty net.

And Hazard added a third three minutes from time when he raced through on goal and produced a clinical left-foot finish into the far corner.

Olympique de Marseille 1-2 Napoli (Report Match) Champions League 2014

Napoli kept their hopes of qualification for the Champions League knock-out stages intact with a 2-1 win at Marseille on Tuesday.

The Italian side headed into the game looking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the previous round of Group F.

Marseille were without a point following losses against the Gunners and Borussia Dortmund, and their hopes of progression were dealt a further blow as Napoli cruised to a comfortable victory.

Former Real Madrid winger Jose Callejon and Colombian attacker Duvan Zapata put Napoli command, before Andre Ayew pulled one back for Marseille to set up a tense finish.

Napoli sit joint top of the pool on six points with Arsenal and Dortmund following the German side's 2-1 win at the Emirates Stadium, but Marseille are well adrift at the bottom.

Dimitri Payet returned for Marseille after serving a domestic suspension at the weekend, while defender Souleymane Diawara and midfielder Benoit Cheyrou also came in to the side.

The inclusion of striker Gonzalo Higuain was one of four changes made by Napoli coach Rafa Benitez, who also restored winger Dries Mertens to the starting XI in place of Lorenzo Insigne following Friday's Serie A defeat to Roma.

Marseille keeper Steve Mandanda was tested early when he was forced into a fine diving save to prevent winger Mertens from finding the net with a free-kick after just two minutes.

However, Napoli controlled much of the early stages and, although midfielder Cheyrou went close for Marseille, they should have taken the lead in the 13th minute when defender Pablo Armero fired wide from close range.

The hosts frustrated Benitez’s side for long periods, but they were almost caught out on the counter-attack when Higuain inexplicably fired wide with only Mandanda to beat.

But, three minutes before the break, Napoli did deservedly go ahead as Callejon displayed great control to bring down Higuain's wonderful ball over the top before cutting inside Rod Fanni and firing a half-volley beyond Mandanda.

Marseille made a quick start to the second half, and nearly drew level seven minutes after the break, only for Payet to head over the bar.

Elie Baup's side dictated the play for large periods as they looked to try and craft an equaliser, but their lack of quality in front of goal was summed up when Ayew failed to connect with a right-wing cross from Payet.

And their hopes were all but ended after 66 minutes when substitute Zapata curled a glorious right-footed effort into the top corner after latching on to a deft flick-on from Mertens.

Marseille laboured to try and find a way back into the game in the closing stages and, althoughAyew found the net with a superb low volley four minutes from time, the 1992-93 European champions could not complete a late comeback and now face an uphill struggle to avoid finishing bottom of the group.

Celtic 2-1 Ajax Report Match Champions League 2014

Goals either side of half-time from James Forrest and Beram Kayal gave Celtic a 2-1 Champions League win over Ajaxon Tuesday.

Having fallen to Group H defeats against Milan and Barcelona, triumph over the Eredivisie outfit represents a huge boost to the Scottish champions' European hopes.But it was tough going at times for Neil Lennon's men, with Christian Poulsen striking the post for the visitors before Forrest converted from the spot thanks to Stefano Denswil's 43rd-minute foul on Anthony Stokes.

Beram's speculative deflected drive early in the second period sent the home crowd into raptures, while Thulani Serero spurned Ajax's best two chances and drew a rash tackle from substitute Nir Biton that meant Celtic finished with 10 men before Lasse Schone netted an emphatic consolation as the game's final act.

Kayal replaced suspended Celtic captain Scott Brown in the centre of midfield, while Forrest was rewarded for his equaliser from the bench against Hibernian with a start on the right wing in place of hamstring victim Kris Commons.

Joel Veltman started his first Champions League game for Ajax in central defence as manager Frank de Boer also restored veteran midfielder Poulsen.

After an enterprising start from the home side, it was Ajax who went closest to opening the scoring when Poulsen steered a side-footed volley against the post with half an hour played after Charlie Mulgrew failed to clear a free-kick from Viktor Fischer.

But just as Celtic were beginning to toil they took the lead on the stroke of half-time after Denswil clumsily felled Stokes on the left-hand edge of the penalty area.

Debate over Forrest's spotting of the ball ensued, with Veltman, Poulsen and Celtic's Virgil van Dijk booked for their part in the argument, but the 22-year-old kept his cool to drill the kick beyond Jasper Cillessen's dive into the top right corner.

Perhaps buoyed by his end to the first-half, Forrest rampaged in from the right and forced Denswil to scramble clear at the near post two minutes after the restart.

Fraser Forster produced a stunning save to thwart Serero following the Ajax midfielder's slick one-two with Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, before Celtic claimed an unlikely two-goal cushion in the 54th minute.

Georgios Samaras cut in from the left byline to have a goal-bound effort blocked by Veltman and the loose ball fell to Kayal, whose clipped 25-yard effort took a decisive deflection off Denswil to nestle in the bottom corner.

Siem De Jong fizzed a drive from distance narrowly past the far post as Ajax sought a route back into the game, while Kayal wonderfully spun Serero before thudding another well-hit effort into Cillessen's chest as the game entered its final quarter.

Serero found space in the Celtic box with 11 minutes remaining but missed his kick before blazing over and Ajax reached the halfway point of the group stage with a solitary point despite Biton's late censure and fellow sub Schone's last-gasp intervention.

Porto 0-1 Zenit Report Champions League

The forward's 86th-minute header was enough for the visitors, who laboured to take advantage of Porto playing much of the game a man down.

The hosts found themselves reduced to 10 men after six minutes of the Group G clash as Hector Herrera saw yellow twice in the space of a minute.

However, Zenit failed to make the extra man count for much of the game and, aside from a pair of Hulk chances in the second half, rarely threatened home goalkeeper Helton.

Porto more than held their own after the early setback, and twice hit the woodwork in a tie they arguably deserved to win. But the deadlock was finally broken four minutes from time as Kerzhakov sealed the three points for Luciano Spalletti's men.

The victory lifts Zenit to second in the pool, leapfrogging Porto in the process.

Paulo Fonseca made wholesale changes from the Porto team that triumphed over Segunda Liga basement club Trofense in the Taca de Portugal third round on Saturday.

Zenit, meanwhile, brought Cristian Ansaldi, Viktor Faizulin and Oleg Shatov in for Domenico Criscito, Konstantin Zyryanov and the suspended Axel Witsel after their 2-0 Russian top-flight win against CSKA Moscow last Friday.

The game got off to a nightmare start for the hosts at a far-from-full Estadio do Dragao, with Herrera sent off after receiving two yellow cards within six minutes.

His first for a reckless challenge on former Porto striker Hulk was immediately followed by a foolish second for encroachment on the resulting free kick, meaning the Mexican marked his full Champions League debut with the fastest dismissal for a double booking in the competition’s history.

Despite being a man down, it was Porto who had the better of the chances early on, with Lucho Gonzalez rattling the angle between post and crossbar from 20 yards after 20 minutes and a stretching Lica unable to take advantage of the rebound.

Zenit struggled to settle and were reduced to speculative efforts from distance, with their best chance of the half being a curling Roman Shirokov effort from the edge of the area that drifted just beyond the far post.

With the match crying out for an injection of energy after the break, Porto substitute Silvestre Varela provided something of a spark as he cut in from the right, skipping past two defenders in the process, before skewing his strike wide of the left post.

Moments later at the other end, Hulk robbed Nicolas Otamendi of possession just outside the penalty area, but was denied by the outstretched foot of Helton after finding himself through one-on-one with the goalkeeper.

And Helton had to be alert again in the 65th minute, as Hulk powered a thunderbolt of a free-kick in his direction from 25 yards. It was too hot to handle, but the Brazilian punched clear to deny his former team-mate.

Varela, who looked lively after replacing Lica, went close for the hosts once again with just over 10 minutes left to play. He turned on the edge of the area and fired an effort against the Zenit crossbar, with goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin beaten.

However, it was Zenit who finally opened the scoring as Kerzhakov rose highest to head home from an excellent cross from Hulk on the right wing.