Friday, March 29, 2024

UEFA Champions League Review: Rooney nets treble and Astana make history

SoccerNews in Serie A 26 Aug 2015

72 Views

Manchester United cruised into the group stages of the UEFA Champions League courtesy of Wayne Rooney’s treble in Wednesday’s 4-0 thumping of Club Brugge.

Rooney had gone 10 competitive games without scoring for United, but his drought was ended at 878 minutes when he opened the scoring midway through the first half.

Two more followed after the interval and Ander Herrera netted a fourth goal, rendering Javier Hernandez’s late penalty miss irrelevant as United’s 7-1 aggregate victory saw them through to Thursday’s draw.

United will be joined by Astana, who became the first side from Kazhakhstan to reach the group stage.

Taking a 1-0 first-leg lead to APOEL, it looked as though extra time could be on the cards when Semir Stilic levelled the tie midway through the second half but with six minutes remaining, Nemanja Maksimovic ensured a slice of history for Astana.

Bayer Leverkusen were trailing 1-0 from their first leg at Lazio, but made the most of home advantage in the return against their 10-man opponents.

Hakan Calhanoglu and Admir Mehmedi put Leverkusen in front in the tie and after Mauricio saw red for the visitors midway through the second period, Karim Bellarabi rounded off a 3-1 aggregate success two minutes from time.

There was also a second-leg comeback in Moscow, as CSKA mounted a stunning revival against Sporting Lisbon.

Having lost 2-1 in Portugal, CSKA fell further behind when Teofilo Gutierrez struck nine minutes prior to half-time.

But two goals from Seydou Doumbia brought the hosts level, before Ahmed Musa struck with five minutes remaining to complete the comeback, with Joao Mario sent off for Sporting in stoppage time.

Elsewhere, BATE advanced on away goals despite a 2-1 defeat at Partizan.

With a 1-0 lead from the first leg, Igor Stasevich put BATE in control of the tie, although Maksim Zhavnerchik’s own goal and Ivan Saponjic’s strike for Partizan ensured a nervous finale for BATE in Belgrade before they progressed on away goals.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SoccerNews

Soccernews.com is news blog for soccer with comprehensive coverage of all the major leagues in Europe, as well as MLS in the United States. In addition we offer breaking news for transfers and transfer rumors, ticket sales, betting tips and offers, match previews, and in-depth editorials.

You can follow us on Facebook: Facebook.com/soccernews.com or Twitter: @soccernewsfeed.

SHARE OR COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE

WE RECOMMEND

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This field is required *

Join the conversation!

or Register

More More
Top