Barcelona, Juventus advance in Champions League (AP) Updated: 2006-03-08 08:32
LONDON - FC Barcelona, Juventus and Villarreal qualified for the
quarterfinals of the Champions League on Tuesday. Chelsea didn't.
Barcelona's
Ronaldinho (L) of Brazil dribbles past Chelsea's John Terry (bottom R),
before scoring during their Champions League first knockout round return
leg soccer match, at Nou Camp Stadium in Barcelona March 7, 2006.
[Reuters] | Ronaldinho scored in the 78th minute
to give host Barcelona a 1-1 tie with Chelsea and put the Spanish league leaders
into the final eight 3-2 on aggregate. Frank Lampard converted a penalty for
Chelsea in injury time.
Juventus, which got an 88th-minute goal from Emerson after a goalkeeping
error, beat Werder Bremen 2-1. The deciding goal leveled the aggregate score at
4-4, which advanced the Italian champions on away goals.
Villarreal tied 1-1 with visiting Rangers and advanced on away goals after a
3-3 aggregate score. Defender Rodolfo Arruabarrena scored Villarreal's equalizer
in the 49th, advancing the provincial Spanish team, which is making its debut in
the Champions League.
With Barcelona holding Chelsea scoreless into the final minutes, the hosts
didn't need to score to advance. But Ronaldinho — the FIFA world player of the
year — wasn't satisfied with that.
Taking a pass from Samuel Eto'o, the Brazilian skipped into the area, barged
past Chelsea defender John Terry and drove the ball past the diving Petr Cech.
"There's nothing better than winning a game like this one," Ronaldinho said.
On Wednesday, defending champion Liverpool hosts Benfica while trailing 1-0,
AC Milan hosts Bayern Munich after a 1-1 tie in the first leg, Arsenal hosts
Real Madrid with a 1-0 lead and Lyon has a 1-0 advantage when it hosts PSV
Eindhoven.
The remaining Champions League game will be March 14 in Milan with Ajax and
Inter Milan level 2-2. The draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals is Friday
in Paris.
The Barcelona-Chelsea match — the Spanish champions against the English
champions — was the most awaited match of this season's Champions League. Seldom
generous in defeat, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was true to form when asked if
the better team had won.
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