[UCL] MD5 Tuesday Review

Fiorentina have reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League after securing a 1-0 win over Lyon on Matchday 5, but Inter continue to struggle after Barcelona eased to a 2-0 win.

Fiorentina 1-0 Lyon
Fiorentina reached the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time in a decade after overcoming Lyon in Florence, a first-half penalty by Juan Vargas ensuring the Serie A side qualified from Group E with a match to spare. Cesare Prandelli had urged his team to take the initiative by sealing the victory that would spare them a nervous night on Matchday 6 at Liverpool, who won 1-0 at Debrecen, and Fiorentina responded with a spirited first-half display, hitting the woodwork twice before scoring on 28 minutes. The second period was less straightforward, however, and Sebastien Frey was called into action to make a crucial late stop from Lisandro before the home crowd could finally celebrate progressing from the group stage for the first time since 2000.

Barcelona 2-0 Inter
Barcelona moved two points clear at the top of Group F following a commanding 2-0 victory over Inter. Despite the absence of star forwards Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Spanish champions took the lead on 10 minutes through defender Gerard Pique. And Pedro Rodriguez doubled the lead after 26 minutes as a below-par Inter failed to match their opponent's creativity as the hosts dominated the chances, possession, passing and, of course, the scoring. The result leaves Jose Mourinho's Serie A leaders needing to beat Russian champions Rubin Kazan at the San Siro on 9 December to guarantee qualification.

UEFA Champions League 2009-10
Group Stage, Matchday 5
Tuesday 24 November
Debrecen 0-1 Liverpool
Fiorentina 1-0 Lyon
Barcelona 2-0 Inter
Rubin Kazan 0-0 Dynamo Kiev
Rangers 0-2 Stuttgart
Unirea Urziceni 1-0 Sevilla
Arsenal 2-0 Standard Liege
AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Olympiakos
Wednesday 25 November
Bayern Munich v Maccabi Haifa
Bordeaux v Juventus
CSKA Moscow v Wolfsburg
Manchester United v Besiktas
Milan v Marseille
Real Madrid v Zurich
Apoel Nicosia v Atletico Madrid
Porto v Chelsea

MATCHDAY 5 REVIEW:
[Tuesday 24 November] - [Wednesday 25 November]

Source: UEFA