Harpreet Seehra
Elite
Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick as Barcelona became the first team to book their place in the UEFA Champions League knockout stages with a 4-0 win at Viktoria Plzen.
Pep Guardiola's men proved far too strong for the Czech side, whose already tall order had become an almost insurmountable one after Marian Cisovsky was sent off for fouling Messi in the 22nd minute.
Messi tucked away the resulting penalty and added his second in first-half injury time. Cesc Fabregas added a third on 72 before Messi completed his hat-trick in the last minute to guarantee the holders' passage out of a lopsided Group H.
AC Milan are almost sure to join Barcelona in the knockout stages but they missed the chance to make certain as they were pegged back in the second half and had to settle for a point against BATE Borisov in Minsk.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to put the Italians on their way to the win they needed with his 22nd-minute opener, but Renan Bressnan's 55th-minute penalty gave the Ukrainian side a point.
John Terry was dropped to the bench as Chelsea's domestic stumble was mirrored by a frustrating night in Belgium, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Group E minnows Genk.
The Londoners hammered the same opponents 5-0 at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago but since then have suffered losses to Queen's Park Rangers and Arsenal as well as a police inquiry into allegations that Terry racially abused Hoops defender Anton Ferdinand, which Terry denies.
Ramires conveted a lofted pass from Fernando Torres to put Chelsea ahead in the 25th minute but David Luiz missed a 39th-minute penalty and the visitors were made to pay when Jelle Vossen struck a 61st-minute equaliser.
Valencia moved back into contention in the group with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Second-half goals from Roberto Soldado and Adil Rami saw the Spaniards home after Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling cancelled out a first-minute opener from Jonas, which was the second-fastest goal in Champions League history.
Valencia's win takes them within one point of the second-placed Germans and three of leaders Chelsea, with the ailing Londoners facing a potentially crucial trip to Leverkusen later this month.
Arsenal retained control of Group F with a hard-fought goalless draw against Marseille in France, maintaining the Gunners' single-point lead in the group with a home tie against Borussia Dortmund next to come.
The Germans staked their own belated claim for a place in the knockout stages with their first win over Olympiacos. Kevin Grosskreutz's seventh-minute strike took them to within three points of Marseille.
Surprise package APOEL Nicosia continue to lead Group G after a dramatic 2-1 win over Porto in Cyprus.
Hulk appeared to have rescued Porto a point in the 89th minute when his penalty cancelled out an Ailton Almeida spot-kick for the home side. But there was still time for Gustavo Manduca to strike an injury-time winner and keep APOEL on top.
Zenit St Petersburg are now three points clear in second place after a 1-0 win over Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk. Nicolas Lombaerts scored the only goal of the game with a header in first-half injury time.
Pep Guardiola's men proved far too strong for the Czech side, whose already tall order had become an almost insurmountable one after Marian Cisovsky was sent off for fouling Messi in the 22nd minute.
Messi tucked away the resulting penalty and added his second in first-half injury time. Cesc Fabregas added a third on 72 before Messi completed his hat-trick in the last minute to guarantee the holders' passage out of a lopsided Group H.
AC Milan are almost sure to join Barcelona in the knockout stages but they missed the chance to make certain as they were pegged back in the second half and had to settle for a point against BATE Borisov in Minsk.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to put the Italians on their way to the win they needed with his 22nd-minute opener, but Renan Bressnan's 55th-minute penalty gave the Ukrainian side a point.
John Terry was dropped to the bench as Chelsea's domestic stumble was mirrored by a frustrating night in Belgium, where they were held to a 1-1 draw by Group E minnows Genk.
The Londoners hammered the same opponents 5-0 at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago but since then have suffered losses to Queen's Park Rangers and Arsenal as well as a police inquiry into allegations that Terry racially abused Hoops defender Anton Ferdinand, which Terry denies.
Ramires conveted a lofted pass from Fernando Torres to put Chelsea ahead in the 25th minute but David Luiz missed a 39th-minute penalty and the visitors were made to pay when Jelle Vossen struck a 61st-minute equaliser.
Valencia moved back into contention in the group with a 3-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen. Second-half goals from Roberto Soldado and Adil Rami saw the Spaniards home after Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling cancelled out a first-minute opener from Jonas, which was the second-fastest goal in Champions League history.
Valencia's win takes them within one point of the second-placed Germans and three of leaders Chelsea, with the ailing Londoners facing a potentially crucial trip to Leverkusen later this month.
Arsenal retained control of Group F with a hard-fought goalless draw against Marseille in France, maintaining the Gunners' single-point lead in the group with a home tie against Borussia Dortmund next to come.
The Germans staked their own belated claim for a place in the knockout stages with their first win over Olympiacos. Kevin Grosskreutz's seventh-minute strike took them to within three points of Marseille.
Surprise package APOEL Nicosia continue to lead Group G after a dramatic 2-1 win over Porto in Cyprus.
Hulk appeared to have rescued Porto a point in the 89th minute when his penalty cancelled out an Ailton Almeida spot-kick for the home side. But there was still time for Gustavo Manduca to strike an injury-time winner and keep APOEL on top.
Zenit St Petersburg are now three points clear in second place after a 1-0 win over Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk. Nicolas Lombaerts scored the only goal of the game with a header in first-half injury time.
