By Nisar Khan
Sixty-four Champions League group games passed, and statements made. Another night of tantalizing action was on the cards as Matchday 4 culminated. As per, it was a fantastic night of European football.
SEE ALSO: Round-Up from Champions League Matchday 4 on Wednesday night
Games at a Glance
Zenit 1 - 1 Porto
Hulk scored an equalizer but missed a penalty in Zenit's 1 - 1 draw with Porto in the early kick-off.
The visitors took the lead twenty-three minutes in by way of Lucho Gonzalez, as full-back Danilo was on the end of some well-worked buildup to cross in allowing the captain to head in to goal.
However, Hulk would pull back an equalizer just five minutes later, with the Porto defenders and keeper at fault. Poor communication between the three players resulted in them leaving the ball to each other, but instead it would fall to the Brazillian who was gifted the ball. Hulk dribbled round the keeper and tapped it in.
The dreadful mishap from the away-side was the only reason Zenit were on even terms by the break. Porto had dominated the first half with chances coming in around the clock.
In the second half, Zenit had a chance to take the lead with Hulk on the penalty spot. Striking with the side-footed low shot, the keeper guessed right and saved. Zenit would have a few more attempts following lots of pressure, but it finished one-goal-a-piece.
Atletico Madrid 4 - 0 Austria Wien
Atletico thumped Austria Wien by four to progress to the next round.
Miranda opened the scoring for the hosts as he scored from Koke's header. Raul Garcia did not connect with the header and it fell to the Brazillian who fired in from close range.
Atletico had doubled their lead by twenty-five minutes as Raul Garcia would rise high to head the ball home reminiscent to his goal a fortnight ago.
Filipe Luis scored Atletico's third right before the break, pretty much sealing the deal of Atletico's qualification to the knockout stages.
Diego Costa missed out on an opportunity to hit a fourth for Atletico when his penalty was saved.
Diego Costa would eventually score however to solidify a fantastic performance. Another emphatic goal from the Spaniards included a backheel to set up for the fourth.
Ajax 1 - 0 Celtic
Schone scored the winning goal for Ajax as they kept Celtic at bay in a dull game.
It was indeed a very action-deprived first half. As the roof sheltered the stadium, there were little chances to note in the first half. Neither team looked anywhere near to close for opening the scoring.
The deadlock would be broken six minutes into the second half. Schone was put through on goal following a great team-setup to score.
Barcelona 3 - 1 Milan
Barcelona triumphed to the Round of 16 as Lionel Messi ended his goal drought.
Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot to put his side ahead at home. Smashing it straight down the middle, Messi ended his goal drought and put Barca in the lead.
Sergio Busquets doubled the lead five minutes prior to half time after he headed the ball in from Xavi's free-kick. Busquets was virtually unmarked making it easy for the Spaniard to beat Abbiati.
An own goal by Pique on the brink of the half put Milan back in it. Kaka caused trouble down the right and his cross hit Pique and span into the net. Milan were just one goal behind when the half-time whistle blew.
Lionel Messi put the game in Barca's threshold with a late goal to make it 3 - 1 with a lovely chipped goal.
Basel 0 - 1 Steaua Bucharest
Steaua Bucharest picked up a big away win at Basel after Piovacarri's goal against the run of play.
Basel had a very positive start to the came, but Piovacarri's goal against the run of play beating the offside trap put the odds in Steaua's favor.
Going into half-time, Steaua had half the job done as they lead away, while Basel fans were left frustrated as they trailed.
Chelsea 3 - 0 Schalke
Samuel Eto'o scored on two occasions in Stamford Bridge in Chelsea's emphatic three goal victory over Schalke.
Hilderbrand gifted Eto'o a goal after half-an-hour of play. As the Schalke keeper dribbled the ball in his box, all of a sudden he was closed down. An attempt to clear would backfire as it rebounded of the Cameroonian into goal. That was the difference in a tight first half.
Samuel Eto's second came ten minutes after the break. Willian drove through the center, picking up players and creating space for Eto'o. Calmly controlling the ball, he fired it to the bottom corner.
Demba Ba scored Chelsea's third goal as he volleyed on the turn to secure the victory.
Dortmund 0 - 1 Arsenal
Aaron Ramsey once again delivered for the Gunners as they bounced back from their previous loss to Dortmund and got revenge in victory.
Arsenal managed to keep Dortmund at bay in the first half. Both teams were playing intensely and looking for the opener. Mkhitaryan came closest, but was unable to score for the second time against Arsenal in two weeks. It was all to play for following a well contested first half of action.
Aaron Ramsey scored after the hour mark from Ozil's cross that Giroud guided to the Welshman to head Arsenal into a lead. Arsenal held on to the final whistle.
Napoli 3 - 2 Marseille
A back-and-forth game ended with Napoli as the victors when Higuain delivered with some class form to give Napoli an edge in the group.
Ayew scored ten minutes in for the visitors to cap off a terrific set piece. Maggio was unable to head the ball, thus falling to Ayew who headed his team in the lead.
An emphatic volley by Switzerland's Inler put the hosts back on level terms. After the corner was cleared it fell to Inler who chested it before the volley to score in some fashion.
Gonzalo Higuain put Napoli in the lead beating the keeper within moments after Pandev headed it towards the Argentine's direction allowing him to beat Mandanda.
Thauvin scored a big equalizer in the 64th minute to make it 2 - 2. A close range goal scored in the mishap of a defender.
Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 75th minute to give his side the edge once again. It was an easy tap-in this time as the ball came to him at the near post to easily beat Mandanda.
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona progress to the Round of 16 in some fashion.
Meanwhile, Napoli - who were in the best night of the game - still have some work to do in their group, but following Dortmund's loss they have the chance.
Matchday 4 is in the books. With more teams now settled in the Round of 16, time is running out for the others. There are now only two matchdays remaining before the Knockout stages.
By Nisar Khan
SEE ALSO: Round-Up from Champions League Matchday 4 on Wednesday night
Games at a Glance
- Hulk equalizes but unable to score winning penalty as Zenit draw with Porto
- Atletico emphatically thump Austria Wien to progress to next round
- Schone scores as Ajax defeat Celtic
- Messi ends goal drought with double to send Barca to knockouts
- Steaua's Pivocarri keeps Basel at bay
- Eto'o strikes twice for Chelsea as they beat Schalke
- Ramsey scores as Arsenal exstinguish Dortmund
- Higuain scores winner in five-goal thriller between Napoli and Marseille
Zenit 1 - 1 Porto
Hulk scored an equalizer but missed a penalty in Zenit's 1 - 1 draw with Porto in the early kick-off.
The visitors took the lead twenty-three minutes in by way of Lucho Gonzalez, as full-back Danilo was on the end of some well-worked buildup to cross in allowing the captain to head in to goal.
However, Hulk would pull back an equalizer just five minutes later, with the Porto defenders and keeper at fault. Poor communication between the three players resulted in them leaving the ball to each other, but instead it would fall to the Brazillian who was gifted the ball. Hulk dribbled round the keeper and tapped it in.
The dreadful mishap from the away-side was the only reason Zenit were on even terms by the break. Porto had dominated the first half with chances coming in around the clock.
In the second half, Zenit had a chance to take the lead with Hulk on the penalty spot. Striking with the side-footed low shot, the keeper guessed right and saved. Zenit would have a few more attempts following lots of pressure, but it finished one-goal-a-piece.
 |
| Image Courtesy: UEFA.com |
Atletico Madrid 4 - 0 Austria Wien
Atletico thumped Austria Wien by four to progress to the next round.
Miranda opened the scoring for the hosts as he scored from Koke's header. Raul Garcia did not connect with the header and it fell to the Brazillian who fired in from close range.
Atletico had doubled their lead by twenty-five minutes as Raul Garcia would rise high to head the ball home reminiscent to his goal a fortnight ago.
Filipe Luis scored Atletico's third right before the break, pretty much sealing the deal of Atletico's qualification to the knockout stages.
Diego Costa missed out on an opportunity to hit a fourth for Atletico when his penalty was saved.
Diego Costa would eventually score however to solidify a fantastic performance. Another emphatic goal from the Spaniards included a backheel to set up for the fourth.
 |
| Miranda celebrates after scoring Atletico's first (Image Courtesy: UEFA.com) |
Ajax 1 - 0 Celtic
Schone scored the winning goal for Ajax as they kept Celtic at bay in a dull game.
It was indeed a very action-deprived first half. As the roof sheltered the stadium, there were little chances to note in the first half. Neither team looked anywhere near to close for opening the scoring.
The deadlock would be broken six minutes into the second half. Schone was put through on goal following a great team-setup to score.
Barcelona 3 - 1 Milan
Barcelona triumphed to the Round of 16 as Lionel Messi ended his goal drought.
Lionel Messi scored from the penalty spot to put his side ahead at home. Smashing it straight down the middle, Messi ended his goal drought and put Barca in the lead.
Sergio Busquets doubled the lead five minutes prior to half time after he headed the ball in from Xavi's free-kick. Busquets was virtually unmarked making it easy for the Spaniard to beat Abbiati.
An own goal by Pique on the brink of the half put Milan back in it. Kaka caused trouble down the right and his cross hit Pique and span into the net. Milan were just one goal behind when the half-time whistle blew.
Lionel Messi put the game in Barca's threshold with a late goal to make it 3 - 1 with a lovely chipped goal.
 |
| (Image Courtesy: UEFA.com) |
Basel 0 - 1 Steaua Bucharest
Steaua Bucharest picked up a big away win at Basel after Piovacarri's goal against the run of play.
Basel had a very positive start to the came, but Piovacarri's goal against the run of play beating the offside trap put the odds in Steaua's favor.
Going into half-time, Steaua had half the job done as they lead away, while Basel fans were left frustrated as they trailed.
 |
| (Image Courtesy: UEFA.com) |
Chelsea 3 - 0 Schalke
Samuel Eto'o scored on two occasions in Stamford Bridge in Chelsea's emphatic three goal victory over Schalke.
Hilderbrand gifted Eto'o a goal after half-an-hour of play. As the Schalke keeper dribbled the ball in his box, all of a sudden he was closed down. An attempt to clear would backfire as it rebounded of the Cameroonian into goal. That was the difference in a tight first half.
Samuel Eto's second came ten minutes after the break. Willian drove through the center, picking up players and creating space for Eto'o. Calmly controlling the ball, he fired it to the bottom corner.
Demba Ba scored Chelsea's third goal as he volleyed on the turn to secure the victory.
 |
| Eto'o pounces on the keeper's clearance to score (Image Courtesy: UEFA.com) |
Dortmund 0 - 1 Arsenal
Aaron Ramsey once again delivered for the Gunners as they bounced back from their previous loss to Dortmund and got revenge in victory.
Arsenal managed to keep Dortmund at bay in the first half. Both teams were playing intensely and looking for the opener. Mkhitaryan came closest, but was unable to score for the second time against Arsenal in two weeks. It was all to play for following a well contested first half of action.
Aaron Ramsey scored after the hour mark from Ozil's cross that Giroud guided to the Welshman to head Arsenal into a lead. Arsenal held on to the final whistle.
Napoli 3 - 2 Marseille
A back-and-forth game ended with Napoli as the victors when Higuain delivered with some class form to give Napoli an edge in the group.
Ayew scored ten minutes in for the visitors to cap off a terrific set piece. Maggio was unable to head the ball, thus falling to Ayew who headed his team in the lead.
An emphatic volley by Switzerland's Inler put the hosts back on level terms. After the corner was cleared it fell to Inler who chested it before the volley to score in some fashion.
Gonzalo Higuain put Napoli in the lead beating the keeper within moments after Pandev headed it towards the Argentine's direction allowing him to beat Mandanda.
Thauvin scored a big equalizer in the 64th minute to make it 2 - 2. A close range goal scored in the mishap of a defender.
Gonzalo Higuain scored in the 75th minute to give his side the edge once again. It was an easy tap-in this time as the ball came to him at the near post to easily beat Mandanda.
 |
| (Image Courtesy: UEFA.com) |
Atletico Madrid and Barcelona progress to the Round of 16 in some fashion.
Meanwhile, Napoli - who were in the best night of the game - still have some work to do in their group, but following Dortmund's loss they have the chance.
Matchday 4 is in the books. With more teams now settled in the Round of 16, time is running out for the others. There are now only two matchdays remaining before the Knockout stages.
By Nisar Khan
TheSportMatrix.com
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