/ 28 November 2007

Barca, Inter, Roma, Sevilla advance

Inter Milan, FC Barcelona, AS Roma and Sevilla all advanced to the second round of the Champions League on Tuesday.

Inter, Sevilla and Roma advanced with wins, while a point against Lyon was enough for Barcelona.

The four teams join Arsenal and Manchester United in the next round.

United is the only team in the group stage to have a perfect record.

Cristiano Ronaldo made sure of that by scoring against former club Sporting Lisbon in a 2-1 win.

Arsenal lost for the first time this season when it fell 3-1 at Sevilla, which is making its Champions League debut after winning back-to-back UEFA Cups.

”It was a magnificent performance by the team,” Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez said. ”To come back from a goal down against a team that’s top of the Premier League is something important, and I hope we can continue to show the same type of attitude.”

Juninho scored two goals, including a 79th-minute penalty, to help French champion Lyon get the 2-2 draw against Barcelona.

Andres Iniesta gave the 2006 champions the lead in the third minute, taking a cross from Bojan Krkic, but Juninho levelled for Lyon in the seventh with a free kick.

Lionel Messi then put Barcelona back in front with a 58th-minute penalty kick.

Lyon and Rangers will fight to join Barcelona from Group E after the Scottish club lost to Stuttgart 3-2.

”We are a bit disappointed as we thought we did enough to win,” Lyon coach Alain Perrin said. ”Now we will have to go and get qualification in Glasgow. It will be a tough fight.”

Stuttgart earned its first points of the group stage, with Ciprian Marica scoring the winning goal in the 85th minute, flicking in a cross from Ludovic Magnin.

Charles Adam, who had come on for the injured Lee McCulloch only a minute earlier, scored in the 27th after a corner by DaMarcus Beasley was headed down by Carlos Cuellar.

Stuttgart leveled in first-half injury time through Cacau, and Pavel Pardo put the hosts ahead in the 62nd. Eight minutes later, Rangers captain Barry Ferguson capitalised on a defensive error to make it 2-2.

Inter Milan beat Fenerbahce 3-0 off goals from Julio Ricardo Cruz, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Luis Jimenez and clinched first place in Group G.

Cruz directed the ball into the net in the 56th minute after Maxwell’s cross ricocheted off a Fenerbahce defender. Ibrahimovic made it 2-0 in the 66th, and Jimenez added the third in the 90th.

Fenerbahce must now wait until its final match against CSKA Moscow to see if it can advance to the second round for the first time.

CSKA lost to PSV Eindhoven 1-0 on a 39th-minute goal from Jefferson Farfan.

Mirko Vucinic scored twice for AS Roma in a 4-1 win over Dynamo Kiev and joins Manchester United in advancing from Group F.

Vucinic scored Roma’s third and fourth goals from the edge of the area in the 36th and 78th minutes.

Christian Panucci scored first for Roma in the fourth minute by whipping in a ball from the right flank which beat Dynamo goalkeeper Olexandr Rybka.

Ludovic Giuly made it 2-0 in the 32nd, before Ismael Bangoura pulled a goal back for Dynamo in the 63rd.

United earned first place in the group after Ronaldo scored with a free kick in injury time.

”It was a fabulous goal I think,” Ronaldo said. ”I’m very happy, not just because I scored but because of the win.”

Carlos Tevez also scored for United, sidefooting in a pass from Ronaldo in the 62nd minute.

Sporting Lisbon striker Fernando Abel scored against the run of play in the 22nd minute with a low, long-range goal from outside the box.

Sevilla rallied from conceding an 11th-minute goal from Eduardo da Silva to win 3-1 — the first defeat in 29 matches in all competitions for Arsenal.

Sevilla leveled in the 24th when Seydou Keita took advantage after Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos failed to clear a cross. Luis Fabiano headed home Daniel Alves’ free kick from the right in the 34th minute.

Frederic Kanoute added the third goal from the penalty spot in the 89th.

In the other Group H game, Zdenek Senkerik scored a late equaliser to give Slavia Prague a 1-1 draw at Steaua Bucharest. Valentin Badea scored for Steaua.

On Wednesday, defending champion AC Milan, Chelsea, FC Porto and Real Madrid can advance. – Sapa-AP