UCL : All big guns triumph

Villareal 0 - 0 Manchester United

Holders Manchester United failed to secure top spot in UEFA Champions League Group E but qualified for the knockout stage of the competition after another 0-0 draw with Villarreal at El Madrigal on Tuesday. Villarreal, still undefeated at home in the competition, join United in the last 16 and the final round of group matches will now decide who tops the group.

Manchester United, who have the superior goal difference, host Aalborg BK on 12 December while Villarreal have a tougher trip to Celtic on the same day. Once again there was no separating these two teams who have failed to produce a goal in 360 minutes of European football having played each other four times in the Champions League with every game ending 0-0.

Ferguson received a major boost with Ronaldo being declared fit after overcoming a leg injury sustained against Villa at the weekend. With Dimitar Berbatov injured Carlos Tevez was expected to start but the Argentine, becoming increasingly used to life out of the first eleven, was surprisingly left on the substitutes bench with Wayne Roooney as a lone striker. For Villarreal, Giuseppe Rossi faced his former club for the first time after finding competition too fierce at Old Trafford.

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Arsenal 1 - 0 Dynamo Kiev

Cesc Fabregas led by example as Arsenal booked their place in the UEFA Champions League second round with a 1-0 win against Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday. Just 24 hours after being installed as Arsenal's new skipper in place of William Gallas, the Spanish midfielder showed how to inspire a team with a typically sublime pass for Nicklas Bendtner's late winner at the Emirates Stadium.

For long periods, Arsenal looked as lacklustre as they had done recently under Gallas's captaincy, but Fabregas took the game by the scruff of the neck to ensure Arsene Wenger's side can look forward to playing in the knockout stages of European's elite club competition. It was more than Arsenal deserved for another lacklustre display and Dynamo's frustration was clear as midfielder Olexandr Aliyev was sent off for a petulant shove on referee Alain Hamer.

As expected, Wenger ended Gallas's brief exile for criticising his colleagues and restored the disaffected defender to his starting line-up. Despite Gallas's stinging criticism of Arsenal's youngsters last week there was no outward sign that he had been frozen out. The France centre-back exchanged hugs with his team-mates before kick-off and there were no jeers from the home fans. Gallas's return was born as much of necessity as desire however. With a host of key players sidelined through injury, Wenger could hardly afford to leave out such an experienced player after a run of three defeats from four matches. Even so, Wenger still had to field a youthful team including a first Champions League start for Mexican striker Carlos Vela.

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BATE Borisov 0 - 1 Real Madrid

Spanish giants Real Madrid clinched a berth in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions' League beating Belarus champions BATE Borisov 1-0 in their Group H clash on Tuesday. Raul Gonzalez netted the only goal of the match to add three points to Real's balance leaving the Spanish side with nine points from five matches, four ahead of second-placed Zenit St Petersburg.

Chasing the win to make sure of their passage, Real got off to a lively start through veteran forward Raul, who fired in from close range with a ricochet effort off the crossbar from Royston Drenthe's cross just six minutes into the game. Raul's goal put him equal with AC Milan's Filippo Inzaghi as the competition's all-time top scorer with 64 goals. Real dominated the proceedings before the break and created several more chances but failed to increase their lead as BATE defended stoutly, the back line well marshalled by goalie Sergei Veremko.

In the closing stages the visitors kept the match under complete control, stifling BATE's attacking efforts to render their final group match with Zenit at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium a meaningless affair.

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Bayern Munich 3 - 0 Steaua Bucuresti

Two second-half goals from striker Miroslav Klose sealed Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Steaua Bucharest to put the Germans into the UEFA Champions League's knock-out stages. Klose's goals either side of a superb header from Italian FIFA World Cup™ winner Luca Toni at Munich's Allianz Arena made sure Jurgen Klinsmann's side will definitely qualify from Group F alongside seven-time French champions Lyon.

French midfielder Franck Ribery was again the ace in Bayern's pack of stars as he bossed the midfield. But the night belonged to Klose, who has three goals from the last two games after scoring in last Saturday's 4-1 Bundesliga win. Dorinel Munteanu-coached Steaua remain anchored to the bottom of the table and were playing for pride, but still have a chance of UEFA Cup berth.

Bayern's Argentina defender Martin Demichelis missed his first group stage match with a calf strain he picked up in Munich's victory against Energie Cottbus last Saturday. Belgium's Daniel Van Buyten took over, while Lukas Podolski, who has applied for a transfer in January's winter break, was again on the bench and is suffering from a back problem. fifa

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Other results;

Group E
Aalborg 2 - 1 Celtic
Villarreal 0 - 0 Manchester United

Group F
Bayern Munich 3 - 0 Steaua Bucuresti
Fiorentina 1 - 2 Lyon

Group G
Arsenal 1 - 0 Dynamo Kyiv
Fenerbahce 1 - 2 FC Porto

Group H
Zenit St. Petersburg 0 - 0 Juventus
BATE Borisov 0 - 1 Real Madrid