Benayoun header stuns Real
Drogba goal downs Juventus as Bayern trounce Sporting Lisbon
Summaries
Chelsea 1
Drogba 12
Juventus 0
Real Madrid 0
Liverpool 1
Benayoun 82
S. Lisbon 0
B. Munich 5
Ribery 42, 63 pen; Klose 57; Toni 84, 90
Villarreal 1
Rossi 67 pen
Panathinaikos 1
Karagounis 59
Played Yesterday
Arsenal 1
Roma 0
A. Madrid 2
Porto 2
Lyon 1
Barcelona 1
Inter 0
Man. United 0
Second legs: March 10 and 11.
Yossi Benayoun's header eight minutes from time earned Liverpool a 1-0 win away to Real Madrid in their Champions League last 16 first leg clash last night.
Didier Drogba gave Chelsea a narrow 1-0 home win over Juventus but Bayern Munich took a big step towards a place in the quarter-finals by thrashing Sporting 5-0 in Portugal.
Israeli midfielder Benayoun nodded in Fabio Aurelio's free-kick from wide on the right, after a tight tactical battle between the two former European champions at the Bernabeu stadium.
Liverpool had the best two efforts in the first half, and it was just when the Spanish champions looked to be applying the pressure towards the end when Liverpool scored.
Steven Gerrard, out for three weeks with a hamstring strain, came on as a late substitute and should be able to play a more prominent role in the return leg at Anfield on March 10.
Drogba, rejuvenated since the arrival of new Chelsea coach Guus Hiddink, shot home after 12 minutes following a defence-splitting pass by Salomon Kalou but the Ivorian striker should have added to his tally from three good headed chances.
Chelsea, with Frank Lampard producing a masterclass of midfield passing, were excellent in the first half but lost their way after the break.
Juventus, managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, grew in confidence as the game progressed and though they extended a lamentable away record against English clubs that now features 11 defeats and only two wins from 17 visits they will travel home knowing the tie remains very much alive.
Sporting created the first chance of the match after 11 minutes with Anderson Polga's shot cleared off the line by Martin Demichelis, but Bayern responded moments later with Franck Ribery shooting wide.
Hapless Sporting
The Frenchman did not waste his next chance, stealing the ball in Bayern's half, beating three defenders and scoring from inside the Sporting box on 42 minutes.
The Portuguese team was unable to put Bayern under pressure at the start of the second half, and Miroslav Klose doubled the lead on 57 minutes from an assist by Luca Toni.
Ribery scored his second goal on 63 minutes, converting a penalty after a foul by Fabio Rochemback on Philipp Lahm, and was also involved in Bayern's fourth, crossing from the left wing for Toni to head in.
The Italian completed the scoring in the 90th minute from close range.
In Spain, Villarreal wasted a handful of chances before a second-half penalty snatched a 1-1 draw at home to Panathinaikos.
Villarreal were in control from the start, but fell 1-0 behind after the Greeks scored in the 59th through a thundering drive from the edge of the box by Giorgos Karagounis.
The hosts levelled eight minutes later when Giuseppe Rossi calmly converted a penalty, awarded after substitute Robert Pires was brought down in the box by Jakub Wawrzyniak.
The hosts piled on the pressure in search of a winner but their efforts through Rossi, Nihat Kahveci and Bruno were saved by Panathinaikos keeper Mario Galinovic.