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UCL Rewind: Arsenal lose in Portugal, AC Milan goes through

Arsenal (Getty)

By TRAVIS CLARK

Just a few days after blowing a 2-0 lead at home and losing to bitter rivals Tottenham, Arsenal took to the road in hopes of quickly erasing the memories of that loss.

However, Aresnal couldn't break down Sporting Braga, and two late goals from Brazilian forward Matheus earned the home side an unlikely victory — handing Arsenal their second straight Champions League defeat, when they only needed a draw to qualify for the next round.

AC Milan secured a trip to the next round, thanks to a 2-0 win over Auxerre, with second-half goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldinho. In other action, Real Madrid humiliated Ajax in front of their home crowd in Amsterdam with a 4-0 rout, and Chelsea came from behind to win 2-1 against Zilina.

Here's a complete look at the scores from Tuesday's Champions League action:

Group E

Marseille 3, Spartak Moscow 0

Chelseas 2, Zilina 1

Group F

AS Roma 3, Bayern Munich 2

Basel 1, Cluj 0

Group G

AC Milan 2, Auxerre 0

Real Madrid 4, Ajax

Group H

Braga 2, Arsenal 0

Shakhtar Donetsk 2, Partizan Belgrade 0

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What did you think of Tuesday's Champions League action? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Interesting news that UEFA is looking into the rather “fischy” behavior of Real Madrid’s Xavi Alonso and Sergio Ramos. I was watching on Deportes and the announcers immediately started speculating that they were trying to get yellow/red cards, so they could wipe their slates clean. Alonso’s behavior was comical, as he kept feinting and backing off his approach for a free kick/restart.

    It’s not exactly sporting, but in the grand scheme of unsporting behavior in soccer, I think this stuff was just funny, as opposed to insidious.This is smart tactics, without really ruining the sporting aspect. Nothing like all the diving and the professional fouls that ruin the game for me. Nothing like Suarez’s deliberate handball to keep Ghana from scoring in the World Cup. Yeah, it allows them to be more aggressive the next time they take the pitch. So what?

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  2. Not sure why this is such an ‘unexpected loss’ (try watching other leagues besides EPL, perhaps?). Braga was solid in the home/away play-in and Arsenal died this past weekend. They had 2 wins (same as arsenal going in) and Arsenal had a few key players injured.

    Both teams played well and the home team simply was up for it. Portuguese teams are solid at home – a lot like English teams at home. Arsenal still has a significant goal differential but that last game will decide the final two (probably arsenal and braga).

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