Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/423164
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 NOVEMBER 2014 20 SERGIO Agüero struck a hat-trick to earn Manchester City FC a 3-2 comeback victory over ten-man FC Bayern München and revive the English champions' hopes of reaching the last 16. City looked like they had run out of ideas as they entered the clos- ing stages 2-1 down. Then Agüero, who had hit a first-half penalty, capitalised on two Bayern mis- takes to earn Manuel Pellegrini 's team the most unlikely of victo- ries. Bayern had earlier shrugged off Medhi Benatia's sending-off to overturn Agüero's penalty with goals before half-time from Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski. As a result of the late drama, City climbed level on five points with AS Roma and PFC CSKA Moskva, and could snatch second place in Group E with victory in Italy in a fortnight. Bayern began the night with first place already assured and Josep Guardiola gave Pierre Højbjerg and Sebastian Rode their first starts in the competition. The German ti- tleholders still dominated the ear- ly exchanges and almost had a goal when Arjen Robben dinked a ball over to Rode but Joe Hart spread himself to make the save. It was against the run of play that City went ahead as Frank Lampard 's ball over the top sent Agüero racing through and Bena- tia brought him down. Agüero duly placed his spot kick out of the reach of Manuel Neuer. Manuel Pellegrini 's team were missing suspended pair Yaya Touré and Fernandindo along with the injured David Silva but in Lamp- ard, they had a player putting his vast experience to good use on his first European start for City. Bay- ern had their own impressive vet- eran, though: Alonso. On 40 minutes the Spaniard marked his 33rd birthday by firing the ten men level. After Eliaquim Mangala had fouled Lewandowski just outside the box, Alonso rolled a low free-kick into the space cre- ated by substitute Dante on the edge of the defensive wall and be- yond the f lat-footed Joe Hart. By half-time Bayern led as Lewandowski got between Vin- cent Kompany and Bacary Sagna to send a header looping over Hart and in off the post. Although Neuer saved from Jesús Navas and Lampard, there was a resigned mood around the ground in the second half until Agüero struck his second. Alonso played a stray ball to substitute Stevan Jovetić and Agüero raced clear be- fore firing across Neuer and into the far corner. Then, in the 91st minute, Jérôme Boateng, scorer of a last-minute winner when the teams met in Munich, missed his kick as he tried to clear and Agüero nipped in, carrying the ball into the box and finishing low to breathe life into City's campaign. In other matches, Vasili Berezut- ski scored a last-second equaliser to keep alive PFC CSKA Moskva's UEFA Champions League hopes just as AS Roma looked set to take a giant stride towards the round of 16. The Italian side had been poised for three points on a freezing Mos- cow night thanks to a thunderous free-kick from Francesco Totti close to half-time, the 38-year-old Roma captain extending his own record for the competition's old- est scorer. However, three minutes into added time Berezutski 's at- tempted cross evaded everybody to nestle into the Roma net and en- sure Group E will go to the wire. FC Porto ended FC BATE Boris- ov's prospects of progressing from UEFA Champions League Group H as a second-half salvo advanced the Portuguese club's aims of top- ping the section. Already through to the last 16, Paris equired a win to maintain pole position ahead of FC Bar- celona, who kept the pressure up by defeating APOEL FC. Edinson Cavani opened the scoring just after the half-hour, and although Dav y Klaassen headed level, Zla- tan Ibrahimović and Cavani re- sponded to leave Paris needing a draw in Spain on 10 December to win the section – and Ajax need- ing the same result against APOEL to finish third. Chelsea FC will go through to the round of 16 as Group G win- ners after equalling their record UEFA Champions League away victory at FC Schalke 04. The Premier League leaders scored with virtually their first at- tack of the game as Eden Hazard threaded the ball through for Di- ego Costa. The Spain striker cut inside before seeing his attempt well saved by Ralf Fährmann, but the resulting corner proved fatal for the hosts as John Terry rose to head in Cesc Fàbregas' delivery. Three days after rewriting the record books as the Spanish Liga's all-time leading scorer, Lionel Messi made history in the UEFA Champions League too. The FC Barcelona talisman scored a Group F hat-trick against APOEL FC in Nicosia to make his own the record of most UEFA Champi- ons League goals he had hitherto shared with Raúl González on 71 strikes. Mikel San José's goal midway through the second half earned a win that lifted Athletic Club to third in Group H though FC Sha- khtar Donetsk. Sporting Clube de Portugal moved up into second place in UEFA Champions League Group G by easing past NK Maribor on an eventful evening in Lisbon. Sport FOOTBALL Results and Fixtures UEFA Champions League Group E CSKA Moskow - Roma ........................1-1 Manchester City - Bayern Munich ......3-2 Group F APOEL Nicosia - Barcelona ................0-4 Paris St. Germain - Ajax .....................3-1 Group G Schalke 04 - Chelsea .........................0-5 Sporting CP - Maribor ........................3-1 GROUP H Bate Borisov - FC Porto ......................0-3 Shakhtar Donetsk - Athletic Bilbao ....0-1 TODAY Group A 20:45 Atletico Madrid - Olympiakos 20:45 Malmo FF - Juventus Group B 20:45 Basel - Real Madrid 20:45 PFC Ludogorets R. - Liverpool Group C 18:00 Zenit St. Petersburg - Benfica 20:45 B. Leverkusen - Monaco Group D 20:45 Anderlecht - Galatasaray 20:45 Arsenal - B. Dortmund SPORTTODAY Aguero hat-trick boosts Man City Sergio Aguero struck twice in the closing minutes to complete a hat-trick and revive Manchester City's Champions League hopes with a 3-2 win over 10-man Bayern Munich Sergio Aguero