Champions League, league stage, day five

It was draws all round for Spain's participants in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Ex Valencia striker John Carew left Real Madrid coach Luxemburgo's job hanging on a thread as Lyon equalised Guti's earlier strike, and Betis had to settle for a place in the UEFA cup despite holding Liverpool to a 0-0 result at Anfield. (23.11.05)

Real Madrid 1 - Olympique Lyon 1

Real Madrid had to settle for second spot in group F after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Olympique Lyon, and Vanderlei Luxemburgo's job is hanging on a thread. After the defeat by Barcelona at the weekend the coach was under pressure to produce a good result, and his side started well, Robinho and Guti causing problems for the visiting defence before Guti opened the scoring close to half time. Carew, Diarra and Govou all tested Casillas after the restart though, and with twenty minutes to go Carew levelled the scores with a clever back-heel through the legs of Roberto Carlos. A disappointing scoreline, and Madrid may well have a more difficult passage in the later stages of the competition as a result. (23.11.05)

Liverpool 0 - Betis 0

Betis put up a valiant fight against Liverpool at Anfield, but it was not enough to prevent them from being knocked out of the competition. Serra Ferrer's side really needed a victory and hope that Chelsea dropped points at Anderlecht, and they were backed by 2,000 vociferous fans who had made the trip from Sevilla to watch their team. But in the end all they could manage was a scoreless draw, and a win for Chelsea means they will have to settle for third place and a spot in the later stages of the UEFA cup. The Andalusians made little headroad against a well organized defence, and only some first class goalkeeping from Doblas prevented Crouch, Morientes and company from taking the three points. (23.11.05)

Good results again for the two Spanish sides who opened day five, with Barcelona ensuring top spot in group C with a 3-1 win over Werder Bremen, and Villarreal also staying in first place in group D after holding Manchester United to a 0-0 draw. (22.11.05)

Barcelona 3 - Werder Bremen 1

With qualification already in the bag, and only one point needed to secure top spot in group C, Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard was able to rest some of his key players against Werder Bremen. But Ronaldinho was still in his line up, and the Brazilian star sent Gabri away with a quarter of an hour on the clock for him to open the scoring. Borowski levelled the scores from the penalty spot after Van Bronckhorst brought down Micoud on the edge of the area, but four minutes later Ronaldinho caught Reinke off guard when he whipped in a free kick from wide on the left to restore the lead. And with twenty minutes to go it was Ronaldinho again who set up Larsson for a third goal which gave the Catalans a 3-1 victory. (22.11.05)

Manchester United 0 - Villarreal 0

A battling performance by Villarreal enabled them to draw 0-0 against Manchester United and hold on to first place in group D. Diego Forlán's return to Old Trafford was frustrated by an injury, and Riquelme was also missing from Pellegrini's squad after picking up a knock. But the "Yellow Submarine" held fast at the back, with Barbosa and his defence keeping out the English attack. Villarreal's first and only shot on target came from a Marcos Senna free kick after the break, and Rooney could have won it for Sir Alex Ferguson's side when he fired a shot just over the bar late on. But the Spaniards had the point they wanted, and a draw in their last game at home to Lille will see them through to the last sixteen. (22.11.05)