Champions League
March 18, 2010
Bordeaux and Barcleona are set to advance to the next round of the Champions League Football Tournament, following wins in the round-16 matches on Wednesday.
FC Barcelona slaughtered Stuttgart 4-0 in Spain. Argentine star Lionel Messi scored two of the goals that lead defending champion Barcelona into the quarter-finals.
German midfielder Sami Khedira said Stuttgart lost their footing in the game early on.
"After Messi scored, it was always going to be difficult," he told news agency DPA.
The defeat squashed Stuttgart's hopes of joining fellow German team Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Firsts for Bordeaux
In a parallel match, Bordeaux beat visiting team Olympiakos 2-1 in a tense game that saw three players sent off the field.
The French side had anticipated an easy victory after beating Olympiakos 1-0 on Greece's home turf, but Greece put up a fight,and for a time the game was tied thanks to an impressive volley by substitute Kostas Mitroglou.
However, Bordeaux's striker Marouane Chamakh saved the game for his side two minutes before time, allowing Bordeaux to join fellow Olympique Lyon in the quarter-finals.
It's the first time two French teams have been among the final eight teams since 2004, and the first time Bordeaux has made it to the quarter-finals in 22 years.
Quarter-final teams
Wednesday's winners, Bordeaux and Barcelona, will be joined at the quarter-finals by Manchester United, Arsenal, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and CSKA Moscow.
The European Champions Quarter-Final draw takes place on Friday, with ties scheduled for March 30/31 and April 6/7.
smh/dpa/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Nigel Tandy