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European champions Barcelona edged closer to sealing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League as Ivan Rakitic’s double handed them a comfortable 2-0 win away at BATE Borisov, while in the game of the night, Bayer Leverkusen played out a thrilling 4-4 draw against Roma in Germany.
Rakitic had started on the bench, but was pressed into action by a first-half injury to Sergi Roberto and finally opened the scoring after a frustrating opening period for the visitors soon after half-time.
Neymar then teed up the Croatian for his second of the evening as Barca solidified their position atop Group E with seven points from their first three games.

The incredible 4-4 draw in the other game in the group on Tuesday leaves Barca three points ahead of the Germans with BATE still a point ahead of Roma in third.
“It was a very good game overall from the team. We pressed well and I don’t think BATE had a single chance,” said Rakitic.
READ > All our Champions League coverage 
“We could have scored two or three more, but we need to continue like that.”

In a recurring theme of this season, Barca struggled to take their chances in the first-half, but coach Luis Enrique was happy to have successfully negotiated a tricky trip without too many problems.
“Playing away from home in the Champions League is never easy,” said Enrique.
“Given the expected difficulties I think we played well and resolved the game comprehensively. We created a lot of chances, the past few games we have found it difficult to score, but the team played very well.”

Leverkusen scored a moral victory over Roma despite wasting a two-goal lead and are on track for a top two finish, the German club’s sports director Rudi Voller said.
The former Germany striker, who both played for and coached the Italian club in the past, said Leverkusen’s sloppy performance was forgotten with two late goals saving a point, boosting morale and keeping them in second place in the group on four points, with Roma in last place on two.
"We are of course the small moral winners here, especially with the way we came back," the 55-year-old said. "But we believed in it and it was extremely important to remain ahead of Roma in the group.

"But we also have to admit that we lost the plot after the Italians scored their first goal," Voller said.
Leverkusen took a two-goal lead through Javier Hernandez after 19 minutes only to see Daniele De Rossi score twice in nine minutes to level.
Roma rode roughshod over Leverkusen after the break scoring twice more to seemingly put the game to bed but it was the hosts’ turn to stage a comeback and strike in the 84th minute with Kevin Kampl’s long-range effort to keep their hopes alive.

It took them only two more minutes to score again, Admir Mehmedi drawing them level.
"A game like that will do us a lot of good," said Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt, whose team are struggling in the Bundesliga with just two wins from their last seven league matches. "It is amazing to see the team come back like that."
"This was far from a normal football game," he said. "It is for games like this that you come to the stadium."

In Chelsea’s group Porto beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in Portugal thanks to goals by Vincent Aboubakar and Yacine Brahimi to go top.
Ideye Brown scored a late winner to earn Olympiakos a 1-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in Arsenal’s group.

Zenit St Petersburg closed in on a quarter-final place with a third straight win in Group H as Artem Dzyuba, Hulk and Danny netted in a 3-1 victory over Lyon, for whom Alexandre Lacazette had equalised.
Valencia are three points back in second place after beating Gent 2-1 in Spain thanks to a Sofiane Feghouli shot that went in off Lasse Nielsen and a Stefan Mitrovic own goal either side of a Thomas Foket strike for the Belgians.


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Uefa Champions League 2015-16

Rakitic double edges Barca closer to Champions League last 16 as Leverkusen and Roma take part in 4-4 stunner

Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez celebrate. Photo: AFP

Admir Mehmedi celebrates scoring the equaliser for Leverkusen. Photo: EPA

Hulk holds it in as Zenit celebrate. Photo: Reuters

Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno watches the ball into the net after Roma's Iago Falque, not in the picture, scored. Photo: AP

Leverkusen's Omer Toprak, right, and Roma's Radja Nainggolan challenge for the ball. Photo: AP

Ivan Rakitic scores for Barca. Photo: EPA

Barcelona's Dani Alves, left and BATE's Maxim Volodko challenge for the ball. Photo: AP

Porto’s Yacine Brahimi celebrates with  Vincent Aboubakar after scoring his side’s second goal. Photo: AP

Sergio Busquets takes a tumble. Photo: Reuters

Wenger delight as Arsenal beat Bayern 2-0 to keep Champions League hopes alive

Mesut Ozil celebrates his late goal. Photo: Reuters

Manuel Neuer comes out flapping to gift Giroud a goal. Photo: Reuters

Manuel Neuer is dejected at the end of the match. Photo: Reuters

Arsenal celebrate with Mesut Ozil. Photo: Reuters

Giroud scores past Neuer. Photo: EPA

Pep Guardiola was bemused. Photo: EPA

That sounds familiar – Jose Mourinho calls Champions League ref ‘weak and naive’ in pop at Wenger and FA

Who could he possibly have been talking about? Photo: AP

Diego Costa goes up for a header. Photo: AP

Gary Cahill attacks the ball. Photo: Reuters

Eden Hazard was back in the Chelsesa team. Photo: Reuters

Dynamo Kiev's Serhiy Rybalka (L) fights for the ball with Chelsea's Oscar. Photo: Reuters

I’ll take a point in Moscow, says Manchester United boss Van Gaal

Louis van Gaal addresses the media. Photo: Reuters 

Louis van Gaal watches training. Photo: AFP

United trained in Manchester rather than Moscow. Photo: AFP

Sport

Football

Spaniards solidify position at the top of their group


European champions Barcelona edged closer to sealing their place in the last 16 of the Champions League as Ivan Rakitic’s double handed them a comfortable 2-0 win away at BATE Borisov, while in the game of the night, Bayer Leverkusen played out a thrilling 4-4 draw against Roma in Germany


Rakitic double edges Barca closer to Champions League last 16 as Leverkusen and Roma take part in 4-4 stunner

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Spaniards solidify position at the top of their group

Spaniards solidify position at the top of their group