There were only two games tonight in the Champions League which involved two matches. German team Stuttgart entertained Spanish giants Barcelona, while Greek side Olympiakos entertained French outfit Bordeaux.

Stuttgart 1-1 Barcelona

Stuttgart got a very valuable draw against Barcelona as they will now head to the Nou Camp in two weeks time to attempt to eliminate the holders. Barcelona didn’t play their usual game as Stuttgart dominated most of the game and it was Stuttgart who took the lead when Cacau headed the ball into the back of the net in the first half. And if it was for Victor Valdes many saves Barcelona could have been more than one goal behind at the interval. But it was Barcelona who got the next goal as Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored his first ever goal in the Champions League Knockout Stages as he slotted past the experienced Jens Lehmann. Stuttgart will be proud of their performance tonight as they will now look to play with the same attitude and desire in the second leg. But it must be said that Barcelona who last year drew 1-1 with Lyon away in the first leg, came back and beat the French side 5-2 in the returning leg.

Olympiakos 0-1 Bordeaux

Bordeaux won this game to make it six Champions League victories in a row. It wasn’t as easy as the French would have hoped as Olympiakos made them work hard and Bordeaux managed to come away with a vital away win, and a crucial away goal. It was a killer blow for Olympiakos as Bordeaux took the lead on the stroke of half time. It all came when a Gourcuff free-kick came into the box and Ciani rose unchallenged to head home what turned out to be the only goal. The Greek Champions nearly equalised on the stroke of full time only for the goal to be disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper by Matt Derbyshire.

Bordeaux now have the edge ahead of the second leg in France on March 17th but it won’t be an easy game as Olympiakos will look to bounce back and look to head into the next round of the Champions League Knockout Stages.

David Osterland