The Dutchman turned home a precise finish in the final five minutes as Antonio Conte’s side were sent crashing out of the Champions League.

The Dutchman latched on to Didier Drogba’s flick to fire low past Gianluigi Buffon in the closing minutes as Roberto Mancini’s side battled past the Bianconeri in treacherous conditions in Istanbul.

The fixture was halted after 31 minutes on Tuesday due to freak snow storms, with play resuming on Wednesday afternoon.

On a heavy, muddy pitch, both sides were largely limited to direct passages of play when the game restarted, with Juventus coach Antonio Conte appearing very unhappy with the match officials at the break, presumably due to the condition of the playing surface.

Fernando Llorente and Carlos Tevez had both been recalled to a Juve side missing injured forward Mirko Vucinic (knee), while Sneijder made his first start since November 1 for Galatasaray after shaking off a recurring thigh problem.

The visitors had carved out the only clear-cut chance prior to Tuesday’s suspension in play, Llorente going close after good work from Arturo Vidal, but it was Galatasaray who started stronger when play got back under way in Turkey.

Drogba and Sneijder both probed well for the hosts, without threatening the goal, before Llorente and Tevez linked impressively, only for the former to lose his footing as both sides struggled with the conditions.

Referee Pedro Proenca drew the half to a close after 14 minutes of play, and it was Juve who attacked first following the interval as Leonardo Bonucci fired over with an effort from distance early in the second period.

Drogba did well to shield the ball in an advanced position at the other end, allowing Sneijder to fire wide, with the Ivorian then forcing a smart right-handed save from Gianluigi Buffon following a vicous effort.

Claudio Marchisio saw an attempt on goal saved after a rare flowing move down the left in the 79th minute before Juve’s defence, which boasts seven consecutive clean sheets in serie A, was finally breached with five minutes left.

Drogba headed a long ball into Sneijder’s path, with the Netherlands international cooly firing past Buffon.

The hosts almost made it 2-0 late on but Burak Yilmaz was denied by a goalline intervention from Giorgio Chiellini, with the final whistle prompting joyous scenes a matter of seconds later.

Galatasaray’s three points moves them into second behind Real Madrid and into the last 16 draw, with two-time winners Juventus now in the Europa League.

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Arsene Wenger’s side were beaten in Italy, with Mikel Arteta shown a red card in the second half, but the result still sees them qualify at the Serie A outfit’s expense.

Two late goals for Napoli proved to be in vain as they crashed out of the Champions League despite a 2-0 victory over 10-man Arsenal.
Needing to win by three goals to definitely go through, it took until the 73rd minute for the Italians to get on the scoresheet, Gonzalo Higuain hitting a shot on the turn from around 18 yards to send the home fans into raptures, before Mikel Arteta saw red for a second bookable offence.

But news from Marseille was met with cries of despair from the stands, with Kevin Grosskreutz firing Borussia Dortmund to a last-gasp 2-1 victory and sending the Germans through as winners of Group F.
Jose Callejon added a second for Napoli at the death, but it was too little too late for the Serie A club.

Arsenal go through as runners-up and have now qualified from the group stages for 14 consecutive seasons.

Pepe Reina once again missed out for the hosts, but was fit enough for a place among the substitutes, while Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere dropped to the Arsenal bench in favour of Tomas Rosicky and Mathieu Flamini as Arsene Wenger made two alterations to the side that were held 1-1 by Everton on Sunday.

Napoli applied the early pressure, Goran Pandev forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a save from a tight angle in the ninth minute after receiving the ball from a Dries Mertens cross.

Wenger’s men weathered the early storm and Olivier Giroud finally posed a threat at the other end of the pitch in the 23rd minute, with stand-in keeper Rafael Cabral punching away his effort from the left-hand side of the penalty area.

Christian Maggio then found some space down the right seven minutes before the break, but chipped over with Szczesny advancing, before the Pole’s blushes were saved as Higuain nodded wide from a dreadful attempted clearance.

Mesut Ozil unleashed a shot from distance four minutes into the second period, but saw it bounce well wide of the left-hand post.

Pablo Armero was denied by Szczesny at close range, Callejon dragged a shot wide and Higuain blazed over as Napoli reacted to a raucous home support.

But Higuain, who was linked with a move to Arsenal in the close season, appeared to have sent Napoli through in the 74th minute, turning superbly just inside the penalty area and sending a left-footed effort beyond Szczesny for his first goal against English opposition in the Champions League.

And Napoli received a boost just a couple of minutes later, as Arteta was given his marching orders for a second yellow card, before Callejon chipped a second from close range in stoppage time.

But it left the hosts one goal short of qualification as they became the first club to rack up 12 points but not go through to the last 16, while Arsenal could face the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain after finishing second in the group.

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The home side got back to winning ways against the below-par Romanians, who failed to test the defence which has irked manager Jose Mourinho in recent matches.

Despite suffering a second defeat to Basel on matchday five, Jose Mourinho’s men were already assured of a place in the last 16 and had little trouble in seeing off limited opposition on Wednesday.

Demba Ba’s 10th-minute strike from a Willian corner surprisingly proved the only goal as Chelsea demonstrated little desire to move in for the kill thereafter.

Gabriel Iancu spurned a golden opportunity for the visitors three minutes after Ba’s opener, but Steaua were generally kept at bay with a degree of comfort.

In failing to record victory for a 23rd Champions League game in succession, the Romanian outfit set a new record for the longest winless run in the competition.

Their European campaign is over for another season, while Chelsea will be aware far sterner tests await when the knockout stages commence in the new year.

Veteran Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer replaced the rested Petr Cech to become the Champions League’s oldest debutant – and second-oldest player – at the age of 41 years and 66 days.

Mourinho also recalled Ashley Cole for his first club start since November 2, while David Luiz and Oscar returned from injury against a Steaua side missing suspended captain Alexandru Bourceanu.

Luiz and Oscar each went close before Chelsea took the lead.

A right-wing corner from Willian was flicked on by Oscar and Ba bundled the ball home as Daniel Georgievski attempted to clear.

Iancu should have levelled three minutes later, only to drag his shot wide after being put through one-on-one with Schwarzer.

There was little else to concern a dominant home side, who came close to scoring again when Ciprian Tatarusanu made a point-blank save to keep out Branislav Ivanovic’s 27th-minute header.

Steaua’s Pantelis Kapetanos and Chelsea midfielder Lampard missed the target with long-range efforts prior to the interval, while an ambitious effort from Cole brought a comfortable save from Tatarusanu.

A delightful Willian cross left Ba with a seemingly simple tap-in eight minutes into the second period, but the Senegalese forward clumsily cleared the crossbar with his finish.

Chelsea appeared content to operate at virtual walking pace thereafter, although another opportunity went begging in the 71st minute when Eden Hazard headed over following good work from substitute Andre Schurrle.

While entertainment may have been in short supply as the game meandered towards its conclusion, Mourinho will doubtless have been pleased to see his side keep a clean sheet after conceding three in each of their last two domestic fixtures.

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The Brazilian opened his Champions League account with three goals as the Liga side secured top spot in devastating fashion, while the visitors bow out with a whimper.

 
The Brazil star had not previously scored in Europe’s premier club competition, but was in irrepressible form against the Scottish champions at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

Barca lost their last Champions League outing at Ajax, but were in no mood to repeat that disappointment as they dismantled Celtic with an irresistible attacking display.

Gerard Pique began the rout after just seven minutes, before Pedro doubled the hosts’ advantage five minutes before the interval.

Neymar’s first goal came in the 44th minute, and he had completed his treble before the hour-mark with two superb finishes before substitute Cristian Tello added a sixth 18 minutes from time.

Georgios Samaras grabbed a late consolation with a header two minutes before the end, but the hosts were in ominous form as they won the group with consummate ease.

Barca dominated the game from the outset, and were rewarded for their early pressure when Pique broke the deadlock after just seven minutes.

Fraser Forster did well to save Alexis Sanchez’s deflected shot with his legs, but the Celtic keeper was powerless to prevent Pique from rifling the rebound into the roof of the net from six yards.

The game continued to be played exclusively in Celtic’s half, but Martino’s men had to wait until five minutes prior to the break to finally double their advantage courtesy of Pedro.

Pique was again heavily involved as he played a fine pass to Neymar, who raced away from Efe Ambrose and squared for the winger to finish neatly from close range.

And Barca extended their lead further just before half-time as Neymar – who was recalled by Gerardo Martino after being rested for the Copa del Rey win at Cartagena – tapped home a typically free-flowing move involving Xavi, Sergi Roberto, Alexis and Martin Montoya.

Xavi and Sergi linked well before the outstanding Sanchez lifted a deft pass into the path of Montoya, who rolled the ball across the face of goal for the Brazilian to convert.

Martino’s side were in no mood to take their foot off the pedal after half-time, and it took Neymar just three minutes of the second period to grab his second of the game following another sumptuous passing move.

The 21-year-old played a slick one-two with Xavi after more good work from Sergi before firing unerringly into the top corner from 10 yards.

And Neymar completed his hat-trick just before the hour as he collected Adriano’s pass down the left, bamboozled Ambrose with some sensational footwork and slotted past Forster, with Matthews unable to clear on the line.

Barca continued searching for more goals to banish the memory of their defeat in Amsterdam, and Tello got in on the act on 72 minutes when his shot deflected past the helpless Forster.

Samaras then restored a semblance of respectability to the scoreline for Celtic on 88 minutes when he headed home a free-kick from close range.

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Jurgen Klopp’s side reached the last-16 by their skin of their teeth thanks to the latest of goals in France.

An 87th minute strike from Kevin Grosskreutz saw Borussia Dortmund qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Olympique de Marseille on Wednesday night.

Last season’s beaten finalists looked to be on their way to a routine victory when Robert Lewandowski put them ahead in the opening stages.
However, Marseille – led by sporting director Jose Anigo following Elie Baup’s dismissal last week – quickly levelled matters through defender Souleymane Diawara as they sought to avoid the ignominy of finishing the group stage with no points.

Dortmund wasted numerous chances to go back in front in a one-sided second half at the Stade Velodrome, with Lewandowski and Marco Reus among those to miss gilt-edged opportunities.

But the Bundesliga club finally breached a stout Marseille defence as Grosskreutz struck three minutes from time to seal top spot as earlier group leaders Arsenal were beaten 2-0 at Napoli.

Defender Rod Fanni made his return from injury for Marseille, while Benjamin Mendy and Saber Khelifa were also included in the starting XI by Anigo.

Nuri Sahin recovered from an ankle problem to feature in the Dortmund line-up as Klopp handed starting berths to youngsters Marian Sarr and Erik Durm.

Dortmund took the lead after just three minutes, left-back Durm playing an influential role as he played in Lewandowski with a deft pass, with the Poland striker making no mistake as he coolly lifted the ball over Steve Mandanda.

However, the visitors’ hopes of qualification were dealt a blow 11 minutes later when Diawara headed into an empty net after Khelifa had turned Dimitri Payet’s superb free-kick against the crossbar.

Dortmund continued to dictate an extremely open game, though, but struggled to create many meaningful chances. Reus went closest just after the half-hour mark when he blazed over the bar following a swift counter-attack.

But the German outfit’s fortunes turned shortly after as Payet was dismissed for a second booking in a matter of minutes after referee Marijo Strahonja ruled that the winger had dived in an attempt to win a penalty from a challenge with Sahin.

Marseille remained a threat despite their numerical disadvantage, however, with Andre-Pierre Gignac forcing Roman Weidenfeller into action before Reus spurned another opportunity at the other end prior to the interval.

Anigo’s men rode their luck for much of the second period, and they were fortunate not to fall behind on two separate occasions, Reus hitting the post shortly after Mandanda had produced a brilliant far-post save to keep out Jakub Blaszczykowski’s header.

Dortmund should have re-taken the lead in bizarre fashion after 66 minutes when Lewandowski intercepted Mendy’s backpass, only to hit the side netting after rounding Mandanda.

Klopp’s men refused to let up as they heaped further pressure on the Marseille defence, Reus somehow missing the target from point-blank range with the goal at his mercy.

And Dortmund were then denied a penalty in the closing stages after Mandanda collided with Lewandowski, but this proved immaterial as Grosskreutz’s effort from the edge of the area snuck into the bottom corner to ensure their progression.

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Both sides drew a blank in their final game in Group H, meaning Massimiliano Allegri’s side clinched second spot by a single point.

AC Milan reached the last-16 of the Champions League at the expense of Ajax after the two sides played out a 0-0 draw at San Siro.

Milan captain Riccardo Montolivo was sent off for a lunge on Christian Poulsen after only 22 minutes at San Siro, but Ajax were unable to secure the victory they needed to progress from Group H.

Poulsen was denied by the post before Montolivo saw red and Serie A outfit Milan dug deep with a dogged defensive display to secure second place behind Barcelona.
Ajax were totally dominant but failed to make the most of their numerical advantage as they missed a golden opportunity to reach the last 16 for the first time in eight years and were forced to settle for a Europa League spot.

Fit-again Rossoneri striker Stephan El Shaarawy made his first start since August, while right-back Mattia De Sciglio also returned in one of five changes made by Massimilano Allegri.

Poulsen, Bojan Krkic and Stefano Denswil all came in for Ajax, who started brightly and nearly took the lead in the fourth minute.

Coach Frank de Boer insisted the Eredivisie champions had nothing to lose at San Siro and they were denied by the woodwork as Poulsen’s glancing header struck the far post from a Lasse Schone corner early on.

Ajax were brimming with confidence and recalled Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati got down well to tip Davy Klaassen’s header around the near post shortly after.

Milan’s hopes of progressing to the last 16 then suffered a major setback when Montolivo was given his marching orders by referee Howard Webb for a reckless late challenge on Poulsen.

Allegri was forced into a reshuffle as a result, as El Shaarawy’s comeback proved short-lived, with Andrea Poli replacing him in a bid to bolster Milan’s midfield.

De Boer replaced defensive midfielder Poulsen with striker Danny Hoesen at the break and the visitors piled on the pressure at the start of the second half, with Viktor Fischer firing over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area.

Klaassen then fired straight at a grateful Abbiati from 20 yards out as Ajax continued to probe and the tension mounted.

Abbiati was called into action again after 65 minutes to save with his feet to keep out Fischer’s drilled right-foot strike following some lovely build-up play.

Klaassen spurned a great chance when he scuffed a shot wide of the far post 17 minutes from time as Ajax’s frustration built and Denswil fired wide in a feisty finale.

Then midfielder Klaassen was narrowly off target with the last kick of the game as a gutsy Milan side stood firm on a frustrating night for the Dutch giants.

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