Van Persie leads the way for Arsenal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON -- Robin van Persie guided Arsenal through to the next round of the Champions League on Wednesday, scoring his 20th and 21st goals of the season in a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund.

Dortmund dominated the opening exchanges and had Arsenal under pressure even after injuries to Sven Bender and Mario Goetze midway through the first half robbed the German champions of arguably their two key players.

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Match highlights: BATE v Plzen | Valencia v Genk | Donetsk v Porto | Arsenal v Dortmund | Marseille v Olympiacos | Milan v Barcelona | Leverkusen v Chelsea | St Petersburg v APOEL

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But Van Persie headed in Alex Song's 49th-minute cross at the far post to put the home side ahead and secure progress from Group F with one match remaining.

The Netherlands striker tapped in with four minutes left before Shinji Kagawa got a goal back for Dortmund deep in injury time.

Van Persie now has four Champions League goals this season on top of 13 in the Premier League and four for his country.

But Van Persie had been mostly quiet Wednesday until Song drifted out to the left and suddenly darted between two defenders to cut inside and send over a cross. With Dortmund's defence exposed, Van Persie was unmarked and headed downward to beat diving goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller

Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp gambled with his third substitute in the 64th, bringing on Lucas Barrios for captain Sebastian Kehl, but to no avail.

Dortmund never looked like equalizing and Vermaelen flicked on an 86th-minute corner kick to give Van Persie a simple close-range finish.

Kagawa salvaged some pride for Dortmund, which can still advance after Olympiakos beat Marseille 1-0 in the other Group F game, with a close-range shot of his own after a mix up between Song and Johan Djourou.

Arsenal has 11 points from five matches, four more than Marseille. Dortmund and Olympiakos are three points further back.

Fresh from a Bundesliga victory at pacesetter Bayern Munich, Dortmund had attacked from the first minute and had three chances before Van Persie managed Arsenal's first on-target effort with an 11th-minute header that goalkeeper Weidenfeller easily caught.

Kagawa almost set up Robert Lewandowski for a shot before the Japan forward tested Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny himself with a low effort. Dortmund then cut Arsenal apart with a swift counter that only broke down when Lewandowski inadvertently got in the way of Kagawa when he was trying to shoot.

But Dortmund was dealt a blow in the 25th when Bender had to be replaced. Bender fouled Vermaelen but the tumbling defender's trailing leg struck the midfielder in the face, sending him crashing to the ground in pain.

Bender was carried off and Goetze limped off just three minutes later with a knee problem, Klopp consoling the obviously distraught winger on the touchline.

In between those substitutions, Lewandowski sent a snap shot wide from 25 metres (yards) but Arsenal began to gain parity in the midfield exchanges despite Mikel Arteta's struggle to impose himself.

Marcel Schmelzer tested Szczesny again but Arsenal swiftly countered and only a full-stretch intervention of Theo Walcott's cross by Weidenfeller denied Van Persie a simple tap in.

With Moritz Leitner and Ivan Perisic on as substitutes, Dortmund also began the second half brightly with Szczesny saving from Kagawa but it was Van Persie that scored first.

Leverkusen snatches late 2-1 win over Chelsea

LEVERKUSEN, Germany -- Manuel Friedrich's injury-time header gave Bayer Leverkusen a 2-1 win over Chelsea on Wednesday to pile further pressure on Blues manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Friedrich's header from a corner crashed in off the underside of the crossbar in the 91st minute.

Chelsea would have clinched a spot in the knockout round with a win and Didier Drogba had given the London club the lead in the 48th, when he turned his marker before dispatching a low shot to the far corner.

But Eren Derdiyok equalized in the 73rd, two minutes after coming on a substitute, when Sidney Sam waited to draw out Petr Cech before crossing for the Switzerland striker to head into an empty net.

Leverkusen tops Group E on nine points, with Chelsea and Valencia -- both on eight -- meeting in their last group game.

Barcelona beats AC Milan 3-2

MILAN, Italy -- Barcelona clinched top spot in Group H by beating AC Milan 3-2 on Wednesday after twice losing the lead in a pulsating Champions League match in which Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored against his former Spanish club.

Milan midfielder Mark van Bommel gave Barcelona the lead in the 14th minute with an own goal and, despite Ibrahimovic's leveler, Lionel Messi's twice-taken penalty ensured the defending champions went into the break in front.

Kevin-Prince Boateng pounced in the 54th to get Milan back into the game, but Xavi Hernandez combined with Messi to score the winner shortly after the hour mark.

With both teams having already qualified for the knockout phase, Barcelona now can't be headed with one group game remaining.

APOEL make history

ST. PETERBSURG, Russia -- APOEL became the first Cypriot team to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League by holding Zenit St. Petersburg to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday in a game that was interrupted by fans throwing flares onto the pitch.

APOEL has been the surprise of the tournament so far and remained unbeaten in five matches to top Group G with nine points, one ahead of Zenit.

Zenit dominated the game but could not capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities.

The game was temporarily halted in the second half with the players leaving the pitch was covered in smoke because of flares thrown onto the field.

Porto scores late goals in win at Shakhtar Donetsk

DONETSK, Ukraine -- FC Porto kept alive its chances of advancing to the last 16 of the Chanpions League by scoring two late goals in a 2-0 win at Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday.

Hulk shot beyond goalkeeper Olexandr Rybka with a low right-footed effort from inside the box in the 79th minute after an incisive pass from Joao Moutinho.

Shakhtar defender Razvan Rat redirected Cristian Rodriguez's shot into his own net in the final minute.

Two-time champion Porto is third in Group G, two points behind leader APOEL and one back from Zenit St. Petersburg. The Portuguese team hosts Zenit and Shakhtar will travel to APOEL in the final round on Dec. 6.

Shakhtar, a quarterfinalist last season, is bottom with two points.

Olympiakos edges Marseille 1-0

MARSEILLE, France -- Substitute Giannis Fetfatzidis kept alive Olympiakos' chances of qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League, firing a half-volley into the bottom corner Wednesday to give the Greek club a 1-0 win over Marseille.

Spanish midfielder Francisco Yeste sent a ball over the top for Fetfatzidis, whose shot from a tight angle beat Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda in the 82nd minute.

Arsenal beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in the other Group F match to secure a spot in the knockout round.

Olympiakos hosts Arsenal on Dec. 6 while Marseille visits Dortmund.

Valencia thrashes Genk

VALENCIA, Spain -- Roberto Soldado's first-half hat trick led Valencia to a 7-0 thrashing of Genk on Wednesday to set up a final group game at Chelsea with a place in the last 16 of the Champions League at stake.

Soldado scored in the 13th, 36th and 40th minutes after Jonas had scored a 10th-minute opener. Goals from Pablo Hernandez, Aritz Aduriz and Tino Costa turned it into a rout in the second half.

Valencia will head to Stamford Bridge on Dec. 6 with the same number of points as Chelsea, one behind Group E leader Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea lost 2-1 at Leverkusen in the other group match.

The loss condemned Genk to last place in the group, eliminating the Belgian champions from European competition.

Viktoria Plzen beats BATE Borisov 1-0

MINSK, Belarus -- Marek Bakos scored in the first half on Wednesday as Viktoria Plzen won 1-0 at BATE Borisov in a Champions League match between two teams out of contention for the knockout stages.

Bakos shot into an empty net in the 42nd minute after receiving the ball following Milan Petrzela's run into the box.

Czech Republic club Plzen and BATE of Belarus are fighting for third place in Group H for a spot in the Europa League. Plzen is third, two points ahead of winless BATE with one round left to play.

Plzen hosts AC Milan and and BATE visits Barcelona on Dec. 6.