United, City booted from Champions League

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BASEL, Switzerland -- Beaten finalists last May, Manchester United won't be gracing the glamorous Champions League again this season after being upstaged and ousted by FC Basel on Wednesday.

The three-time European champion slumped to a 2-1 loss against the unheralded Swiss champion when needing just a draw to advance from its group to the knockout rounds.

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Match highlights: Basel v Man United | Man City v Bayern Munich | Villarreal v Napoli | Zagreb v Lyon | Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow | Benfica v Otelul Galati | Ajax v Real Madrid | Lille v Trabzonspor |

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"We're disappointed, there's no other way you can feel," United manager Alex Ferguson said, after his team's second group-stage exit in 16 straight Champions League campaigns since 1996. "It's a loss because it's the best tournament in the world."

Though Ferguson lamented United's poor finishing, Basel deserved a victory that will be hailed in the history of Swiss football.

"I can just beam with pride," coach Heiko Vogel said. "Tactically, mentally, physically, everything just worked right."

Captain Marco Streller scored in the ninth minute, pouncing on United goalkeeper David de Gea's error, and forward partner Alex Frei struck in the 84th.

United responded through Phil Jones's scrambled goal in the 89th.

Basel, led by its novice interim coach, joins group winner Benfica among Europe's elite in the last-16 draw next week.

United, a winner and twice runner-up in the past four seasons, finished third in the group. It now has the unwanted honour of playing in the second-tier Europa League from next February.

"That is our penalty for not qualifying tonight," Ferguson said, with Thursday dates in Europe forcing rescheduled Sunday fixtures in the Premier League.

"We deserve to be out," United defender Patrice Evra said. "We should have woken up earlier in this competition."

More misery was heaped on Ferguson as he lost captain Nemanja Vidic to what appeared a seriously injured right knee.

Basel celebrated with a lap of honour around St. Jakob Park as if it had won a trophy.

Yet its win showed that a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford -- the result which upset the expected balance of power in Group C -- was no fluke.

"We were careless," Ferguson said, reflecting on wasting a 2-0 lead that night in September. "We let ourselves down badly."

On a cold night and rain-soaked pitch, United started brightly. A long spell of possession ended when Park Ji-sung turned in the penalty area and curled a left-footed shot too high.

Basel's hottest young prospect Xherdan Shaqiri had troubled the visitors with a long dribble before he created the opening goal.

Shaqiri fired in a low cross after defenders Vidic and Chris Smalling collided when failing to clear a high ball from the right.

De Gea chose to block awkwardly with his legs rather than hands and guided the ball toward Streller, whose left-footed shot from 10 yards (meters) bounced just inside the post.

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United dominated possession but created little until Nani sparked a frenetic spell around the half-hour mark.

The Portugal winger teed up Rooney three yards (meters) out but the England forward failed to connect cleanly.

Rooney then seized on a clever reverse pass from Ryan Giggs but shot at goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

Nani was denied by Sommer's smothering save, and his trickery repeatedly troubled left-back Park Joo Ho.

United lost Vidic in the 42nd minute when the Serbian fell clutching his right knee after tangling with Streller. Vidic left the stadium walking with the help of crutches.

"We think it's certainly a medial ligament. Hopefully, that's the worst of it," Ferguson said.

Into the second half, Giggs freed Rooney to run clear in the 49th but his shot floated wide of Sommer's left-hand post.

Basel responded strongly as United's looked exposed to Shaqiri's influence in central midfield.

The 20-year-old playmaker curled an 18-yard (meter) shot wide, then Frei's 25-yard meter free-kick was tipped over by the diving De Gea.

Basel defender Markus Steinhoefer almost gifted United a spectacular goal in the 60th minute when he volleyed Nani's cross against the bar.

As United's play grew more urgent, Sommer rose to the challenge with excellent handling to protect his team's lead.

A memorable Swiss victory appeared sealed in the 84th minute when Frei stooped to head home a bouncing ball at the back post.

Jones gave United some hope when he bundled the ball just over the line, after substitute Federico Macheda's shot ricocheted back out off the crossbar.

Bayern Munich 0 @ Manchester City 2

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester City bowed out of the Champions League on Wednesday despite goals from David Silva and Yaya Toure giving it a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich in the teams' final Group A match.

With City needing victory over the already qualified German side to have any chance of progressing, Silva put the English club ahead in the 37th minute with a low shot from the edge of the area.

Toure doubled the advantage seven minutes after halftime.

But Napoli's 2-0 win at Villarreal put the Italians through to the last 16 at City's expense.

Napoli 2 @ Villarreal 0

VILLARREAL, Spain -- Gokhan Inler and Marek Hamsik scored second-half goals to secure Napoli's place in the Champions League knockout round with a 2-0 victory at Villarreal on Wednesday.

The result sealed second place in Group A for the Italian club ahead of Manchester City, which finished third despite a 2-0 home win against leader Bayern Munich.

Napoli laboured to find a way through the Villarreal defence, but Inler launched a 25-yard drive that left goalkeeper Diego Lopez motionless to break the deadlock in the 65th minute.

Boosted by the breakthrough, Hamsik added a second with a close-range finish in the 76th to give Napoli a comfortable finish.

Villarreal became the first Spanish club to suffer six straight defeats in the Champions League group stage.

Lyon 7 @ Dinamo Zagreb 1

ZAGREB, Croatia -- Lyon swept into the last 16 of the Champions League on Wednesday after a stunning 7-1 victory at Dinamo Zagreb in its final Group D match.

The French club, which needed to turn around a three-point deficit on Ajax, along with a goal difference of minus 7, pulled off the astonishing feat with help from Real Madrid's 3-0 victory in Amsterdam.

The set of results catapulted Lyon from third to second in the group, behind the already-qualified Madrid.

Bafetimbi Gomis led the rout with four goals including a seven-minute hat trick, while Maxime Gonalons, Lisandro and Jimmy Briand provided the rest.

Mateo Kovacic had put Zagreb ahead.

CSKA Moscow 2 @ Inter Milan 1

MILAN, Italy -- A late winner from Vasili Berezutsk earned CSKA Moscow a 2-1 victory at Inter Milan on Wednesday and a place alongside the home team in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Seydou Doumbia gave CSKA the lead in the 50th minute following a smart one-two with Vagner Love. However, Inter was back on level terms immediately when Esteban Cambiasso fired into an empty net.

Knowing it needed a victory to have any chance of progressing, CSKA pressed for a winner and its hard work paid off four minutes from time when Berezutski headed home.

Moments before Diego Milito had seen an effort crash off the crossbar and onto the line before going out.

CSKA go through as Group B runners-up after Lille held Trabzonspor to a goalless draw.

Trabzonspor 0 @ Lille 0

LILLE, France -- Goalkeeper Tolga Zengin made several fine saves as Trabzonspor scraped a 0-0 draw at Lille that put both sides out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

A win would have guaranteed Lille's place in the next round along with Inter Milan, but despite dominating for the entire match, the French champion could not find a way past Zengin.

Zengin kept out efforts from Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard, and it looked like the Turks were heading into the next round until CSKA's late goal secured a 2-1 win at Inter.

Lille finished bottom of Group B and failed to even qualify for the Europa League, with Trabzonspor taking that spot.

Trabzonspor players looked distraught when news filtered through that CSKA had won.

Otelul Galati 0 @ Benfica 1

LISBON, Portugal -- Benfica clinched top spot in Champions League Group C with a 1-0 win over Otelul Galati on Wednesday after an early goal from Oscar Cardozo.

Benfica, which had already qualified for the knockout round, finished first in its group for the first time since 1995.

Otelul Galati, visiting Lisbon after five straight defeats in the tournament, packed its defence in the low-key encounter.

But the Romanian newcomer lasted just seven minutes before Cardozo tapped in a cross from winger Nicolas Gaitan for his third Champions League goal.

The Portuguese club has shown strong form this season, losing just once in 23 games.

Real Madrid 3 @ Ajax 0

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Ajax had two goals disallowed as it lost 3-0 to Real Madrid on Wednesday and was knocked out of the Champions League.

Looking to qualify for the knockout stage for the first time since 2005-2006, Ajax went into the match leading Lyon by three points and with a goal difference advantage of seven, but the French side thrashed Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 in Group D's other match to snatch second place.

Madrid went ahead through Jose Callejon in the 14th minute before Ajax had two goals chalked off. Gonzalo Higuain scored the second in the 41st and Callejon wrapped up the win in injury time.

Madrid became only the fifth team to win all six of its Champions League group matches, and the first since Barcelona in 2002-03.