Dynamo Kiev, Gent score critical Champions League wins

By foxsports
Published

PORTO, Portugal --

Dynamo Kiev upset FC Porto 2-0 on Tuesday to leave Champions League Group G wide open with one game left to play.

That victory was the Ukrainian club's sixth in its last 35 group games and came courtesy of goals in each half from Andriy Yarmolenko and Derlis Gonzalez.

Porto's first defeat of the season left it level at the top with Chelsea on 10 points, with Dynamo on eight and Maccabi Tel-Aviv yet to register a point. Porto plays at Chelsea in the final round, with Dynamo heading to Israel.

Dynamo is trying to avoid its 11th straight group exit since it last advanced 16 years ago.

Porto needed only a draw to advance and was sharper than its opponent in the first 20 minutes. But after that Dynamo began to turn the tables on its host, with Gonzalez forcing a reflex save from Iker Casillas and Denys Garmash heading against the post before Imbula's foul on Serhiy Rybalka led to the penalty.

Yarmolenko led the visitor's charge, repeatedly breaking free down the right flank, before Gonzalez extended the visitor's lead after a solo run in the 64th. Casillas could only get his fingertips to the Paraguayan's shot, with the ball dropping into the net behind the Spaniard.

LYON 1, GENT 2

LYON, France -- Striker Kalifa Coulibaly scored in the fifth minute of injury time as Gent won 2-1 at Lyon on Tuesday to maintain its chances of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Lyon failed to properly clear a corner and Coulibaly nodded home from close range to punish a lackluster Lyon side that led through midfielder Jordan Ferri's seventh-minute goal.

The Belgian side equalized in the 32nd minute through Danijel Milicevic's cleverly-worked free-kick.

The win moves Gent onto seven points and above Valencia into second place in Group H behind Zenit St. Petersburg - which beat Spanish side Valencia 2-0 in the group's other match.

Gent can guarantee qualification by beating already-qualified Zenit at home on Dec. 9.

Lyon's one point sees it miss a Europa League berth.