Manchester Utd ease through with Inter and Ajax
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-08-25 10:41

LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Three former winners advanced smoothly into the Champions League group stage on Wednesday when Manchester United, Inter Milan and Ajax Amsterdam made sure of their places in the money-spinning final 32.

Inter Milan's Adriano (L) challenges Tomas Hubschman (R) of Shakhtar Donetsk during their Champions League third qualifying round, second leg soccer match at San Siro Stadium in Milan, northern Italy August 24, 2005. [Reuters]

United won 3-0 at Hungary's Debrecen for a 6-0 aggregate score, Inter drew 1-1 at home to Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine for a 3-1 aggregate success while Ajax had to come from behind to beat Brondby 3-1 for a 5-3 overall victory.

Anderlecht, Rangers, Werder Bremen, Club Bruges and Villarreal also progressed to take their place in Thursday's draw in Monaco.

On Tuesday, holders Liverpool and Real Betis advanced, along with surprise duo Thun of Switzerland and Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia, joining the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, all automatically through.

Playing in the group stage of the continent's premier club competition is worth between 10 and 20 million pounds ($18-36 million) depending on television and other factors and is absolutely essential for the budgets of Europe's major clubs.

UNITED RECORD

Manchester United have certainly come to rely on it, as Wednesday's success made it a record 10 consecutive years in the group phase for the 1968 and 1999 European champions.

They were never likely to be troubled having strolled to a 3-0 first-leg win at Old Trafford and were similarly dominant in Budapest.

Gabriel Heinze, who scored the winner in the same Ferenc Puskas Stadium when Argentina beat Hungary 2-1 in a friendly last week, got the first two with headers while Kieran Richardson made it 3-0.

Inter were ordered to play their game behind closed doors as punishment for their fans' misbehaviour in last season's quarter-final against AC Milan but those forced to stay away did not miss much.

The handful of club officials scattered around the 83,000-capacity San Siro had Uruguayan Alvaro Recoba's 12th-minute shot to warm them up and end any Shakhtar hopes of an upset.

The Ukrainian champions deservedly levelled midway through the first half through Brazilian striker Elano but Inter were never in danger from then on.

SNEIJDER DOUBLE

Substitute Wesley Sneijder scored twice in the final 10 minutes for four-times winners Ajax, who had endured a tense night against the lively Danish champions.

Brondby, who grabbed an injury-time equaliser in the first leg, went ahead at the end of the first half through Swede Johan Elmander, with Ryan Babel equalising early in the second.

Ajax led on away goals at that stage but only relaxed once Sneijder scored his first in the 80th minute, before settling it two minutes from time.

Villarreal made sure Spain had a full complement of four teams in the group stage as their 2-1 home win over Everton sent them through 4-2.

Everton had been pressing for the equaliser that would have taken the game into extra time when Diego Forlan scored after a last-minute breakaway.

Werder Bremen missed a penalty, had a striker sent off and were forced to wait until midway through the second half before getting the better of Switzerland's Basel 3-0 to seal a 4-2 aggregate victory.

Two goals for Ivan Klasnic and one for Tim Borowski after Johan Micoud had missed a first-half penalty put the Germans through, despite a 79th-minute red card for Miroslav Klose.

Anderlecht won 2-0 at Slavia Prague to go through 4-1 while fellow Belgians Club Bruges needed a penalty shoot-out to get past Norwegian outsiders Valerenga after a 1-0 home win left the tie level at 1-1 after extra time.

Rangers beat Cypriot outsiders Anorthosis Famagusta 2-0 in Glasgow for a 4-1 aggregate success.

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