Inter, United advance in Champions League

LONDON (AP):

Holders Inter Milan staged a second-half comeback to oust Bayern Munich on away goals in a repeat of last season's final and Manchester United advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals for the fifth consecutive season by beating Marseille 2-1 yesterday.

Goran Pandev's 88th-minute goal for Inter earned a 3-2 victory at Bayern that sent the Serie A side through, having lost 1-0 at the San Siro.

Inter are only the second team in Champions League history to overturn a first-leg home defeat to advance.

United's victory over Marseille was more routine, with Javier Hernandez scoring twice to secure victory after the match in France was drawn 0-0.

In Munich, Pandev not only sealed the victory, but set up Samuel Eto'o's opener after four minutes with a neat pass that sent the Cameroon striker through.

Having beaten the offside trap, Eto'o slotted through the legs of Bayern goalkeeper Thomas Kraft to score his eighth goal in this season's competition.

But a mistake by Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar gifted Bayern an equaliser. The Brazilian fumbled Arjen Robben's attempt from 20 yards and Mario Gomez hooked the ball into the net in the 21st minute.

Thomas Mueller put Bayern 3-1 ahead on aggregate 10 minutes later. Robben cut in from the left and Lucio tried to intercept, but only succeeded in putting it directly through for Mueller to lift the ball past Cesar.

Inter's recovery began in the 63rd minute when Wesley Sneijder struck a shot into the corner of the net from 25 yards, off Eto'o's lay-off.

With Bayern clinging on, Eto'o raced ahead of defender Breno and sent the ball to Pandev, who fired into the top corner.

Bayern coach Louis van Gaal was in charge of the last team - Ajax in 1996 - to come back from a home deficit and go through.

Under pressure

At Old Trafford, Hernandez put United ahead five minutes into the match after latching onto Wayne Rooney's cross.

The Mexico striker got the 15th goal of his debut season for United in the 75th minute. He netted from close range after Ryan Giggs squared the ball into the penalty area, having received the ball from substitute Antonio Valencia.

United clung on after Wes Brown headed into his own goal in the 83rd from Lucho Gonzalez's corner, while under pressure from former United defender Gabriel Heinze.

"Our game plan was to attack them first half and to get a goal or two up," Rooney said. "We managed to get one and we held on. We were unfortunate to concede the goal."

Marseille missed early opportunities to cancel out Hernandez's opener, with striker Andre-Pierre Gignac shooting over and Souleymane Diawara heading wide when unmarked six yards from goal.

"My team has young players but after they have done well - and we had good opportunities - we don't score," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said.

Last week, Barcelona, Schalke, Shakhtar Donetsk and Tottenham qualified for the quarter-finals, with the last two spots being determined today.

Chelsea hold a 2-0 lead over FC Copenhagen from the away leg and Real Madrid host Lyon after drawing 1-1 in France.