Football / European Round-Up: Milan held by Athens

MILAN, still reeling from having two points deducted by Uefa last week, suffered a further setback last night when they were held to a goalless draw by AEK Athens.

However, they are still in with a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals because the other match in Group D, between Salzburg and Ajax, also finished scoreless. At the halfway stage of the league, Milan are still only one point adrift of second-placed AEK.

IFK Gothenburg overtook Barcelona and moved into second place in Group A with a 1-0 victory over Galatasaray. The Turkish team spent most of the time pinned in their own half, but Gothenburg's indifferent finishing meant they struggled to turn their superiority into goals. The Gothenburg substitute Erik Wahlstedt, with virtually his first touch of the match, crossed for Magnus Erlingmark to score in the 76th minute.

Bayern Munich moved above Dynamo Kiev in Group B, but only thanks to a late equaliser. The Germans made virtually all the running against Spartak Moscow but were clearly missing the injured Jean-Pierre Papin as they wasted numerous chances.

Spartak took the lead against the run of play in the 78th minute when Nikolai Pisarev's shot took a deflection off Lothar Matthaus. Bayern's goal was scored by their defender Marcus Babbel, who headed in a free- kick with seconds remaining.

Dynamo Kiev lost 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain, who are now the only team with a 100 per cent record.

In Group C, Benfica and Hajduk Split pulled further away with 2-1 victories over Steaua Bucharest and Anderlecht respectively.