'Lethargic'Bayern face uphill battle to stay alive

REAL MADRID and Valencia, along with Porto and Sparta Prague, secured places in the next phase of the Champions' League on Tuesday night. They join Barcelona and Bordeaux, who qualified last week.

REAL MADRID and Valencia, along with Porto and Sparta Prague, secured places in the next phase of the Champions' League on Tuesday night. They join Barcelona and Bordeaux, who qualified last week.

However, Bayern Munich, beaten in the last minute by Manchester United in last year's final, have a fight if they are to progress after a 2-1 away defeat to the Dutch club, PSV Eindhoven, on Tuesday.

The German side, three times the European champions in the 1970s, will need to beat Rangers in their last fixture in Group F if they are to maintain their Champions' League campaign.

Franz Beckenbauer, the Bayern Munich legend and club president, said: "I can't explain our lethargic showing. But the defeat changes nothing in essence - even before the match in Eindhoven we had to win the last match against Glasgow. So it's still in our own hands."

Valencia's 2-1 win at Rangers, courtesy of first-half goals from Gaizca Mendieta and Claudio Lopez, ensures they will finish top of Group F and either Bayern or Rangers, who meet in Munich next week, will be eliminated.

In Group H, Chelsea and Hertha Berlin both have eight points, two ahead of Milan. A point for the Londoners in their final game at home to Hertha will ensure they go through, while a draw for the Germans could enable them to progress at the expense of Milan, who travel to face Galatasaray two points behind.

The German side looked on course for their third victory when going ahead against Galatasaray, but the Turkish team responded after the interval to win 4-1, with Hakan Sukur netting twice.

In Group E, Porto and Real Madrid qualified after comfortable victories over Norway's Molde and Olympiakos of Greece respectively.

Sparta Prague's 0-0 draw at Bordeaux in Group G was enough to enable the Czech club to join the French champions in qualifying after Spartak Moscow could only draw 1-1 at home to Willem II Tilburg.