UEFA Champions League NEWS: Arsenal And Chelsea Advance To Round Of 16

English clubs Arsenal and Chelsea advanced to the UEFA Champions League knockout stage with convincing wins on Wednesday. They will be joined in the round of 16 by Serie A club Roma, Belgian surprise KAA Gent and Dynamo Kiev.

Arsenal needed to win by at least two goals against Greek club Olympiakos and secured a spot in the top 16 with a 3-0 victory. After a tense start to the match, Arsenal gained composure when French striker Olivier Giroud scored in the 28th minute. The often-criticized Giroud went on to provide his first hat trick for Arsenal, and it was enough for the Gunners to advance. Arsenal was in danger of missing the knockout stage for the first time in 16 years, but coach Arsene Wenger remained calm, according to Sami Mokbel.

"I told you before that it would be the greatest escape," Wenger said, praising the play of his team. "Tonight we needed a complete team performance. This team is really a team and they showed it tonight. It is a fantastic achievement for us."

Chelsea needed a point against FC Porto to join Arsenal in the knockout round. An early own goal from Porto took a bit of pressure off Chelsea, and when Brazilian winger Willian put Chelsea up 2-0 in the second half, it coasted to victory. The goal was the Brazilian's fifth Champions League goal, giving him more than any other player besides Cristiano Ronaldo.

After clinching a spot in the knockout round, clubs will have to wait until Monday to find out their next opponent. Chelsea could match up against Group A runner-up Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, Juventus or Roma, according to Ed Aarons. Aarons reported there's a good chance Arsenal could be pitted against Spanish powerhouses Barcelona or Real Madrid, which walked into the round of 16 with an 8-0 win over Malmo on Tuesday.

Other notable matches on Wednesday saw Bayern Munich beat Dinamo Zagreb, while Barcelona finished the group stage with a 1-1 draw against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Both Bayern Munich and Barcelona had already secured a spot in the knockout round and didn't put forth their best 11 on Tuesday, according to Karl Matchett. Clubs will await the drawing for the round of 16, which will take place in on Dec. 14 at 6 a.m. EST in Nyon, Switzerland.

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Champions league, Chelsea, Manchester city, Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona, Fc barcelona, Bayern munich, Paris saint-germain, Brazil