Lille produced a surprise 2-0 away victory over AC Milan on Wednesday to clinch their UEFA Champions League knockout stage berth. Lille's salvation came from African players Peter Odemwingie of Nigeria and Ivory Coast midfielder Kader Keita who scored in the 7th and 67th minutes respectively. The win put Lille in second place in Group H on 9 points, one point behind AC Milan. Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti opted to field a lineup of reserves after his team secured qualification in the fifth round. Odemwingie grabbed the lead for Lille when Australian keeper Zeljko Kalac failed to control Mathieu Bodmer's drive only for the Nigerian ace to swoop in and fire home from close range.
Anderlecht held AEK In the 67th minute, Keita secured the win for the French side when he drilled the ball past the hapless Kalac after a swift exchange with Bodmer. Elsewhere, Anderlecht denied AEK Athens qualification to the next round when they held them to a 2-2 draw. Anthony Vanden Borre and Nicolas Frutos gave Anderlecht a two goal lead but late efforts from Vassilios Lakis and Bruno Cirillo put the home side at level. AEK needed one more goal to advance to the knockout stages but the dramatic incidents denied them. The Greek giants will have to settle for a UEFA Cup place after finishing third with 8 points.
