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Messi equals record, Chelsea held up

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi equalled Real Madrid legend Raul as the top goalscorer in the history of the Champions League on 71 goals after scoring twice in the 2-0 win over Ajax on Tuesday.

The win booked Barcelona’s place in the next phase.

The Argentine leapfrogged Cristiano Ronaldo, who is one behind on 70 Champions League goals, in his 90th appearance in the competition as he headed Barca in front in the Dutch capital before prodding home Pedro’s low cross to match Raul’s mark 15 minutes from time.

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Messi now leads Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo by one goal after the Portuguese failed to find the net against Liverpool on Tuesday.

The four-time World Player of the Year made his Champions League debut against Udinese in 2004 and has won the Champions League three times with Barca in 2005-06, 2008-09 and 2010-11.

Raul scored his 71 goals from 142 appearances for Madrid and Schalke, also winning the competition three times with Los Blancos.

Elsewhere, Chelsea came from behind to draw 1-1 away to Maribor and then squandered a gilt-edged chance of victory after the Slovenian side had threatened to pull off the shock result of this season’s competition.

Chelsea, who only a fortnight ago thrashed Maribor 6-0 at Stamford Bridge, fell behind to Agim Ibraimi’s 50th-minute goal.

The hosts should have gone 2-0 up but Luka Zahovic somehow missed an open goal as the game entered its final 20 minutes and they were made to pay as Nemanja Matic equalised to spare the blushes of manager Jose Mourinho’s team.

Chelsea then squandered several chances before Eden Hazard won a penalty with five minutes remaining after being brought down in the box by Mitja Viler.

Hazard took the penalty himself but impressive goalkeeper Jasmin Handanovic dived to his left to save the spot-kick.

Had the 2012 Champions League winners beaten Maribor and other results gone their way, they would have qualified for the last 16 with two games to spare.

Meanwhile, English champions Manchester City face the prospect of a third group-phase exit in four years after a disastrous 2-1 loss at home to CSKA Moscow on Wednesday.

CSKA claimed a first win on English soil at the sixth attempt after Seydou Doumbia scored either side of a free-kick by Yaya Toure, who was sent off in the second half along with team-mate Fernandinho.

Fernandinho, a halftime substitute, was dismissed for two bookable offences and key midfielder Toure was red-carded for pushing Roman Eremenko in the face, leaving the home side with only nine men.

Both players will miss City’s next game, at home to Bayern Munich on November 25, when if Manuel Pellegrini’s side fail to win and there is a victor in the other Group E game between CSKA and Roma in Moscow, they will be out.

In other results, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Porto all qualified for the last 16.

Bayern went through after a 2-0 victory at home to Roma, PSG saw off APOEL 1-0 while Porto beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0.

Champions Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund made sure of their last-16 places on Tuesday.

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