Milan, Celtic reach last 16, Benfica qualifies for UEFA Cup

AC Milan's Kaka (L) and Celtic's Stephen Pressley jump for the ball during their Champions League Group D soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, Dec. 4, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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ROME, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- Celtic joined AC Milan in the Champions League last 16 despite a 1-0 defeat at the Group D leaders on Tuesday, thanks to Shakhtar Donetsk's loss to Benfica.

Shakhtar Donetsk's Tomas Hubschman (R) fights for the ball with Benfica's Oscar Cardozo during their UEFA Champions League Group D soccer match in Donetsk Dec. 4, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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The Scot side finished second on nine points in the group, trailing holders Milan with a deficit of four points, while Portuguese Benfica beat Ukraine's Shakhtar 2-1 to qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Shakhtar had needed a victory at home while hoping for a defeat from Celtic to keep their chance alive, but Oscar Cardozo's double sent them home without realizing their dream of reach the Champions League knockout stages for the first time.

Celtic only needed a point and they had only one effort on goal in the first half, before Filippo Inzaghi turned in Cafu's cutback midway through the second half for Milan's winner.

Milan, to get a better draw for the first knockout stage after topping the group, will travel to the Club World Cup in Japan, which brought forward the last round of matches in the Champions League Group D by a week.

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Celtic's Scott McDonald jumps for the ball during their Champions League Group D soccer match against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, Dec. 4, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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AC Milan's Andrea Pirlo (R) and Celtic's Scott Brown fight for the ball during their Champions League Group D soccer match at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, Dec. 4, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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Celtic's Stephen Pressley applauds at the end of the Champions League Group D soccer match against AC Milan at San Siro stadium in Milan Dec. 4, 2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

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Celtic captain Stephen McManus reacts at the end of their Champions League Group D soccer match against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium in Milan, northern Italy, Dec. 4, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)