Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

French side Bordeaux advance to quarterfinals of Champions League

Updated at 11:12 am on 18 March 2010

The French football club Girondins Bordeaux reached the Champions League quarter-finals this morning, though they made things hard for themselves in the 2-1 home win against Olympiakos Piraeus that gave them a 3-1 aggregate victory.

Bordeaux had the game firmly in hand after Yoann Gourcuff scored a fifth-minute opener with a whipped free kick and Olympiakos striker Matt Derbyshire was sent off on the hour.

However, the Greek side, who lost 1-nil at home in the first leg, levelled in the 65th thanks to a stunning volley by substitute Kostas Mitroglou, three minutes before Bordeaux captain Alou Diarra was also sent off.

The Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh put the tie to bed two minutes from time and Bordeaux joined Olympique Lyon in the last eight as two French teams qualified for the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time since 2004.

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