Barca beat Levski 2-0 to keep qualifying hopes alive

SOFIA, Nov 22 (Reuters) An early strike by Ludovic Giuly and a second-half goal by Andres Iniesta today gave holders Barcelona a 2-0 win at Levski Sofia that kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

The Spanish giants got the ideal start in the fourth minute when the home defence failed to clear Gianluca Zambrotta's right wing cross and the unmarked Giuly's fearsome shot gave goalkeeper Georgi Petkov no chance.

Barcelona doubled their lead after 65 minutes when Petkov failed to hold on to Deco's long-range shot and Iniesta made no mistake on the rebound.

The Catalans now need to beat Werder Bremen on December 5 to reach the next phase after the German side enjoyed a 1-0 win over English champions Chelsea to hold a two-point advantage over Barca in Group A. Chelsea qualified anyway.

Reuters SBA VP0337