Champions League Results 2013-14: How Tuesday's Results Will Impact Group Stage

The 2013-14 UEFA Champions League is just getting underway as the group stage wears on, and Tuesday's results painted a much clearer picture of which clubs will contend for the title. 

While it's still very early in group play and anything can happen at this point, the cream seems to be rising to the top and the best contenders are starting to distance themselves. 

Let's break down Tuesday's matches and give you some takeaways from each.

FC Basel 0 - 1 Schalke 

The recapping storyline of Tuesday's match between Basel and Schalke unfortunately won't be from the action on the pitch. Instead, protestors unfurling a banner over the stadium, as ESPN.co.uk captured, will resonate:

As far as what occurred in the match itself before and after that series of events, Schalke attacker Julian Draxler scored for the second straight Group E match to net the game's only goal.

Draxler has quickly become one of the studs in the group, which also features English powerhouses Chelsea and Steaua Bucuresti. Shutting him down will be imperative for any and all of Schalke's opponents moving forward.

Schalke beating Basel significantly undercuts Basel's huge win over Chelsea earlier in the group stage, putting Schalke alone atop the group with six points as Basel and Chelsea are chasing three points down.

Steaua Bucuresti 0 - 4 Chelsea

After dropping a contest to FC Basel early on, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea squad couldn't afford to win by any less than three goals against incredibly overmatched foe Steaua Bucuresti, for momentum's sake.

Four goals later, the momentum should be ringing loud and clear at Stamford Bridge.

It takes much more than one or two matches for a club of Chelsea's tradition and skill to make up for a loss like the one they suffered earlier, but it's a good start. If they can find a way to beat Schalke, they'll slip into the driver's seat in Group E.

Arsenal 2 - 0 Napoli

A few months back, Arsenal fans were groggy over an action-less summer. Now, with Mesut Ozil and a revamped attack, they've emerged to the top of the English Premier League and continue to dominate in the Champions League.

Ozil notched the match's first goal and quickly assisted the second, and that was all the Gunners needed to secure three points against one of Italy's top clubs.

This club is in top form, more so than perhaps any team in the world right now—this is their 10th straight win in all competitions. They should have no problem advancing after their hot start and Borussia's early slip-up in Group F.

Borussia Dortmund 3 - 0 Marseille

It should come as little surprise by now that Borussia Dortmund are having success in the Champions League, given their runner-up finish a few months ago.

Robert Lewandowski may not be in those yellow kits for long, but he's dominant as of now—notching two goals in the win. 

After dropping a contest to Napoli to start off the Champions League slate, Dortmund desperately needed this win to stay afloat in a star-studded Group F. Against a quality opponent like Marseille, the club's efficiency and offensive firepower bodes well for the rest of the way.

Zenit St. Petersburg 0 - 0 Austria Vienna

Both of these clubs desperately needed three points to get back into the swing of things in Group G, as Atletico Madrid and FC Porto look to make it a two-man race for two qualifying spots.

The tie couldn't be what either had in favor, but it was somewhat quelled by Atletico taking down Porto and preventing the loser from notching a single point.

Still, it'll take some catching up for Zenit and Austria—both of which only have one point to Porto's three and Atletico's six. Expect an all-out performance from these two desperate clubs next time out.

FC Porto 1 - 2 Atletico Madrid

The driver's seat spot in Group G was up for grabs in this showdown, and the overall skill and prowess of La Liga proved just too much for an incredibly skilled club in Porto.

However, it wasn't quite easy from the get-go. In fact, Porto entered halftime with a 1-0 lead and looked to be cruising. But Atletico fought back, and Arda Turan netted a late winner to give his side three points.

With Austria Vienna and Zenit St. Petersburg canceling each other out at the bottom of the group, Madrid are taking a big deep breath as they look to be cruising toward qualification.

Porto, on the other hand, will be taking this tough-tasting loss as an opportunity to distance themselves in the No. 2 spot in the group. 

Ajax Amsterdam 1 - 1 AC Milan

In one of the aptly named 'groups of death,' Ajax and AC Milan couldn't get past each other en route to a 1-1 stalemate. 

The tie will sting Ajax much more so, as they have put up just one point in two matches. Meanwhile, Milan is firmly in the No. 2 spot with four points, behind Barcelona's six.

The Rossoneri played a tactical, defensive game on Tuesday but it nearly resulted in defeat. That is, until Mario Balotelli—who else—netted a penalty in injury time to secure the lone point.

That development at the end of the match will pay dividends moving forward in the points department.

Celtic 0 - 1 Barcelona

To nobody's surprise, Barcelona are cruising to the top of Group H despite being accompanied by three world-class clubs.

It's no secret Barca struggled in the goals department without Lionel Messi, but they still played their typical and unmistakable brand of football that either lulls you to sleep or tickles your fancy. They had an unfathomable 82 percent possession.

It's worth noting that Celtic played with 10 men from the 59th minute on, and Cesc Fabregas netted Barcelona's game-winning header in the 75th minute. But don't let that take away from the club's dominating performance.