The Hindu : Sport / Football : Good wins for Arsenal, AC Milan

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Friday, Sep 15, 2006
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Good wins for Arsenal, AC Milan

Lyon beats nine-time champion Real Madrid

— Photo: AP

STRIKE FORCE: AC Milan's Kaka (left) celebrates with fellow goal-scorer Yoann Gourcuff after a strike in their Champions League match against AEK Athens on Wednesday.

LONDON : Real Madrid tumbled at Lyon 2-0 while AC Milan and Arsenal opened with impressive Champions League victories on Wednesday. Manchester United also won, edging Celtic 3-2 at Old Trafford.

Six-time European champion AC Milan beat AEK Athens 3-0 and Arsenal, last season's runner-up, began its campaign with a 2-1 win at Hamburger SV despite the absence of the injured Thierry Henry.

Despite the return of former coach Fabio Capello and more big-name signings, Madrid looks no nearer to turning around its slump in European soccer. The nine-time champion still can't recapture the form that earned it three titles in five seasons from 1998-2002.

French champion Lyon could have been four goals up by halftime in a one-sided game at Stade Gerland. Fred scored in the 11th minute and Tiago added a second in the 31st while but Florent Malouda hit the crossbar and the Madrid defenders made frequent mistakes under pressure.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink gave Celtic a 21st-minute lead before more than 74,000 fans at Old Trafford in the first meeting of the two British teams.

Lucky

Two-time champion United was lucky to get a penalty for Louis Saha to level, and the France striker made it 2-1.

But Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura equalised two minutes before halftime with a direct free kick, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it 3-2 for United early in the second half after Saha's shot had been blocked.

It was Solskjaer's first European competition goal in nearly three years.

The result put United in first place in Group `F' because FC Copenhagen and two-time European champion Benfica drew 0-0.

Arsenal was fortunate to go ahead in the 12th minute in Hamburg when defender Sacha Kirschstein was penalised and sent off for a trip and Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva scored from the penalty spot.

Czech Republic midfielder Tomasz Rosicky scored the second from 20 metres early in the second half for the Gunners. Boubacar Sanogo replied for Hamburg in the final minute.

A 0-0 draw between FC Porto and CSKA Moscow meant that Arsenal is in first place in Group `G' after the opening round of games.

Goal glut

Filippo Inzaghi, who scored in both legs of the qualifying round games against Red Star Belgrade, gave AC Milan a 17th-minute lead at San Siro and midfielder Yoann Gourcuff added a second four minutes before halftime. Kaka scored the third from the penalty spot in the 77th.

The results: Dynamo Kiev lost to Steaua Bucharest 4-1, Lyon bt Real Madrid 2-0, Copenhagen drew with Benfica 0-0, Manchester United bt Celtic 3-2, Porto drew with CSKA Moscow 0-0, Hamburg lost to Arsenal 2-1, AC Milan bt AEK Athens 3-0, Anderlecht drew with Lille 1-1. — Agencies

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