Outstanding Inter to the fore
Wednesday, September 17, 2003
Article summary
Matchday 1 concluded with Internazionale FC the pick of the performers as Italy enjoyed a clean sweep.
Article body
Penalty saved
Two goals in three minutes gave Inter a two-goal lead - Julio Cruz and Andy van der Meyde found the target midway through a blistering first half which also saw goalkeeper Francesco Toldo save a Thierry Henry penalty. Obafemi Martins put the Serie A side further ahead before the interval. In the other Group B fixture, Diogo Rincón scored twice in the last seven minutes to give FC Dynamo Kyiv a 2-0 win against FC Lokomotiv Moskva in Ukraine.
Makaay double
A solitary Juninho Pernambucano penalty gave Olympique Lyonnais a 1-0 win against RSC Anderlecht in Group A. In the other game, FC Bayern München had to rely on two goals in the last 20 minutes from Roy Makaay to defeat Celtic FC. The Dutch striker pounced to score twice on his Champions League debut for the German side to cancel out Alan Thompson's header for last season's UEFA Cup finalists.
Debut goal
Another man scoring on his first European appearance in new colours was Fernando Morientes, who crowned his Champions League debut for AS Monaco FC by scoring with a close-range header to give his side the lead against PSV Eindhoven in Group C. Edouard Cissé doubled the lead in the second half before PSV midfield player Wilfred Bouma's goal made the French side work for their 2-1 win. Walter Pandiani's goal put RC Deportivo La Coruña ahead against AEK Athens FC in the other Group C encounter - but the Greek side found an 86th-minute equaliser through Vassilios Tsiartas.
Clean sweep
In Group D, Juventus FC made sure it was a clean sweep for all four Italian sides involved in Matchday 1, defeating Galatasaray SK 2-1 thanks to goals from Alessandro Del Piero and Ciro Ferrara. Hakan Sükür's 30th goal on the European stage, a downward header on 19 minutes, had temporarily levelled the scores.
Kovacevic penalty
Striker Darko Kovacevic's late penalty gave Real Sociedad de Fútbol a 1-0 victory against Greek champions Olympiacos CFP in the other Group D game. Matchday 2 takes place in two weeks' time, with all the teams in action tonight playing on Tuesday 30 September.
