Ajax denied as away sides prosper

Arsenal FC striker Thierry Henry scored a stunning hat-trick as his side came from a goal behind to beat AS Roma 3-1 in a thrilling UEFA Champions League Group B match at the Stadio Olimpico.

Cassano on target
Having fallen behind to Antonio Cassano's fourth-minute strike, Henry then silenced the Olimpico faithful with a curling finish two minutes later. The second half saw Arsenal take control and Henry took his goals total in the Champions League this season to six with a close-range shot and then a tremendous free-kick 15 minutes from time.

Late drama
AFC Ajax were also on the verge of another famous away win, but conceded a last-minute goal from Valencia CF's Miguel Angulo as the two sides played out a dramatic 1-1 draw in Spain. Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked to have won the match for the Dutch side when he opened the scoring in the 88th minute, but Angulo was on hand to rescue a point for the Spanish champions two minutes later.

Convincing win
Internazionale FC bounced back from defeat against city rivals AC Milan at the weekend to secure a convincing 4-1 victory over Newcastle United FC at St James' Park in Group A. Newcastle, looking to build on a run of three successive Champions League victories, found themselves three goals and a man down at half-time as clinical strikes from Domenico Morfeo, Matias Almeyda and Hernán Crespo gave the Italian side an emphatic cushion.

Bellamy off
Newcastle's cause had already been hampered when Craig Bellamy's fifth-minute red card for retaliation left the Premiership club a man short, and despite Nolberto Solano pulling a goal back for the hosts, Inter added a fourth late on through Alvaro Recoba.

Barcelona comeback
In the other Group A match, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, beaten finalists last season, surrendered the lead against FC Barcelona, eventually losing 2-1 at the BayArena. Dimitar Berbatov leapt to head in Marko Babic's corner from six metres in the 42nd minute, but substitute Javier Saviola equalised three minutes into the second half. Hans-Jörg Butt saved Juan Riquelme's 59th-minute penalty, before another replacement, Marc Overmars, drilled in a low winner.