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Derby dates yield contrasting fortunes

Sporting Clube de Portugal and FC Internazionale Milano suffered first 2008/09 domestic defeats in weekend derby games, but similar ties proved more profitable for three other UEFA Champions League hopefuls.

Paolo Maldini's Milan defeated Inter 1-0
Paolo Maldini's Milan defeated Inter 1-0 ©Getty Images

There were mixed fortunes for the five UEFA Champions League contenders who contested city derbies at the weekend as FC Internazionale Milano and Sporting Clube de Portugal suffered their first domestic defeats of the season, while FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC both won and FC Shakhtar Donetsk drew.

Shakhtar struggles
Sporting lost at SL Benfica on Saturday night, and 24 hours later, the same fate befell the Nerazzurri as a first-half Ronaldinho goal proved decisive for Milan at San Siro. However, supporters of Liverpool and Barcelona both have the local bragging rights after their teams' victories, though Shakhtar will not be quite so cheerful after they conceded an 89th-minute equaliser against city rivals FC Metalurh Donetsk to slip 13 points behind Ukrainian league leaders FC Dynamo Kyiv after just nine matches. Elsewhere, there was nothing to separate Romanian representatives CFR 1907 Cluj and FC Steaua Bucureşti who played out a 1-1 draw, whereas FC BATE Borisov, FC Zenit St. Petersburg and Anorthosis Famagusta FC all registered victories ahead of their first home matches in the competition.

Group A
Stoke City FC 0-2 Chelsea FC
(Bosingwa 36, Anelka 76)
Luiz Felipe Scolari: "The performance was very good. We knew Stoke played long balls with tall players and they're very physical. We tried to move the ball more quickly before they could pressure us and we managed to get two goals. We created lots of chances on the counterattack but we needed the second goal – one mistake can mean one goal. When we got the second goal, that gave us more opportunity to pass the ball right and left and it was easy to win the game."
FC Girondins de Bordeaux 1-1 AS Saint-Etienne
(Cavenaghi 57; Payet 26)
Laurent Blanc: "We seem unable to play two halves at the same level. We planned lots of things to put pressure on them as they were not in the best condition, mentally, but we did not carry them out. We talked at half-time and it was better after the restart but bearing in mind the first half I don't think we deserved to win. We need more consistency."
AS Roma 2-0 Atalanta BC
(Panucci 17, Vučinić 31)
Luciano Spalletti: "It was important for Mirko [Vučinić] because he was in the midst of a spell without scoring and goals are very important for a striker like him. Today we were almost perfect but we have to continue like this game after game to return to being as calm and serene as we were last season in every match. A victory today was very important for the morale of the players ahead of the game in Bordeaux."
CFR 1907 Cluj 1-1 FC Steaua Bucureşti
(Dubarbier 36; Moreno 8)
Maurizio Trombetta: "We could have done more as we have the ability to, but after watching my players I still believe that we can win the title. I am satisfied with how my players played, they were 100 per cent committed. We created several opportunities but we made too many mistakes in front of Steaua's goal. That's what prevented us from winning this match."

Group B
Panathinaikos FC
No game due to a Madonna concert on their home ground
Henk ten Cate: "I would have preferred to have played next week, but I guess Madonna's magnitude surpasses that of Panathinaikos."
AC Milan 1-0 FC Internazionale Milano
(Ronaldinho 36)
José Mourinho: "Milan scored a goal and we did not, this is the story of the game. They had two other shots on goal, one from Ronaldinho in the first half and one from [Andriy] Shevchenko at the end, while we had many more even when we only had ten men. It ended 1-0 for them but 1-1 would have been a fair result in my opinion. We lost a game but nothing more than that. Being scared of playing is worse than losing and we were never scared of playing our football tonight."
Werder Bremen 5-4 TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
(Özil 8 83, Pizarro 16, Diego 20, Hunt 30; Ba 15, Salihović 36, Ibisević 61(pen), Compper 71)
Thomas Schaaf: "We have seen another extraordinary football match. Of course, we have to improve our defending for our game against Internazionale and concentrate in defence. On the other hand, we can travel to Italy full of confidence, having scored ten goals in the last two games and having produced such strong attacking performances. Also, Mesut Özil is getting stronger and stronger; he has produced some great displays and is full of confidence."
AEL Limassol FC 0-2 Anorthosis Famagusta FC
(Sosin 70, Dellas 81)
Temuri Ketsbaia: "Whichever side scored first would have taken control of the game in my opinion. We struck first, we got the second and our job became a lot easier. Congratulations to my players for the win. Now we have to put the league behind us and concentrate on our next Champions League game. A tough game is waiting for us this Wednesday against Panathinaikos. We will be up against a very good side so we are calling on everyone to come and support us in our first Champions League group match at home. With their help, we can push towards achieving a famous victory."

Group C
FC Basel 1893 1-2 BSC Young Boys
(Gelabert 79; Bastians 32, Häberli 70)
Christian Gross: "We had two good opportunities at the beginning of the match, but I already felt then that we were lacking the instinct required to score. We tried to play too pretty, sat too deep in our own half, were not aggressive in midfield and passed backwards too often, which meant we did not play the ball forward fast enough. The second half was better as we had some good chances, but yet again we lacked determination and precision when it came to converting them."
FC Shakhtar Donetsk 1-1 FC Metalurh Donetsk
(Ilsinho 51; Dimitrov 89)
Mircea Lucescu: "We missed six or seven great opportunities today. Maybe we can't handle the pressure because of all the points we've already dropped. I can't believe that our team is in such a bad situation with the quality players we've got. Now all our thoughts are focussed on [FC] Barcelona, but after the next match we have to figure out what is happening to the team."
RCD Espanyol 1-2 FC Barcelona
(Corominas 20; Henry 84, Messi 90(pen))
Josep Guardiola: "It was a really good derby and I want to congratulate both sets of players; our victory was more than deserved though. We played an exceptional first half despite being rusty in front of goal. In the second half and down to ten men, Espanyol played deeper and in the end we enjoyed the luck that deserted us for the majority of the game. We claimed our third consecutive win in the league and that's no easy feat."
SL Benfica 2-0 Sporting Clube de Portugal
(Reyes 67, Sidnei 72)
Paolo Bento: "We didn't play badly, but there were times when we should have been more aggressive and precise, particularly up front. We had a chance just after the kick-off, but for the rest of the first half we were more concerned about keeping the ball than attacking."

Group D
PSV Eindhoven 1-0 FC Volendam
(Wuytens 73)
Huub Stevens: "The match was disappointing, and we were to blame for that. The longer it takes for you to score, the stronger your opponent gets and the more your own team becomes unsettled. When you create so many chances, you just have to score more. To waste so many chances is just not on."
Club Atlético de Madrid 0-1 Sevilla FC
(Luis Fabiano 21)
Javier Aguirre: "This wasn't an easy game because we had to make a lot of changes and reorganise the team. I can't complain about my players; I'm proud of them. The boys in the dressing room are upset at having lost. Things just didn't go our way and after their goal they didn't look likely to score again."
Le Mans UC 72 - Olympique de Marseille
(Helstad 9; Ben Arfa 7)
Erik Gerets: "I'm happier [than with recent performances] because we should have had the match sewn up after 45 minutes, but we're cursed at the moment and we simply can't score. We were a little tired at the end, and not fresh enough to remain as well organised as we had been up until then. We had a good chance to win it at the end, but we lacked a little bit of luck."
Everton FC 0-2 Liverpool FC
(Torres 59, 62)
Rafael Benítez: "It was more than the quality [of Fernando Torres], the teamwork was really good. Torres was really good too, scoring two goals and always a threat for the defenders but as a team we deserved to win. We were expecting a physical game, we knew we needed to keep control, try to be well organised and try to play football. That was the idea and it was a good plan. If we continue winning and [Robbie Keane] plays well, we will be pleased. It was a good assist from him today, he worked so hard for the team and he was another key player for us."

Group E
Manchester United FC 2-0 Bolton Wanderers FC
(Ronaldo 60pen, Rooney 77)
Sir Alex Ferguson: "It was a little break for us [the penalty]. I still think we would have won the game OK but when the opposition are sitting in front of the penalty box and defending with the determination that Bolton showed, it's difficult to break them down. You need little breaks like that."
Sporting Gijón 0-1 Villarreal CF
(Rossi 63)
Manuel Pellegrini: "Sporting were better than us, especially in the opening 45 minutes. In football you can't talk of injustices when it's the result that counts; we got it and Sporting didn't. The strange thing [about Sporting] was the results they suffered in their last few games because they have a very good team."
Celtic FC 3-2 Aberdeen FC
(Vennegoor of Hesselink 14 90, McDonald 78; Mulgrew 57, 65)
Gordon Strachan: "I think everybody enjoyed that apart from the coaching staff on both sides. But, I really do feel sorry for Jimmy Calderwood [Aberdeen's manager] as they played terrific today. It's a bit embarrassing when you see a team that's put so much work into a match getting beaten. When Aiden McGeady came on he was fantastic and he won a tackle to drive on and cross for our second goal. That was a turning point in the match."
Brønshøj BK 2-3 Aalborg BK (aet)
(Frost 36, Tronborg 56; Augustinussen 18, Saganowski 85, Risgård 99)
Kasper Risgård, AaB midfielder: "We are missing one opportunity after another at the moment, and right now it is typical that we need about 15 opportunities to score just once. We are working hard on this, though, and in times of trouble like this it is crucial that we stay together, and I think that this is what we did."

Group F
CFR 1907 Cluj 1-1 FC Steaua Bucureşti
(Dubarbier 36; Moreno 8)
Marius Lăcătuş: "It was an even match which was of very good quality. Either of the two teams could have won the game. We could have done more, though. We lacked concentration and that's why we did not win. Anyway, I am satisfied with the draw which gives us a morale boost before the match against [ACF] Fiorentina."
Hannover 96 1-0 FC Bayern München
(Huszti 23)
Jürgen Klinsmann: "We did not start too badly and controlled the game but we lost our rhythm after the goal. We simply failed to create meaningful chances for our strikers thereafter. There was a lot lacking when it came to turning the match on its head: creativity, intelligence and running off the ball for starters. This defeat was totally unnecessary; it hurts."
Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 AS Nancy Lorraine
(Benzema 31, Fred 35; Berenguer 36)
Claude Puel: "We were a bit naïve in the minutes following our second goal and we conceded – it put them back on track. It was a pity because we deserved more goals in the first half. In the second half we were braver and we showed that we can close out the game but we should be more ruthless and put these sorts of game beyond doubt earlier."
ACF Fiorentina 1-0 Genoa CFC
(Gilardino 61)
Alberto Gilardinho, Fiorentina striker: "It was important to win to silence the critics after the defeat by [S.S.] Lazio. Our squad is very united and we proved we can overcome difficult periods. I think these three points are extremely important for us. This week we have a crucial game in the UEFA Champions League and now we can start thinking about that."

Group G
FC Porto 2-0 FC Paços de Ferreira
(Raul Meireles 14, Hulk 73)
Jesualdo Ferreira: "We started very well, which is something that didn't happen in our last league game. We tried, above all, to be realistic. After we scored, we pretty much controlled the match. We were unassuming and deserved to win, showing that we can succeed without Lucho [González] at the same time."
Sivasspor 2-1 Fenerbahçe SK
(Sözgelmez 77, Badur 88; Selçuk 34)
Luis Aragonés: "We played good football in the first half and took the lead but in the second half we couldn't stem the flow of chances towards our goal. As a result, we ended up losing. I knew that Alex was not fully fit for the match but I wanted the team to get the benefits he can provide. We haven't started the league well and we have to work harder now. Regarding the [FC] Dynamo Kyiv match, it'll be a different as we are at home – we'll do our utmost to win."
FC Dynamo Kyiv 3-0 FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih
(Aliyev 18 47, Ninković 25)
Yuri Semin: "Today we scored two beautiful goals while the players performed at a very high level. For 30 minutes we played some really decent football with many passing moves, but after that my players became a little untidy, especially during the second half. May be they wanted to conserve their energy for the Champions League match."
Arsenal FC 1-2 Hull City AFC
(McShane og 51; Geovanni 62, Cousin 66)
Arsène Wenger: "I feel the commitment was on Hull's side. They fought for 90 minutes and I believe from the start onwards we were not completely switched on to the level that you need to be to win the game."

Group H
UC Sampdoria 0-0 Juventus
Claudio Ranieri: "We tried to control the game and win but Sampdoria played very well defensively – they closed down the space and we did not manage to score. It was a balanced game and both defences had the better of the forwards. [David] Trezeguet's absence is very important for us but we have other options in attack and I'm not worried."
FC Lokomotiv Moskva 0-3 FC Zenit St. Petersburg
(Fayzulin 18, Puygrenier 61, Dominguez 74)
Dick Advocaat: "We scored three very beautiful goals and put in a high-quality performance. The fans congratulated me with orange balloons in the stands, and I want to tell them they are the best in the world. Vyacheslav Malafeev made a mistake in the last game, but that is not a reason to put him on the bench as goalkeepers are the same as midfielders or strikers who also can make mistakes."
Real Betis Balompié 1-2 Real Madrid CF
(Sergio García 54; Heinze 19, Van Nistelrooy 90)
Bernd Schuster: "I think we were the better team above all in the first half when apart from our goal we had a lot of chances. Although the latter part of the game was difficult I knew we could get a win here. When they were reduced to ten men our players knew they had to change mentality and try to go for goal while, on the other hand, our opponents hardly attacked us."
FC Gomel 0-2 FC BATE Borisov
(Rodionov 59, 63)
Viktor Goncharenko: "I liked the way we moved despite a busy schedule and a heavy pitch. I am happy with the win against such a difficult opponent."

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