The third matchday of the Champions League was being looked forward by one and all for the mega Madrid - Milan clash not only did that match live up to its billing but also there were loads of other stories which caught the football lover's eye.
Tuesday night proved that Michel Platini's plan to expand the Champions League was paying rich dividends. All round there were upsets galore and if anyone was bold enough to put their money on the underdogs must have made a small fortune for themselves.
Group E pitted Italian side Fiorentina against the Hungarian champions Debrecen in Hungary. The home side sensationally took the lead with just two minutes on the clock with a goal from Czvitkovics but their joy was shortlived as some atrocious defending saw Adrian Mutu and Gilardino put the Viola in the lead in a space of ten minutes. Then in the 20th minute Mutu crashed the ball into the bottom of the net from outside the box to give the Italians a 3-1 lead. But Debrecen weren't done yet as Rudolph curled an outrageous effort into Frey's net from an impossible angle to get his side back in the game. But yet again the Hungarian defence was caught out as Santana restored the two goal cushion on the 37th minute. The second half didn't produce as many goals but there was late drama as Coulibaly headed the ball home to give Debrecen an equaliser with two minutes to go. Fiorentina however held on to register a quite remarkable 3-4 win.
The other game in Group E also had plenty of action as Lyon travelled to Anfield to face a Liverpool side which had lost its previous three games. The Reds didn't endure the best of starts to the game and captain Steven Gerrard was forced off because of a recurring injury. The Merseysiders however did take the lead in the 41st minute following a scramble in the box which Youssi Benayoun despatched away. Towards the end of the half Liverpool really piled on the pressure on the French side with Fabio Aurelio going closest to putting them two up but that was not to be and in the 70th minute following a corner Lyon equalised. Reina made two point blank saves put was helpless when Makoun scored with a diving header to put Les Gones on level terms. And then in injury time Liverpool's fate was sealed when Carlos Delgado rolled the ball home from a Sidney Govou pass. The French side condemned the English to their fourth successive loss and now lead the group with 9 points from three games.
Group F was where the biggest upset of the night took place as reigning European champions FC Barcelona were quite incredibly defeated by Russian champions Rubin Kazan. Kazan took a 2nd minute lead through a 30 yard screamer from Alexi Ryazantsev. The Catalans took time to recover from this early shock but couldn't find the net in the first half despite a hatful of chances. But two minutes into the second half Zlatan Ibrahimovic showed why Barca paid as much for him as he controlled the ball on his chest and shot into the botton corner from a long pass by Xavi. But instead of spurring the home team on this seemed to rejuvenate the Russians into action and they took the lead for the second time when Kardeniz scored on the break. The Blaugrana hit the post twice in their efforts to find an equaliser but ultimately Kazan were the ones who walked with all the points from the Camp Nou.
The second game of the group saw Inter Milan take on Dynamo Kyiv at the San Siro. Like the trend of the night it was the unfancied Ukranians who took the lead in the fifth minute via a Mikhalik strike. Stankovic made it 1-1 in the 35th minute following a counter-attack only to see Lucio head into his own net five minutes from the half. Walter Samuel then headed in on 47 minutes following a Sneijder corner and put the Nerazzuri level. However, the Italians were not able to find a way past Kyiv for the rest of the night and were lucky when Andriy Shevchenko squandered a one-on-one with Julio Cesar. That left Jose Mourinho's men devoid of a victory with one round of fixtures played and sitting at the bottom of the group.
Group G also had its share of upsets as Rangers were decimated by Romanian champions Unirea Urziceni at the Ibrox. Rangers took an early lead through a Ricardo own goal but Bilasco put the Romanians back in the game. Steven Davis then missed a penalty for the Gers and from there on the Scottish champions completely lost the plot and two own goals by Lafferty and McCulloch added to their misery. Brandán then put the icing on the cake and Unirea left with an unbelievable 4-1 victory. The other match featured Stuttgart and Sevilla and the Spanish side wholly dominated the Germans and took a 3-0 lead before Elson grabbed a consolation for his side. The 1-3 win for Sevilla put them in charge of the group with a full 9 points from their first three games.
Group H was also not devoid of surprises as AZ Alkmaar scored a last minute leveller against Arsenal. The Gunners had taken the lead through Cesc Fabregas in the 36th minute but the Dutch champions kept on chipping away and they were duly rewarded when David Mendes scored in injury time. There was also a last minute goal in Greece where Olympiakos stole victory against Belgian Standard Liege through a last gasp Stoltidis header. The side from Athens had fallen behind to Camargo goal but Mitroglou made it all square two minutes before half-time.
Wednesday night was also not any less entertaining and the Group A encounter between Bordeaux and Bayern Munich saw two players sent off and two penalties saved. The Germans took the lead in the 6th minute but Ciani got Bordeaux on level terms in the 27th minute. Thomas Müller was the first Bayern player to go in the 30th minute for his second bookable offence and the French capitalised on the numerical advantage through Planus in the 40th minute. In the second half both Yohann Gourcuff and Jussie saw their penalties saved by Butt and Van Buyten was sent off during the second penalty incident.
Juventus were also in action in Group A as they took on Maccabi Haifa in Turin. The Bianconeri had their inspirational captain-goal keeper Gianluigi Buffon to thank for in their slim victory over the Israeli champions. Buffon made a string of superb saves and defended Juve's lead single-handedly. Chiellini was the only goal scorer of the night when he headed in a 47th minute free kick by Diego. The results left Juventus in second place with 5 points two lesser than top placed Bordeaux.
Group B however was a largely dull affair as there was just one goal in the two games. Manchester United won for the first time against Russian opposition as a late Antonio Valencia goal gave the English champions a victory despite having a largely depleted squad. United were the team expectedly who created more chances and Valencia's goal in the 86th minute did justice to the Red Devils efforts. The game in Germany however was devoid of any goals as Wolfsburg and Besiktas played out a goalless draw. The Premier League leaders now top the group with 9 points and Wolfsburg trail them with 4.
Group C hosted the most expected game of the night as Real Madrid took on AC Milan at the Santiago Bernebeau. The game marked Kaka facing his former club for the first time since his summer move to Madrid. The Galacticos took the lead in the 19th minute after a howler by Dida. The Brazilian who had put in a very impressive performance against Roma at the weekend fumbled an easy Granero shot and Raul picked up the pieces. Milan's performance in the first half was mediocre at best but the second half was a completely different story. Pirlo scored an absoulte stunner from a throw-in as he was inexplicably allowed time and space on the ball. However, Milan went from being a goal down to a goal up in a matter of just four minutes as in the 66th minute Ambrosini played the ball over the defence for Pato and Casillas came out of his box leaving the Brazilian the simple job of tapping into the empty net. Los Blancos did find an equaliser in the 76th minute as Drenthe beat Dida with a spectacular effort into the bottom corner from outside the area after recieving the ball from a Raul corner. The Rossoneri had the ball in the back of the net for a third time when Thiago Silva headed in a corner but the goal was controversially ruled out but by the referee for a foul on Raul by Silva. The Milan giants did have the last laugh though as Pato volleyed home a Seedorf cross from close range as the Madrid marking was once again below standards.
In the Group C's other game Marseille defeatead FC Zurich in Zurich by a solitary Gabriel Heinze goal. This was the Argentenians second goal of the campaign and put Marseille in third position in the group. Milan top it over Real Madrid on head-to-head results as both teams have six points.
Group D saw Chelsea earn a resounding 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid. Ivorian Salomon Kalou scored on either side of half-time to give the Londoners a comfortable lead before Frank Lampard scored a trademark bottom corner strike to give the Blues a 3-0 lead. The game ended with Perea heading beyond his own keeper to hand Chelsea a convincing victory. FC Porto defeated APOEL Nicosia in the last game with the help of two goals one of which was a penalty from the Brazilian Hulk. Nicosia had taken the lead with a 22nd minute Periera strike but the Portuguese recovered from this and maintained their lead inspite of losing Mariano Gonzalez with fifteen minutes to go. Chelsea have now effectively qualified from the group with a perfect 9 points from their 3 games and Porto are behind them with six, Nicosia and Atleti both have just the one point.
And that is all for the midweek action. For those interested in the UEFA Europa League Genoa were beaten 3-0 by Lille in France earlier tonight. Roma managed to steal a last minute draw against Fulham in London through an injury time Marco Andreolli strike from a corner. The other capital side Lazio won 2-1 in Rome courtesy of a late winner by Tommaso Rocchi.
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