GROUP A

Chelsea sat on top of the Premier League as well as this qualification group prior to their visit to Romania and at the end of the evening were still there thanks to a goalless draw against surprise package CFR Cluj-Napoca. Even the bookings were level with two apiece in a forgettable clash. AS Roma meanwhile, travelled to France knowing that a defeat to Girondins Bordeaux would effectively end their hopes of qualification. As it was, they unleashed The Beast and ran out comfortable 3 – 1 winners. It was not without a scare as Youann Gorcuff gave the French side the lead on eighteen minutes, the game changing with the dismissal of Henrique eight minutes before half-time. Vucinic brought the Italians level with a quarter of the game remaining leaving the stage set for Julio Baptista to revive memories of the form that made him one of Sevilla’s prized assets. He scored twice in the last nineteen minutes to allow the Romans to dream of being in the final.

GROUP B

In a match laden with political overtones, Anorthosis Famagusta entertained Panathinaikos and ran out comfortable 3 – 1 winners to maintain their top spot. A Sarriegi own goal after eleven minutes set the rot for the Greeks, Dobrasinovic doubling the Cypriots lead five minutes later. Salpigidis pulled one back with barely half an hour on the clock but defeat was assured when Mulla Mohammed scored with twelve minutes of the match remaining. Internazionale were second on alphabetical order as they were held to a 1 – 1 draw by Werder Bremen. Maicon gave the Italians the lead with a quarter of an hour played only for Pizarro to level the match with a second half equaliser.

GROUP C

Barcelona maintained their 100% start to the competition with a late win in the Ukraine. Shaktar Donetsk took the lead through Ilsinho on the the stroke of half-time before Argentenean wonderkid, Lionel Messi, scored twice in the last three minutes. Controvesy followed the win with Barca accused of lacking sporting grace by not kicking the ball into touch with a Shaktar player injured in the build-up to the equaliser. That the ruling was abandoned by FIFA a couple of seasons ago has done little to help ease the Ukrainians pain.Sporting Lisbon recovered from their mauling in the Camp Nou to ease past whipping boys Basle in Portugal. Romagnoli and Derlei the scorers in a 2 – 0 victory.

GROUP D

In the Vicente Calderon, the headlines were garnered by crowd trouble for which Atletico de Madrid were hastily punished by UEFA. A two-match home ban was subsequently suspended until a full appeal hearing could be heard on October 30th. It did not stop the Spaniards enjoying a 2 – 1 win over Olympique Marseille, Kun Aguero opened the scoring on four minutes only for Niang to level twelve minutes later. The winner came with barely a quarter of the match played, Raul Garcia the days hero. Liverpool followed their win in Marseille with a comfortable 3 – 1 victory over PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. Hold the front, back and centre pages! Crack the champagne, break out the bunting, have a sausage roll in celebration for Robbie Keane scored!!! Dirk Kuyt started the party mood, air guitaring through Agadoo after his fifth minute opener and L’ilStevie Gerrard finished it all off. The Dutch consolation coming from Koevermans.

GROUP E

Bruce Rioch locked horns with an English club once more and found his AaB Aalborg side on the wrong side of a double from Dimitar Berbatov and a Wayne Rooney goal as Manchester United cruised to a 3 – 0 victory in Denmark. Celtic’s abysmal away record in Europe continues, a Marcos Senna goal sending them to defeat at Villarreal. The last time that The Bhoys won in Europe, Gladstone was still Prime Minister of Britain or at least that is the way it feels to Gordon Strachan.

GROUP F

Bayern Munchen‘s indifferent start to the season continued with a 1 – 1 draw at home to Olympique Lyonnais. Juninho gave the visitors the lead midway through the first half before his compatriot, Ze Roberto, levelled proceedings seven minutes into the second half. Steaua Bucharest could not hit the backside of a cow with a banjo nor the back of the net in a goalless draw in Florence. Nor could cFiorentina so that made a mockery of all the claims that the Champions League is the pinnacle of club football.

GROUP G

Having surrendered their unbeaten home record at the weekend to Hull City, Arsenal might have expected a sterner test from FC Porto. Whilst the Portuguese giants may not be fallen, they are certainly slumbering. Having spurned a golden chance minutes before Robin van Persie opened the scoring just past the half hour, Porto crumbled when faced with Arsenal’s attack. Emmanuel Adebayor doubled the lead before the interval before the duo got their braces in the second half, Arsenal’s 4 – 0 victory sending them to the top of the group. Fenerbahce and Dynamo Kyiv failed to hit the target in Istanbul, leaving the Turks with a tall order to qualify.

GROUP H

BATE Borisov shocked Juventus by racing into a two-goal lead through Krivets and Stasevich before a quarter of the game had been played. Such fairytales could not last as Iaquinta scored twice before half-time to level matters. A goalless second half meant the match finished 2 – 2. Zenit St Petersburg are finding life at Europe’s top table considerably more difficult to stomach than the UEFA Cup was last season. A Hubocan own goal gave Real Madrid the lead after six minutes, Danny equalising twenty minutes later. When Ruud van Nistelrooy struck on thirty-one, the Russians had no reply as Real ran out 2 – 1 winners in Russia.