Lyon stun new look Real Madrid

London: Olympique Lyon beat Real Madrid 2-0 in their opening Champions League group match on Wednesday — a year to the day after inflicting a 3-0 defeat on the nine-time European champions in last season’s opener.

Brazilian Fred put Lyon ahead after 11 minutes and Portuguese Tiago made it 2-0 in the 31st to seal the opening Group E victory for the French champions.

The game produced two milestones as far as Real were concerned.

New coach Fabio Capello became only the second man after Mircea Lucescu to coach four clubs in the competition — AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and now Real.

Real, meanwhile, recorded their 100th defeat in European competition — the first club to reach that unwanted milestone, although it pales into insignificance against their successes over the last 50 years including a record nine European Cups.

While Real were losing, there were victories for other former European champions.
Steaua Bucharest, triumphant 20 years ago, marked their return to the competition after a decade’s absence in style, beating Dynamo Kiev 4-1 in the other Group E match in Ukraine.

Manchester United won a pulsating all-British tie against Celtic with substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer securing a 3-2 win at Old Trafford in Group F with a goal early in the second half.

United, European champions in 1968 and 1999, and Celtic, Britain’s first champions in 1967, both led in the game.

Dutchman Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink fired Celtic ahead in the 21st minute before two goals from Louis Saha — one from the penalty spot — put United in front.

Celtic equalised through Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura just before the break while substitute Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored what proved to be the winner for United just after it.

Debutants FC Copenhagen drew 0-0 with Benfica in their first match in the competition proper in the same group.

Arsenal, last season’s runners-up, won 2-1 at Hamburg, who had goalkeeper Sascha Kirschstein sent off as he conceded a 10th minute penalty. 

Brazilian midfielder Gilberto Silva scored to set the north London side on their way to a victory that appeared safe when Czech Tomas Rosicky scored his first goal for the club with an outstanding 53rd minute drive.

But Hamburg almost saved the game in the closing stages with Piotr Trochowski hitting the bar and Boubacar Sanogo scoring in stoppage time.

In the other Group G match, Porto, European champions in 2004, drew 0-0 at home to CSKA Moscow.

AC Milan, European champions six times, beat AEK Athens 3-0 in Group H with their opening two goals coming from headers by Filippo Inzaghi and Yoann Gourcuff before Kaka added the third 13 minutes from time with a penalty.

AEK set an unwanted record by playing their 19th match in the competition since 1994 without a win after losing nine matches and drawing 10.

Anderlecht were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lille in the same group.