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Roma v Cluj

Matchday 1 of the Champions League

Result of the opening night was easily FC Cluj’s victory in Rome, overturning a 1-0 deficit to claim a 2-1 victory over a team who has consistently reached the knock-out rounds of the Champions League.

With 3 points in the bag and 3 home games still to come, who would bet against Cluj remaining in second spot for the rest of the group campaign? Well, most people would to be honest and there was probably a large element of surprise in their stunning triumph in Rome but they should at least look on the positives from last night before worrying too much about how it affects the bigger picture.

Cluj Rock Roma
The Champions League offers financial incentives for each point gained so Cluj have got that cash to come and they will have added some vital co-efficient points to their name too. Their next match is a home tie against Chelsea where last seasons runners up should be capable of grabbing all three points but Tuesday’s result in Rome will certainly keep them on their guard.

The double header between Cluj and Bordeaux is starting to gain some importance particularly given that by the time match day 3 rolls around; Cluj will at the very worst be in 3rd place in Group A.

The other match in Group A went entirely to form with Chelsea running out fairly convincing 4-0 victories which still wasn’t enough to impress Phil Scolari. For a man making his Champions League managerial debut you would think there would have been more joy and excitement about the result and manner of victory but it seems as though the Brazilian felt his sides passing and movement could have been stronger.

Heaven help the rest of Europe when Chelsea get into their stride then.

Away Day Joy in Group B
Group B saw both away teams avoiding defeat with Inter Milan notching a 2-0 away victory over Panathinaikos at the same as Anorthosis Famagusta were stealing an away point with a 0-0 draw against Werder Bremen. The Germans had the majority of play and possession but the first game played by a Cypriot team in the Champions League ended in quiet satisfaction with a great away point.

Anorthosis now face their Greek rivals at home in match day 2 and positive result there will start to bring a different complexion to the group. Werder go travelling to Milan to try and improve on their stuttering start.

There was another away victory in Group C as Shakhtar Donetsk defeated Basle 2-1 to collect a great three points to get their campaign underway. Donetsk picked up three points in their first Champions League away match last season against Benfica and carried on a decent away record this year. They are joined on 3 points by top seeds Barcelona who successfully overcame the resistance of Sporting Lisbon to seal a 3-1 victory which sets up the Donetsk versus Barcelona match in the next round very nicely. Basle will be travelling to Lisbon to face Sporting very much having to avoid defeat to remain in contention for a knock-out spot.

Gerrard - Inspirational Yet Again
Tuesday’s games were rounded off by Group D where two away victories happened with the teams from the major nations showing their intent early on.

Liverpool lost a slack early goal to Marseille and things looked ominous but whenever things appear tricky for the Reds, captain Steven Gerrard pops up and his magnificent equaliser hauled back the French team.

It was no surprise to see Gerrard add a second before half-time to turn around the deficit and put Liverpool in the driving seat. It wasn’t a convincing victory and Marseille will rue missed chances but an excellent three points away from home will see Liverpool be even more confident of progressing to the knock out stages.

If early form is anything to go by, they will be joined by Athletico Madrid who continued their qualification round form by hammering PSV Eindhoven 3-0 away from home.

Liverpool continue their campaign by welcoming the beleaguered Dutch side to Anfield whilst Marseille will have to travel to Madrid in the hope of getting their campaign back on the rails. With only Chelsea and Barcelona picking up points at home, Tuesday of match day 1 was a great night for the away teams in the Champions League.

Bad Offside Call Halts Celtic
Group E saw honours even and no goals as both matches ended 0-0. Ronaldo returned for United but couldn’t force home a winner while Aalborg escaped Celtic Park with a point. Celtic missed a penalty and had a goal wrongly chopped off for offside but in fairness, the Scottish champions huffed and puffed without ever showing a great deal of finesse or class.

Heated Offside Call Benefits Lyon
Celtic’s misfortune with refereeing decisions was made all the more unfortunate for the Glasgow giants when you see the decision that enabled Lyon to grab a draw in their home match with Fiorentina.

Group F was shocked at half time as Fiorentina roared into a 2-0 lead at Lyon with Gilardino scoring both goals. Lyon pulled a goal back but were still trailing with 5 minutes to go when a Fiorentina defender lay stricken in the box. Play raged on, the Violets other defenders moved up trying to play offside as Lyon continued and Benzema was left with an easy tap in to square the game. Much like a goal scored by Ruud van Nistelrooy at Euro 2008, the debate will rage about this goal for a considerable amount of time. Bayern Munich were victorious over Steau Bucharest away from home in the same group.

Group G saw Arsenal salvage a point with a 1-1 draw away to Dynamo Kiev but their group is led by Porto who cruised to a 3-1 triumph over Fenerbache. Arsenal’s point in the Ukraine may prove to be vital in the shakedown of the match but Porto’s win will give them early confidence.

What a strike from Del Piero
Group H saw FC Bate make their debut and they were far from disgraced in losing 2-0 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The other match saw Alessandro Del Piero strike probably the goal of the week and undoubtedly one of the goals of the season as Juventus overcame Zenit St Petersburg 1-0 in a close match.

With only 5 home wins out of a total of 16 matches, the 2008/09 Champions League is already shaping up to be one of tight games and surprising results. With match day two a fortnight away, there is not long for teams to bounce back from opening day blues or to strive onwards in their quest to make the knock out stages of Europe’s top football competition.

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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