The Champions League is under way, featuring the Champions of each European country and teams who finished second, third and fourth in their countries. Larger nations, such as England, have four teams in the tournament whereas some smaller nations have just one.
In the first games of the tournament, there were wins for Chelsea and Arsenal, both against German opposition, a win for Manchester United over Scottish Champions Celtic in a game dubbed "The Battle of Britain", and a draw for Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven.
Barcelona, the current holders of the Champions League title, romped to a 5-0 victory over Bulgarian Champions Levski Sofia.
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Results
Group A
Chelsea 2-0 Werder Bremen
Barcelona 5-0 Levski Sofia
--------------------------
Group B
Sporting Lisbon 1-0 Inter Milan
Bayern Munich 4-0 Spartak Moscow
-------------------------------
Group C
Galatasaray 0-0 Bordeaux
PSV Eindhoven 0-0 Liverpool
--------------------------------
Group D
Olympiacos 2-4 Valencia
Roma 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
--------------------------------
Group E
Dinamo Kiev 1-4 Steaua Bucharest
Lyon 2-0 Real Madrid
----------------------------------
Group F
Manchester United 3-2 Glasgow Celtic
Copenhagen 0-0 Benfica
------------------------------------
Group G
Porto 0-0 CSKA Moscow
Hamburg 1-2 Arsenal
-----------------------------------
Group H
Anderlecht 1-1 Lille
AC Milan 3-0 AEK Athens
****************************************************
Standings
Group A
........................Played.....Points
Barcelona..............1.............3
Chelsea.................1............3
Werder Bremen.......1............0
Levski Sofia............1............0
*******************
Group B
........................Played......Points
Bayern Munich.........1.............3
Sporting Lisbon........1.............3
Inter Milan..............1.............0
Spartak Moscow.......1.............0
****************
Group C
...........................Played......Points
Bordeaux..................1.............1
PSV Eindhoven...........1.............1
Galatasaray................1.............1
Liverpool...................1.............1
**************
Group D
.........................Played......Points
Roma......................1............3
Valencia..................1............3
Olympiacos...............1............0
Shakhtar Donetsk.......1............0
*************
Group E
.........................Played......Points
Steaua Bucharest......1.............3
Lyon......................1.............3
Real Madrid.............1.............0
Dinamo Kiev.............1.............0
***************
Group F
.............................Played.......Points
Manchester United........1.............3
Copenhagen.................1.............1
Benfica.......................1.............1
Celtic.........................1..............0
**************
Group G
...........................Played.....Points
Arsenal.....................1............3
CSKA Moscow.............1............1
Porto.......................1............1
Hamburg...................1............0
*************
Group H
...........................Played.....Points
AC Milan...................1...........3
Lille.........................1...........1
Anderlecht................1...........1
AEK Athens...............1...........0
United secure thrilling win over Scottish Champs
Man Utd 3
Glasgow Celtic 2
Louis Saha scored twice for Manchester United as they claimed an enthralling 3-2 win over Celtic at Old Trafford.
Saha's brace levelled Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's shock opener from the spot, then put United in front, only for Shunsuke Nakamura to equalise just before the break.
----------------------------------------
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in front of the adoring Stretford End, fired home his first European goal for almost three years to secure United a 3-2 victory
*****************************************
Benfica held to goalless draw
FC Copenhagen 0
Benfica 0
Danish champions FC Copenhagen marked their Champions League debut with a goalless draw against last season's quarter-finalists Benfica
********************************************
Silva lining for Gunners
Hamburg 1
Arsenal 2
Arsenal, last season's losing Finalists against Barcelona, opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over 10-man Hamburg in Germany. Goals from Gilberto Silva and Tomas Rosicky proved enough for victory, with Boubacar Sanogo responding for Hamburg
--------------------------------
Arsenal led 1-0 at half time after home goalkeeper Sascha Kirschstein had been sent off. Robin van Persie was adjudged to have been brought down by the Hamburg keeper after just nine minutes.
Silva - stand-in captain for the injured Thierry Henry - made no mistake from the spot
********************************
Porto pay for profligacy
FC Porto 0
CSKA Moscow 0
CSKA Moscow shared a goalless draw with 2004 champions Porto after the Portuguese side failed to capitalise on their superiority
*****************************
Ballack steps up to the plate
Chelsea 2
Werder Bremen 0
Michael Essien gave Chelsea a positive start as Jose Mourinho launched his third bid for European glory under the employment of Roman Abramovich.
Essien struck after 24 minutes to give Mourinho's side the advantage against the Bundesliga runners-up after firing them into a first-half lead against Werder Bremen at Stamford Bridge
-------------------------------------------
Chelsea's German midfielder, Michael Ballack, showed regular penalty-taker Frank Lampard - who had missed three of his last four spot-kicks - how to take a penalty when he put his team two-up after Clemens Fritz pulled Didier Drogba down in the penalty area
********************************
Rampant Barcelona thrash Levski
Barcelona 5
Levski Sofia 0
Elsewhere in Group A, European Champs Barcelona began the defence of their Champions League title with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Levski Sofia at the Nou Camp.
Levski, the first Bulgarian team to reach the group stages of the Champions League, were given a tough examination by Barca, who took the lead after six minutes through Andres Iniesta.
Ludovic Giuly doubled their lead six minutes before the break.
Early in the second half Barca captain Carles Puyol added a third; Samuel Eto'o struck in the 58th minute for a fourth and Ronaldinho wrapped up the win in time added on
*********************************
Gerrard left out until too late
PSV Eindhoven 0
Liverpool 0
Steven Gerrard arrived as a second-half substitute to almost win Liverpool's opening Champions League Group C match against PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion with a stunning hooked volley that beat the goalkeeper before hitting the post.
However, Liverpool had to settle for a point and their first clean sheet of the season
----------------------------------------
Liverpool were the better side in the first half as Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy both started up-front and formed an impressive pairing, but PSV hit back after the break with some high tempo football and the match could have gone either way
---------------------------------------
Eindhoven's best chance of the game came midway through the first half when Arouna Kone (pictured) broke from out left near the halfway line before unleashing a dipping volley that had Jose Reina well beaten before smashing into the bar.
Ibrahim Afellay forced the best early save from Jose Reina
*****************************
Vieira's Sporting strife
Sporting Lisbon 1
Inter Milan 0
A stunning second-half strike from Marco Caneira (centre) was enough for Sporting Lisbon as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal captain, suffered the ignominy of being sent off for the second successive season in his club debut in the competition - the previous season Vieira was dismissed wearing the black and white of Juventus against Club Brugges
******************************************
Greek tragedy for AEK
AC Milan 3
AEK Athens 0
Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan went to the top of Group H with a 3-0 victory over AEK Athens at San Siro.
Filippo Inzaghi put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes and Yoann Gourcuff made it two just before half time. Inzaghi was then fouled in the area with Kaka converting the resulting penalty with 14 minutes to go
telegraph.co.uk
In the first games of the tournament, there were wins for Chelsea and Arsenal, both against German opposition, a win for Manchester United over Scottish Champions Celtic in a game dubbed "The Battle of Britain", and a draw for Liverpool against PSV Eindhoven.
Barcelona, the current holders of the Champions League title, romped to a 5-0 victory over Bulgarian Champions Levski Sofia.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Results
Group A
Chelsea 2-0 Werder Bremen
Barcelona 5-0 Levski Sofia
--------------------------
Group B
Sporting Lisbon 1-0 Inter Milan
Bayern Munich 4-0 Spartak Moscow
-------------------------------
Group C
Galatasaray 0-0 Bordeaux
PSV Eindhoven 0-0 Liverpool
--------------------------------
Group D
Olympiacos 2-4 Valencia
Roma 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
--------------------------------
Group E
Dinamo Kiev 1-4 Steaua Bucharest
Lyon 2-0 Real Madrid
----------------------------------
Group F
Manchester United 3-2 Glasgow Celtic
Copenhagen 0-0 Benfica
------------------------------------
Group G
Porto 0-0 CSKA Moscow
Hamburg 1-2 Arsenal
-----------------------------------
Group H
Anderlecht 1-1 Lille
AC Milan 3-0 AEK Athens
****************************************************
Standings
Group A
........................Played.....Points
Barcelona..............1.............3
Chelsea.................1............3
Werder Bremen.......1............0
Levski Sofia............1............0
*******************
Group B
........................Played......Points
Bayern Munich.........1.............3
Sporting Lisbon........1.............3
Inter Milan..............1.............0
Spartak Moscow.......1.............0
****************
Group C
...........................Played......Points
Bordeaux..................1.............1
PSV Eindhoven...........1.............1
Galatasaray................1.............1
Liverpool...................1.............1
**************
Group D
.........................Played......Points
Roma......................1............3
Valencia..................1............3
Olympiacos...............1............0
Shakhtar Donetsk.......1............0
*************
Group E
.........................Played......Points
Steaua Bucharest......1.............3
Lyon......................1.............3
Real Madrid.............1.............0
Dinamo Kiev.............1.............0
***************
Group F
.............................Played.......Points
Manchester United........1.............3
Copenhagen.................1.............1
Benfica.......................1.............1
Celtic.........................1..............0
**************
Group G
...........................Played.....Points
Arsenal.....................1............3
CSKA Moscow.............1............1
Porto.......................1............1
Hamburg...................1............0
*************
Group H
...........................Played.....Points
AC Milan...................1...........3
Lille.........................1...........1
Anderlecht................1...........1
AEK Athens...............1...........0
United secure thrilling win over Scottish Champs
Man Utd 3
Glasgow Celtic 2
Louis Saha scored twice for Manchester United as they claimed an enthralling 3-2 win over Celtic at Old Trafford.
Saha's brace levelled Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's shock opener from the spot, then put United in front, only for Shunsuke Nakamura to equalise just before the break.
----------------------------------------
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in front of the adoring Stretford End, fired home his first European goal for almost three years to secure United a 3-2 victory
*****************************************
Benfica held to goalless draw
FC Copenhagen 0
Benfica 0
Danish champions FC Copenhagen marked their Champions League debut with a goalless draw against last season's quarter-finalists Benfica
********************************************
Silva lining for Gunners
Hamburg 1
Arsenal 2
Arsenal, last season's losing Finalists against Barcelona, opened their campaign with a 2-1 win over 10-man Hamburg in Germany. Goals from Gilberto Silva and Tomas Rosicky proved enough for victory, with Boubacar Sanogo responding for Hamburg
--------------------------------
Arsenal led 1-0 at half time after home goalkeeper Sascha Kirschstein had been sent off. Robin van Persie was adjudged to have been brought down by the Hamburg keeper after just nine minutes.
Silva - stand-in captain for the injured Thierry Henry - made no mistake from the spot
********************************
Porto pay for profligacy
FC Porto 0
CSKA Moscow 0
CSKA Moscow shared a goalless draw with 2004 champions Porto after the Portuguese side failed to capitalise on their superiority
*****************************
Ballack steps up to the plate
Chelsea 2
Werder Bremen 0
Michael Essien gave Chelsea a positive start as Jose Mourinho launched his third bid for European glory under the employment of Roman Abramovich.
Essien struck after 24 minutes to give Mourinho's side the advantage against the Bundesliga runners-up after firing them into a first-half lead against Werder Bremen at Stamford Bridge
-------------------------------------------
Chelsea's German midfielder, Michael Ballack, showed regular penalty-taker Frank Lampard - who had missed three of his last four spot-kicks - how to take a penalty when he put his team two-up after Clemens Fritz pulled Didier Drogba down in the penalty area
********************************
Rampant Barcelona thrash Levski
Barcelona 5
Levski Sofia 0
Elsewhere in Group A, European Champs Barcelona began the defence of their Champions League title with a comfortable 5-0 victory over Levski Sofia at the Nou Camp.
Levski, the first Bulgarian team to reach the group stages of the Champions League, were given a tough examination by Barca, who took the lead after six minutes through Andres Iniesta.
Ludovic Giuly doubled their lead six minutes before the break.
Early in the second half Barca captain Carles Puyol added a third; Samuel Eto'o struck in the 58th minute for a fourth and Ronaldinho wrapped up the win in time added on
*********************************
Gerrard left out until too late
PSV Eindhoven 0
Liverpool 0
Steven Gerrard arrived as a second-half substitute to almost win Liverpool's opening Champions League Group C match against PSV Eindhoven at the Philips Stadion with a stunning hooked volley that beat the goalkeeper before hitting the post.
However, Liverpool had to settle for a point and their first clean sheet of the season
----------------------------------------
Liverpool were the better side in the first half as Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy both started up-front and formed an impressive pairing, but PSV hit back after the break with some high tempo football and the match could have gone either way
---------------------------------------
Eindhoven's best chance of the game came midway through the first half when Arouna Kone (pictured) broke from out left near the halfway line before unleashing a dipping volley that had Jose Reina well beaten before smashing into the bar.
Ibrahim Afellay forced the best early save from Jose Reina
*****************************
Vieira's Sporting strife
Sporting Lisbon 1
Inter Milan 0
A stunning second-half strike from Marco Caneira (centre) was enough for Sporting Lisbon as they beat Inter Milan 1-0 at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Patrick Vieira, the former Arsenal captain, suffered the ignominy of being sent off for the second successive season in his club debut in the competition - the previous season Vieira was dismissed wearing the black and white of Juventus against Club Brugges
******************************************
Greek tragedy for AEK
AC Milan 3
AEK Athens 0
Carlo Ancelotti's AC Milan went to the top of Group H with a 3-0 victory over AEK Athens at San Siro.
Filippo Inzaghi put the hosts ahead after 17 minutes and Yoann Gourcuff made it two just before half time. Inzaghi was then fouled in the area with Kaka converting the resulting penalty with 14 minutes to go
telegraph.co.uk
