Champions League

In their match in Group G on Wednesday, VfB Stuttgart took an early lead in the 18th minute after Cacau set up Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, who beat Rangers keeper Allan McGregor.

Judging by the first half, it looked as though the squad of coach Markus Babbel was on course to become the third German team to win its opening match - a day after Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich took three points in their respective groups.

Stuttgart came closer to extending their lead than Rangers came to equalizing in the first half, something that will doubtless be nagging at the Stuttgart players and fans when they look back on Wednesday's match.

However, in the second half, the Scottish team gained more ground. Rangers' Madjid Bougherra managed to crack Stuttgart's defense and drive the ball past keeper Jens Lehmann and tie the game in the 77th minute. Though Stuttgart subsequently piled on the pressure again, Rangers managed to hold on to the strategically important away draw.

Babbel was annoyed that his team had let their lead slip. "The first half was good, we controlled the opponents and created chances. Unfortunately we couldn't get the second goal," he said, adding "in the second half we only reacted. We were chasing the ball and were not active enough. We have to learn from these mistakes."

In Wednesday's second Group G match, Spanish side Seville beat the visiting Romanian Champions League newcomers Unirea Urziceni 2-0. Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano fired a low shot home on the stroke of halftime. His compatriot Renato extended the Spaniards' lead in the 70th minute.

Seville's victory takes the Spanish team to the top of Group G, two points ahead of Stuttgart and Rangers, with the latter having a slight advantage over the Germans because they secured an away draw.

Barca and Inter stars fail to score

Wednesday also saw Champions League action in three other groups with the evening's most anticipated match being played in Group F, where Inter Milan took on Spanish side FC Barcelona. The Italians were unable to make good on their home advantage, and although both teams had a host of star players on the field, the game ended in a disappointing goalless draw.

However, Inter coach Jose Mourinho insisted that good football was not always about goals. "I think this was a wonderful game of football and people who say 0-0 is not interesting are just wrong," said Mourinho. "It was the first game, which is always the hardest, in a very tough group. Others are extremely easy. For example, there are some with no champions in them at all."

So it was left to the Ukraine's Dynamo Kiev to go to the top of the table in Group F after handing visiting Russian title-holders Rubin Kazan a sound 3-1 defeat. Alejandro Dominguez scored from a free kick to put Rubin in the lead in the 25th minute, but Kiev's Ayila Yussuf equalized in the 71st. Margao scored from close range eight minutes later to put Dynamo in the lead and Oleh Gusev made it 3-1 in the 85th.

In Group E, French side Lyon booked a 1-0 home victory against Fiorentina. The Italians were struggling after striker Alberto Gilardino was sent off for elbowing Lyon's midfielder Jeremy Toulalan as the first half came to a close. However, the French were unable to break through Fiorentina's defense until the 76th minute when Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic scored from close range.

In the second match in Group E, Liverpool only managed a slim and unconvincing 1-0 home victory against underdogs Debrecan. The goal by Dutchman Dirk Kuyt in the 45th minute saved Liverpool from a major embarrassment in their match against the Hungarian Champions League rookies.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez had hoped for a better result against the main outsider in Group E. "We had three or four good chances and if we take our chances it would be easier," he said. "But it's 1-0, and the most important thing is to get the three points. People didn't know what to expect because they didn't know the other team, but they showed they're not bad."

English clubs off to a good start

In Group H, Arsenal managed to pull off a spectacular 3:2 victory against a surprisingly dangerous and confident Liege side.

The Belgians, making their Champions League debut, shocked the Gunners with two goals in the opening five minutes. Eliaquim Mangala struck home from just outside the area in the second minute and Milan Jovanovich converted a penalty three minutes later after being brought down by Arsenal's William Gallas.

Danish striker Nicklas Bentner put Arsenal back in the game just before half-time, and two late goals in three minutes from Thomas Vermaelen and Eduardo secured three points for the Gunners.

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger said he had been shocked by his side's poor start but praised their second-half display. "When you are a big club, you cannot accept such a defeat, so it was important to come back and win," he told reporters. "We were caught cold by a Standard team that came out firing. It could happen to anyone, but to come back and win, showed a great team."

Greek side Olympiakos Piraeus also booked a victory in Group H, with a goal from Vassilis Torosidis giving them a 1-0 win over visiting AZ Alkmaar. This means that Olympiakos and Arsenal both have three points and are leading in Group H.

English Premier League clubs dominated the opening of the group phase, with all four teams booking three points in their first match, giving English clubs their best start to a Champions League campaign since the 1998/99 season.

nk/dpa/Reuters/AP/AFP

Editor: Matt Zuvela