LONDON, 18 September 2003 — Inter Milan crushed Arsenal 3-0 at Highbury to complete a great start for all-conquering Italian clubs in the Champions League yesterday.
Inter’s victory followed those of champions AC Milan (1-0 over Ajax Amsterdam) and Lazio (2-0 winners at Besiktas) on Tuesday. Last season’s beaten finalists Juventus also emerged with three points after a 2-1 home win over Galatasaray in Turin yesterday.
After providing three semifinalists last season and an all-Italian Champions League final, the Italian renaissance has continued with all four clubs winning over the two opening nights of this season’s competition.
Inter stole the honors with a thoroughly deserved victory at Arsenal in the first-ever European meeting between the two clubs which ended in Arsenal’s biggest home defeat for two-and-a-half years.
A well-worked goal from Julio Ricardo Cruz (21), a stunning volley from Andy Van der Meyde (24) and a cool finish after good approach work by Nigerian youngster Obafemi Martins (41) sent Arsenal crashing to a costly defeat in Group B. Inter goalkeeper Francesco Toldo also saved a Thierry Henry penalty after 32 minutes.
Arsenal next visit Lokomotiv Moscow while Inter are at home to Dynamo Kiev.
The “derby” match in the same section between Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine and Lokomotiv Moscow of Russia ended in a 2-0 win for Kiev with Diogo Rincon scoring twice in the last seven minutes.
Celtic, last season’s UEFA Cup runners-up threatened an upset at Bayern Munich in Group A with Alan Thompson heading them ahead after 57 minutes but Bayern recovered to win 2-1 with two goals from Roy Makaay - the winner a speculative long-range curler four minutes from time.
Olympique Lyon beat Anderlecht 1-0 in the other match in the group. Former Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes marked his European debut for Monaco with the opening goal against PSV Eindhoven in their Group C match which Monaco won 2-1 in the Netherlands with a second goal from Edouard Cisse (56).
AEK Athens and Deportivo Coruna drew 1-1 in the other Group C match with Vassilis Tsiartas equalising for AEK in the 89th minute after Walter Pandiani had put Deportivo ahead after 12 minutes.
While Juventus beat Galatasaray 2-1 in their Group D match with goals from Alessandro Del Piero (5) and Ciro Ferrara (73), Real Sociedad beat Olympiakos 1-0 in the same section with an 80th minute penalty from Darko Kovacevic.
The burly center-forward slotted home from the spot 10 minutes from time after he had himself been brought down in the area to give the Basque side a morale-boosting victory on their return to European competition.
Sociedad had struggled to find their form for much of the match against a well-drilled Olympiakos and it was not until the end of the first half that they really came to life.
Kovacevic looked certain to score with a bullet header from Jose Barkero’s corner on 44 minutes but goalkeeper Theofanis Katergiannakis managed to scramble the ball off the line.
That chance sparked Raynald Denoueix’s men into life and they began the second half in more purposeful fashion as they won a succession of corners and put the Olympiakos defense under pressure for the first time in the game.
But it was not until the final stages of the match that Sociedad got the breakthrough when Kovacevic was brought down by defender Athanasios Kostoulas as he burst into the area.
Olympique Lyon rediscovered some form to end Anderlecht’s unbeaten run this season with a controversial penalty for the only goal of their clash. The decisive spot-kick, taken by Brazilian midfielder Juninho Pernambucano, was put away with a low and accurate shot past Daniel Zitka after 26 minutes.
The Czech goalkeeper, who was adjudged to have brought down midfielder Sydney Govou, was cautioned by the Portuguese referee Paulo Manuel Gomes Costa who also dismissed the protests of the Anderlecht team.
Lyon’s win was their first in four games in a poor start to their domestic campaign, but it inflicted Anderlecht’s first defeat this season and only their second this year. It was also Anderlecht’s first loss in a competitive European fixture in France.
Meanwhile, two late goals from new signing Roy Makaay rescued Bayern Munich who recovered to beat Celtic 2-1. The battle between the former European champions was a tense, dull affair in the first half but came to life after the interval. Bayern avoided a repeat of their poor start to last season’s dismal campaign, when they lost 3-2 to Deportivo Coruna at the Olympic stadium after a Makaay hat trick.
