BERLIN, 10 August 2003 — England midfielder Owen Hargreaves saved Bayern Munich from an embarrassing defeat with a superb last-gasp free kick for a 3-3 draw at Hanover 96 yesterday.
Hargreaves struck one minute into added time to grab a share of the points for the German champions in an entertaining game.
Borussia Dortmund, who lost their title to Bayern last season, finishing third, moved to the top of the standings with a spectacular 4-0 win over VfL Wolfsburg.
Dortmund were one of six teams with four points from two games, with Hanover and Bayern also in that group.
Bayern, who opened the defence of the title with a 3-1 win over promoted Eintracht Frankfurt last weekend, fought bravely to make up for a clumsy defensive display in the first half.
“It was an exciting game with some quality football despite tough conditions,” said Bayern coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, referring to the heat wave sweeping most of Europe.
Hanover, who opened with a surprise 3-0 win at Hamburg SV, built a 3-1 lead at the interval courtesy of midfielder Nebojsa Krupnikovc and strikers Jiri Stajner and Thomas Christiansen.
Playmaker Michael Ballack scored before the break for Bayern, who stepped up a gear in the second half.
Peru striker Claudio Pizarro then reduced the gap on 49 minutes and hit the back of the net again in the 68th but was disallowed for an offside that looked dubious on television replays.
The home side were reduced to 10 men when striker Mohammadou Idrissou was sent off in the 84th minute for elbowing Bayern defender Thomas Linke before Hargreaves grabbed a point for the visitors with just his second goal from 70 Bundesliga games.
Dutch striker Roy Makaay, who completed his switch to Bayern from Deportivo Coruna on Friday, was unavailable but should play next week, however the most worrying aspect of the German champion’s play seemed to be their defense.
Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky was instrumental in Dortmund’s win over Wolfsburg with a goal in each half and fine playmaking. Brazilian forward Marcio Amoroso and Czech striker Jan Koller also scored before 72,000 delighted fans.
VfB Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen play on Sunday, at home to Hertha Berlin and away against Eintracht Frankfurt respectively and victories would lift them above Dortmund.
Champions Rangers Off to Flyer, Celtic Held
In Glasgow, Scottish champions Rangers made an inspired start to the season yesterday with a thumping 4-0 win over 10-man Kilmarnock but fierce rivals Celtic stumbled to a 0-0 opening day draw at Dunfermline Athletic.
After unveiling their 50th league championship pennant before kickoff to an expectant home support of over 49,000 fans, Rangers were quickly into their stride with Dane Peter Lovenkrands firing them ahead on 14 minutes.
Dutchman Michael Mols and Spaniard Mikel Arteta, with two strikes, then overwhelmed Kilmarnock, whose chance of victory disappeared after defender Chris Innes was red-carded before halftime.
McLeish was particularly pleased with the contribution of Arteta, who almost joined Spanish side Atletico Madrid during the close season.
Rangers, with English defender Michael Ball making his first competitive appearance since sustaining a knee injury in December 2001, took the lead when Lovenkrands swept the ball home after a mistake by goalkeeper Colin Meldrum.
Kilmarnock’s day got worse when Innes was red-carded on 35 minutes for persistent fouling.
Mols added number two when he turned and fired home from inside the box after 38 minutes. Sean Hessey hauled down Barry Ferguson just before halftime for Arteta to slip home the spotkick and Arteta grabbed his second 18 minutes from time.
In contrast, Celtic were given a tough time by Dunfermline.
The match was given extra spice due to Celtic striker Chris Sutton’s comments accusing Dunfermline of “lying down” in their 6-1 defeat at Rangers on the last day of last season, a defeat that denied Martin O’Neill side’s the premier league title on goal difference.
Johan Mjallby wasted three good opportunities but the Sweden captain also saved Celtic by clearing Darren Young’s effort off the line late on.
The two Glasgow clubs now turn their attention to trying to reach the Champions League group stages. Rangers host FC Copenhagen on Wednesday while Celtic travel to MTK Budapest in the first leg of their third qualifying round ties.
In other actions yesterday, Hibernian won 2-1 at Dundee United and Dundee triumphed 3-0 at Motherwell. Hearts beat Aberdeen 2-0 at home while Partick Thistle drew 1-1 with Livingston.
Lille Beat PSG to Claim Second Ligue 1 Scalp
In Paris, a solid and well-organized Lille claimed another scalp in French Ligue 1 when they defeated visiting Paris St. Germain 1-0 yesterday, a week after beating champions Olympique Lyon.
Chile striker Hector Tapia slotted home two minutes into added time at the end of the first half to hand Lille a fine victory.
PSG, who were held to a goalless draw at home by Bastia in their opening match of the season, again looked well below their best.
