LONDON, 29 September 2004 — International strikers Wayne Rooney and Roy Makaay scored a hat trick each yesterday as their clubs scored emphatic victories in the second round of matches in the group stage of the Champions League.
Rooney, who was playing his first game for Manchester United, scored twice in the first half and added a third in the second as United beat visiting Fenerbahce 6-2 in a Group D match. In the other group game Sparta Prague were beaten 2-1 at home by Olympique Lyon.
In Munich, Makaay scored thrice as former winners Bayern outplayed Ajax Amsterdam 4-0 to move to the top of Group C with six points. They lead Juventus, who managed a 1-0 victory against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, on goal difference.
In Group A, Ieroklis Stoltidis scored the only goal of the match as Olympiakos Piraeus stunned Liverpool 1-0 in Greece, while struggling Deportivo La Coruna slumped to another defeat as they were beaten 2-0 in Monaco.
Real Madrid staged a stunning comeback in Group B against Roma to beat the Serie A side 4-2. The visitors had raced into a two-goal lead within the first 30 minutes, before a Raul brace, a Figo penalty and a Roberto Carlos stunner turned matters around.
Kiev, who were awarded a victory in their first game against Roma after the match was abandoned at half time, lead the group with six points after beating a ten-man Bayer Leverkusen 4-2.
Winger Ryan Giggs headed United into a seventh minute lead and 18-year-old Rooney lashed in his first with a left-foot shot 10 minutes later at Old Trafford.
Rooney, who cost 27 million pounds ($48.9 million) from Everton last month and was playing his first game since England’s Euro 2004 quarterfinal exit, scored his second in the 28th minute with a fierce low right-foot drive.
Fenerbahce pulled one back a minute after the break through Marcio Nobre but Rooney brought up his first hat trick at senior level with a curling free kick before Tuncay Sanli added a second for the Turkish side.
Any hope of a comeback by Fenerbahce, who inflicted United’s first ever European home defeat in 1996, was killed off by late strikes from Ruud van Nistelrooy and David Bellion.
Real Madrid captain Raul scored two and had a hand in another as he led his side’s fightback from two goals down to claim a 4-2 win over AS Roma at the Bernabeu.
Visitors Roma got off to a flying start as they stormed into a 2-0 lead after 22 minutes, midfielder Daniele De Rossi and striker Antonio Cassano cashing in some appalling defending from the Real back four.
But Raul sparked the recovery six minutes before the break when he ran on to a pass from Zinedine Zidane and unleashed a powerful drive from the edge of the box which took a deflection off a defender and flew past keeper Ivan Pelizzoli.
Real stepped up a gear after the break and got back on level terms when Luis Figo netted from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute after Christian Panucci pushed Raul.
Raul then put Real in front when he got his foot to a powerful cross-shot from Figo to steer the ball past Pelizzoli 19 minutes later and take his tally in the European Cup to 47 goals.
Brazilian fullback Roberto Carlos completed the comeback with a trademark thunderbolt drive 10 minutes from time.
A first half header from Argentine Mauro Camoranesi gave Juventus a 1-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Turin, giving the Italians the maximum six points from two games.
Camoranesi, not noted for his ability in the air, powerfully headed home a corner from Pavel Nedved in the 37th minute to win what was a disappointing match played in front of a poor crowd.
Dutch international Makaay continues to prove his 18.75 million euro price-tag was a snip, netting a hat trick as Bayern Munich cruised to victory.
Makaay has now scored ten times in as many Champions League matches for Bayern and moved the German powerhouse within touching distance of the knockout phase.
Bayern have not given their home fans much to cheer about this season with even their vice-president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge labeling the team ‘boring’ this season.
However, that was all forgotten with a slick performance in front of 50,000 supporters at the Olympic Stadium.
Peruvian marksman Claudio Pizarro almost opened the scoring as early as the ninth minute but watched on in agony as his toe-poked effort ricocheted off the post to safety. Predictably it was Makaay, 29, who made the breakthrough scoring for the sixth game in a row in the 28th minute. England international Owen Hargreaves, a surprise inclusion by manager Felix Magath, produced a pinpoint through ball which was trapped magnificently by Makaay who unleashed a flawless volley that almost ripped the net asunder.
Dutch champions Ajax were on the back foot and on the chime of half-time fell further behind with the lethal Makaay glancing a header past goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont.
Ajax had no answer and watched compatriot Makaay show no mercy in the 52nd minute converting from the penalty spot after a foul on Pizarro. It means former Deportivo La Coruna man Makaay has now scored 40 goals in 53 competitive matches for the Bavarian club.
Three minutes later Ze Roberto picked up a pass from the ubiquitous Makaay to make it 4-0 and cap a fine evening for the hosts.
