Inter Milan and Hector Cuper appear on their way to another strong Champions League challenge after their 3-0 lwin Arsenal at Highbury.
Last season's losing semifinalist and Serie A runner up, Inter raced into a 2-0 lead inside 24 minutes and then made it 3-0 just before half time.
PHOTO: AP
Two minutes after lanky Argentine striker Julio Cruz had put Inter ahead, Dutch midfielder Andy Van der Meyde added the second. After Francesco Toldo had produced a world class save to keep out a Thierry Henry penalty, 18-year-old Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins netted the third.
PHOTO: AFP
The result completed a sweep of Serie A victories in the the opening round of matches with AC Milan, league champion Juventus and Lazio also winning.
It also meant that Inter had started the campaign with a surprisingly easy victory to take some of the sting away from losing to cross city rival Milan in last season's semifinal. To make it worse, Milan went on to win the title for the sixth time, beating Juve in the final at Old Trafford.
It was also an other grim Champions League lesson for Arsenal which has never even made the final of European soccer's most prestigious competition and has won just one of last seven home games.
The result put Inter and Dynamo Kiev level on points at the top of Group B. Kiev downed Lokomotiv Moscow 2-0.
"This is the best possible start," said Inter coach Cuper, who twice guided Valencia to the final. "We are extremely satisfied and it will give us a lot of confidence as well.
"It was near to perfection. [Arsenal] could never find the space to play the way they wanted. They never found a way to break through.
"If we start the Champions League with this result and play like this with every player committed, then we are going to get really far.
"It was a beautiful Inter tonight. A solid Inter," Cuper said. "I simply have to compliment the guys who played great: Martins, Cruz and Van der Meyde. This was the solid Inter I wanted to see today. These guys really gave a great gift to the Inter fans who came here."
Inter president Massimo Moratti also praised his team, saying it was "an evening to tell your grandchildren about."
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger said he believed the scoreline didn't reflect the play.
"If we had scored first it could have been a completely different game," the Frenchman said. "I don't think that the difference in the goals reflects the difference between the teams.
"But have to accept we lost tonight. We can't complain and cry the whole night. It won't change the result. The only thing we can do it is to respond well in the next game."
Arsenal's next game is at Manchester United on Sunday which could have a major bearing on where the league title goes. His team leads the Reds by one point.
Inter edged ahead midway through the first half when Arsenal failed to react to a long throw from Ivan Cordoba om the left. Martins headed forward and Cruz raced past Lauren before prodding the ball over the advancing Lehmann into an empty net.
His goal was greeted by silence from the Gunners fans behind the goal and delight by the Inter followers at the other end.
Two minutes later it was 2-0 when Kily Gonzalez was left clear on the left to float over a cross which Sol Campbell, under pressure from Martins, missed. Van der Meyde arrived unmarked to power a first time shot between Lehmann and his left hand post.
The Gunners were awarded a penalty in the 33rd minute when Marco Materazzi pushed Ljungberg with the ball seemingly lost. But Toldo dived to is left to push Henry's spot kick round the post for a brilliant save. Gilberto Silva met the corner but headed just wide.
Toure twice rescued the Gunners with timely tackles to top Martins getting into scoring positions. But it all went wrong for the Gunners four minutes before half time when Pires gave away possession in his own half to Emre.
The Turkish midfielder swapped passes with Kily Gonzalez before feeling Martins who got past Campbell and fired past Lehmann from 10m. The Arsenal fans couldn't believe their eyes. The Inter followers couldn't get used to seeing their team scored three goals away from home.
Wenger surprisingly made no half time changes as if telling his starting 11 to get the team out of the mess they were in.
But he waited 19 minutes before sending on Dennis Bergkamp for Robert Pires with Nwankwo Kanu taking over from Gilberto Silva. That meant Inter now faced two of its former stars.
Henry had a chance to pull a goal back in the 68th minute when he swept past Javier Zanetti but shot straight at Toldo, who seemed unbeatable on the night.
But Cruz almost added a fourth in the 77th minute with a sneaky free kick which Lehmann grabbed at the near post. Most people in the ground had expected Kily Gonzalez to take it.
Kanu should have given Arsenal some consolation when a floated pass landed at his feet in front of goal but the unmarked Nigerian saw his shot bounce off Toldo's legs.
But substitute Mohamed Kallon almost scored a fourth for Inter when he broke free down the middle and beat Lehmann only for the ball to hit the post.
In their next round of games Sept. 30, Arsenal visits Lokomotiv while Inter hosts Kiev.
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