Pavel Nedved scored the winner Tuesday as Juventus edged Bayern Munich 1-0 in the first meeting between the two storied sides to maintain its perfect record in Group C of the Champions League.
In the day's most surprising result, Manchester United was held to a 0-0 draw at Sparta Prague in Group D, while Michael Owen marked his first Real Madrid start with the winner in a 1-0 victory over Dynamo Kiev in Group B.
PHOTO: AP
In other results, it was: Liverpool 0, Deportivo La Coruna 0 and Monaco 2, Olympiakos 1 in Group A; Bayer Leverkusen 3, AS Roma 1 in Group B; Ajax 3, Maccabi Tel Aviv 0 in Group C; and Fenerbahce 1, Lyon 3 in Group D.
In Turin, the first meeting between two of Europe's most successful sides was a cautious affair. Juventus and Bayern have won six Champions Cup titles combined.
After more than an hour of mostly lackluster play, France defender Lilian Thuram launched a full-field pass that Zlatan Ibrahimovic met with an excellent headed setup for Nedved.
The Czech playmaker then performed a quick zigzag and beat Bayern goalkeeper Oliver Kahn with a perfectly angled shot for his second goal in three Champions League games this season.
In the other Group C match, Ajax notched its first win by beating Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 with first-half goals from Wesley Sonck, Nigel de Jong and Rafael van der Vaart.
Juventus stays perfect with nine points, followed by Bayern with six, Ajax with three and Maccabi with zero.
Manchester United dropped from the top spot in Group D after its goalless draw. The Czechs started strongly, forcing United goalkeeper Roy Carroll to make several saves.
At the other end, Wayne Rooney had a couple of chances, while Cristiano Ronaldo missed a close-range shot in the closing minutes.
In Istanbul, Lyon moved into first place in the group as Pierre-Alain Frau, Juninho and Brazilian defender Cris all scored. Marcio Nobre pulled one back for Fenerbahce.
Lyon has seven points, while Manchester United is second with five and Sparta third with one. Fenerbahce remains in last place with zero points.
Real Madrid's win gave it six points in Group B -- the same as Leverkusen and Dynamo Kiev.
The win was a bright spot for the nine-time European champion, which is languishing in the bottom half of the Spanish league standings after its worst-ever start to the season.
Owen took a cross from Ronaldo to beat goalkeeper Olexandr Shovkovskiy in the 35th minute.
"We knew it would be a hard game. We were facing a very good team. But we played a great game and created a lot of chances," Madrid coach Mariano Garcia Remon said.
Dynamo was unlucky to lose, thwarted by poor shooting and several fine saves by Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Roma virtually ended its Champions League season after the 3-1 loss, its third straight defeat in the competition. Led by its third different coach -- Luigi Del Neri -- in its third Champions League match, Roma took the lead in the 26th minute when the ball bounced off Dimitar Berbatov's heel and into the net.
Roque Junior leveled for Leverkusen in the 48th minute and Jacek Krzynowek volleyed the Germans into the lead in the 59th. A minute later, Roma defender Christian Panucci was sent off for elbowing Robson Ponte.
It's going to get worse for Roma. The Italian team forfeited its match against Dynamo on Sept. 15 after a fan injured referee Anders Frisk, and now it has to play its next two home games behind closed doors.
In Group A, last season's runner-up Monaco took the lead after three minutes with an impressive solo effort from Javier Saviola, who went past four Olympiakos defenders before shooting over goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis.
Seven minutes later, Javier Chevanton put Monaco up by two goals with a curling shot into the far corner of the net. They were the first goals conceded by the Greek side in Europe this season.
Deportivo La Coruna, a Champions League semifinalist last season, is virtually out of this season's competition after drawing 0-0 with Liverpool.
The Anfield stalemate means Deportivo has yet to score a goal after three group matches and is at the bottom of Group A. Monaco moves to the top with six points, while Liverpool and Olympiakos have four points each.
Taiwan’s top women’s badminton doubles duo, Hsieh Pei-shan (謝沛珊) and Hung En-tzu (洪恩慈), achieved a straight-sets victory over Japan’s Kaho Osawa and Mayui Tanabe at the Badminton World Federation (BWF) Super 300 Macau Open on Sunday. The Taiwanese pair won the final 21-18, 21-12, marking the duo’s second title this year after their win at the BWF Super 300 Taipei Open in May. The match on Sunday was their first encounter with the Japanese duo, ranked No. 63 in the world. Hsieh and Hung, ranked No. 12, began the opening game well. Hung, who plays left-handed, performed strongly at both the net and the
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko upset top-seeded Coco Gauff 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday night to reach the National Bank Open quarter-finals. “Your support was incredible,” Mboko told the crowd in French after a chorus of “Ole, Ole, Ole” chants echoed around the venue. “I’m really happy to win today ... It’s incredible. I’m so happy to beat such a great champion.” Gauff dropped to 2-3 since winning the French Open. She followed the major victory with opening losses in Berlin and Wimbledon, then overcame double-fault problems to win two three-set matches in Montreal. Gauff had five double-faults on Saturday after having 23 in
Jobe Bellingham on Tuesday admitted to having “anxieties” on following in brother Jude’s footsteps after joining Borussia Dortmund in the summer. Jobe Bellingham, 19, is two years younger than Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in 2023 after three years at Dortmund. A centerpiece of the England national team, Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent seasons. The younger Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund in June from Sunderland after their promotion to the English Premier League. He admitted he understood what the perception would be ahead of the move to Germany. “It’s something you do think about.
Before Tuesday’s 7-2 win at the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy suggested “most people couldn’t tell you five players on our team.” A look at the standings would indicate more Brewers players soon will be recognized by more fans. After all, it is difficult to overlook a team that not only continues to extend their lead in the National League Central, but also boasts the best record in the majors. “What we’re doing in here right now is special,” right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta said after allowing only four hits and one run in five innings, while setting a career high with
RSS