Steffen Effenberg hit a 45th-minute winner to give Bayern Munich a 1-0 European Champions League victory over Barcelona last night, a result which leaves Manchester United top of Group D after their 6-2 trouncing of Brondby in Copenhagen.
Effenberg found the net just before the half-time break when Giovane Elber headed down a cross and the striker, who was convicted of drink driving last week, slipped the ball home from close range.
Bayern showered the Spaniards' goal with shots in the first half. Mario Basler shot just wide in the first minute and Elber, Hasan Salihamdizic and Michael Tarnat all blazed away without success.
Remembering how costly Bayern's mountain of missed chances against Brondby had proved in their opening game, coach Ottmar Hitzfeld shook his head in despair on the bench.
But the coach later paid tribute to Effenberg's invaluable opportunism. "He deserved his goal," Hitzfeld said. "Stefan worked hard but didn't have a lot of luck tonight. He never gave up and had to be given an injection at halftime because of back pain."
In Group E, Lens substitute Wagneau Eloi earned his side a 1-0 last-gasp victory over Greek side Panathinaikos in a match which looked set to end in a goal-less draw.
Eloi rifled the ball past Polish goalkeeper Jozef Wandzik from six metres in the 80th minute after the ball had been headed into his path by Pascal Nouma. Eloi's crucial goal leaves the French champions level on points with Arsenal on top of the group, after the Londoners were held 1-1 by Dynamo Kiev at Wembley.
The defending European champions Real Madrid recovered from the shock of going an early goal behind to crush Austria's Sturm Graz 6-1 at the Bernabeu and go top of Group C on goal difference.
Real, who gave themselves work to do after losing last month at Spartak Moscow, hit back with a vengeance after Graz raced into an eighth-minute lead through an opportunistic effort by Ivica Vastic.
Brazilian striker Savio began the explosive fight-back with the equaliser in the 13th minute after a fine interchange with Predjag Mijatovic and Spanish World Cup striker Raul put them ahead in the 22nd minute.
Real's Croatian World Cup midfield star Robert Jarni blasted a third on the hour and an own goal six minutes later from Ranko Popovic made it 4-1.
Even then Real kept up the pressure, with Jarni adding the fifth and Savio completing the ultimately one-sided encounter with the sixth in the dying seconds before a disappointing crowd of just 40,000.
Ronaldo made a hero's return from injury when he scored Inter Milan's winner in a crucial 2-1 victory over Group C leaders Spartak Moscow in Milan.
Nicola Ventola, who struck twice at the end of Inter's 5-3 rout by Lazio here on Sunday night, gave Inter a 32nd-minute lead before Ronaldo, playing his first game for a month, made it 2-0 in the 59th minute.
Spartak skipper Ilia Tsymbalar pulled one back in the 64th minute but Inter hung on to beat a skillful Russian side who had won both their previous games.
Despite Inter's win, Italian fortunes were mixed as Juventus, beaten finalists in both of the last two finals, could only draw 0-0 with Athletic Bilbao in Bilbao in Group B.
Juve were denied a vital win when Filippo Inzaghi had a goal disallowed for offside, and it was the Spanish side which had the better of the exchanges.
The match was marred by sporadic crowd trouble when rival fans clashed as the second half was getting under way.
The draw leaves Juve in serious danger of going out, after a Siguurd Rushfeldt hat-trick enabled Rosenborg of Norway to maintain their unbeaten record by hammering Turkey's Galatasaray 3-0 at home.
