TWO late goals from second half substitute Jardel helped Porto to a memorable 3-2 away victory over AC Milan in the European Champions' League Group D game in Milan last night.
Jardel came on in the 62nd minute and scored in the 75th and 83rd minutes to upset Milan, three times winners of the European Cup in the last eight seasons.
Porto twice came back from a goal down. Marco Simone put the Italian club ahead in the 14th minute with the only goal of the first half.
Artur equalised for Porto in the 53rd minute but World Player of the Year George Weah put Milan 2-1 up 15 minutes later only to injure himself in the process.
Weah rammed his goal home from close range with a suspicion of offside but apparently snared a ring on his finger as he turned away to celebrate the goal. The Liberian striker was carried off the pitch and his hand, bleeding profusely, was swathed in a bandage as he left.
Jardel headed home his first goal from a cross by Zlatko Zahovic and then cashed in on a defensive error to score the second.
A superb goal by Jari Litmanen after little more than three minutes gave Ajax a 1-0 away victory over Auxerre in Group A. It was the first away goal of the season in any competition for the four times European champions, plagued by injuries and deprived of four players through suspension.
Nigerian winger Tajani Babanida broke away from his marker Franck Rabarivony on the right, something he was to do with frequent ease in the opening quarter of an hour, before turning the ball sharply into the middle as he fell.
Finnish international Litmanen leapt up in a manner reminiscent of the former Ajax great Johan Cruyff to loop the ball with his right foot into the top far corner of Lionel Charbonnier's net.
Auxerre were seldom allowed close to the Ajax goal but Edwin van der Sar had to make a point blank save from winger Bernard Diomede in the 18th minute.
Heiko Herrlich pounced on two defensive mistakes to give Borussia Dortmund a 2-1 home win over Poland's Widzew Lodz in Group B.
Defender Andrzej Michalczuk headed a cross into Herrlich's path on the six metre line, giving him a simple header and Dortmund the lead just before halftime.
Midway through the second half Michalczuk blundered again, heading a cross from Stephane Chapuisat across his own goal mouth. Herrlieh, back in the starting line up for the first time since tearing ankle ligaments last March, pounced to score from close range.
Dortmund then let the three times Polish champions back into the game. Juergen Kobler was slow to pick up Marck Citko on the edge of the box and managed only to deflect his drive past goalkeeper Stefan Klos.
The biggest win of the night was recorded by Atletico Madrid who beat Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in Group B.
After a cautious opening before a vociferous 46,000 crowd, Madrid went on the rampage following the sending off of the visitors' Maris Achim Baciu for a foul on Argentinian striker Juan Eduardo Esnaider after just 27 minutes.
Esnaider, denied a clear goalscoring chance on that occasion, did not have to wait long to exact his revenge, opening the scoring on 32 minutes following a through ball from the right flank from fellow Argentinian Diego Simeone. And Esnaider was on the mark again seconds before half time to head home a Milinko Pantic cross and put the Spaniards firmly in the driving scat.
Simeone then took over the mantle of chief goalscorer, heading home a Pantic corner on 64 minutes and blasting a fourth from a cross by Toni six minutes from time.
