A late equaliser from Real Madrid golden boy Raul earned the seven-time champions a 3-3 draw away to Olympiakos of Greece in their opening European Champions League match.
Olympiakos took the lead after 11 minutes in this Group E match, through Giovanni.
But Real took charge of the match by half-time with goals from two more Brazilians, Savio after 24 minutes and Roberto Carlos after 32.
After 64 minutes, however, Giovanni struck again. Three minutes later Slovenian Zlatko Zahovic scored. John Toshack brought on unsettled French international Nicolas Anelka in a bid to reverse the tide but it was Raul who came to the coach's rescue with his 80th-minute equaliser.
FC Porto top this group after an 89th-minute goal from Deco was enough to see off Molde of Norway.
In Group F, last season's runners-up Bayern Munich made a good start with a 2-1 home victory over Holland's PSV Eindhoven.
The German team's close season purchases, Paulo Sergio put the hosts 1-0 ahead after 11 minutes. After 59 minutes a chip from PSV's Russian international Dmitri Khokhlov, set up by Belgian Luc Nilis, squared the match only for Carsten Jancker to create what proved the winner after 69 minutes, again for Paulo Sergio.
The other German side playing last night, Hertha Berlin, made a superb start in Group H.
Goals from German international striker Michael Preetz and Darius Wosz gave Hertha a 2-0 lead within 13 minutes at Galatasaray. But Hakan Sukur pulled one back after 24 minutes and veteran Romanian midfielder Georghe Hagi equalised in the 86th minute. In Group G Spartak Moscow sparkled against Willem II in Holland. Andrei Tikhonov scored two first-half goals after 27 and 37 minutes, the first from a penalty, before wrapping up a hat-trick after the interval with a 53rd-minute penalty. Arno Arts pulled one back for Willem II.
