THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE returned to full action last night with the first eight of the group stage matches taking place throughout the continent.
It was a night of somewhat mixed fortunes for the English sides; Tottenham Hotspur, making their group stage debut, went 2-0 up early on away at Werder Bremen but could only hold on for a 2-2 draw in an enthralling end-to-end game.
Boss Harry Redknapp was far from pleased with the result, however, gutted that his ‘fantastic’ side were unable to grab the away victory they undoubtedly deserved.
Manchester United also earned a point in their opening fixture, but will rue dropping two points to Rangers – who parked the proverbial bus for the entire 90 minutes and restricted Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez to mere scraps as the United midfield drowned in possession.
Their night got worse when Antonio Valencia was stretchered off wearing an oxygen mask after dislocating and fracturing his ankle in the second half. Manager Alex Ferguson believes the Ecuadorian midfielder will miss the rest of the season.
Elsewhere on the continent there were thumping wins for Valencia (the club) and Barcelona, while Inter Milan and FC Twente could only manage a 2-2 draw.
Here’s links to the night’s video highlights (links sourced from the excellent 101greatgoals.com):
Antonio Valencia’s ankle break (warning: not for the queasy)
