TheSportsCampus

For all the football aficionados, it was a return to the famed European nights, courtesy the UEFA Champions League. The 2009-10 edition of the elite European club competition kicked off with super-heavyweights Manchester United (last year's losing finalists), Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and AC Milan taking the field. All the big guns with the exception of Juventus posted victories, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Filippo Inzaghi , Nicolas Anelka and Raul showcasing their talents in front of goal.

English champions Manchester United had a tricky encounter against Turkish side Besiktas in the raucous Besiktas Inönü in Istanbul. Sir Alex Ferguson rested Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Fletche r with one eye on the weekend encounter against their crosstown rivals Manchester City. Summer signing Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick and Nani took the mid field slots while Jonny Evans filled in for Rio Ferdinand in the heart of defence.

The first half of the match was a dull affair as both sides tried to gauge each other and stayed compact at the back. Carrick's long range attempt in the 12th minute broke the early tension. It was a sweet strike from the England midfielder and tested the Besiktas keeper Hakan Arakin. There was a significant lack of goal-mouth action as the half was interspersed with sporadic bursts of half chances. Serder Ozkan gave the Red Devils a scare as his deflected shot scooped narrowly over Ben Foster's goal in the 26th minute. Besiktas were relegated to mostly long range efforts, while United looked dangerous on set pieces, but the match so far was from exciting.

The second half saw United come out with their foot on the gas from the start. A goal mouth scramble saw Michael Carrick waste a golden chance as his weak attempt was safely held by a relieved Arakin. Besiktas made their mark when Tabata struck a stinging shot straight at Ben Foster. With little happening for his team, sir Alex Ferguson wrung the changes and brought on Berbatov for Carrick and Michael Owen for a disgruntled Rooney. United's nerves were finally settled in the 77th minute as Paul Scholes headed in off a Nani shot that was parried away by Arakin straight into midfielders path. Scholes maintained his composure and ensured that United were off and running for this year's edition of the Champions League. The last quarter of an hour saw United miss a golden opportunity to seal the game. Berbatov laid a great ball straight into the path of Michael Owen, only for the England striker to pull his shot narrowly wide.

In the other match of the Group B German champions Wolfsburg got their Champions League campaign off to an impressive start with a 3-1 home win over Russian outfit CSKA Moscow. The Germans had 30-year old striker Grafite to thank, as the Brazilan's hat-trick was the difference between the two sides.

Real Madrid, after their summer shopping extravaganza gave a goal fest to their legions of fans as they demolished FC Zurich 5-2 in the Swiss team's own backyard. The world's most expensive player, Cristiano Ronaldo popped up with two goals to justify his rather ‘obscene' price tag. Raul, Higuain and Guti were the other Madrid gentry who featured on the goal scoring charts. That being said, Zurich keeper Johnny Leoni had a terrible night, and was to blame for atleast two of the goals. Madrid's group C rivals AC Milan were also off to a great start as they defeated Marseille 2-1 at Stade Vélodrome. Filippo Inzaghi, the 36-year old veteran Milan forward bagged a goal in either half.

English giants Chelsea were off to a winning start as well as amidst heavy showers in London. The Blues managed to pip Porto 1-0, courtesy a second half Nicolas Anelka strike. In the same group Atletico Madrid were held to a disappointing goalless draw at home by Champions League debutants APOEL FC.

Group A saw Juventus hammer 23 shots at the Bordeaux goal, but come away just a draw. A Vincenzo Laquinta strike was cancelled out by a late Jaroslav Plasil equalizer in the 75th minute. The other match of the group featured German giants Bayern Munich, who walloped Maccabi Haifa 3-0 with goals from Daniel van Buyten and a brace from Thomas Muller.

Tomorrow promises to be yet another extravaganza for soccer buffs as 16 more European giants kick start their campaigns. The marquee match without a doubt would be the clash between Inter Milan and reigning champions Barcelona. Elsewhere, French outfit Lyon will take on Fiorentina in what promises to be a keenly contested affair. English big guns Arsenal and Liverpool will also be in action tomorrow night.

Day 1 Scores:

Group A
Juventus 1-1 FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Maccabi Haifa FC 0-3 FC Bayern Munchen