Real Madrid wins by five and AC Milan wins by Inzaghi shoots

FC Zürich 2-5 Real Madrid

Two goals from Cristiano Ronaldo inspired Real Madrid CF to a winning start in Group C but they had to weather a determined comeback from hosts FC Zürich before wrapping things up late on.

Ronaldo opened the scoring with a 27th minute free-kick, Raúl González added a second from close range seven minutes later and Gonzalo Higuaín fired in the third in first-half added time to seemingly kill the game off. Instead, after Xabi Alonso left the field injured, Zürich hit back with two goals in as many minutes, Xavier Margairaz from the penalty spot and Silvan Aegerter with a 65th minute header, to throw the game wide open until Ronaldo's 89th-minute set-piece sealed the points and Guti completed the scoring.

Zürich were not overawed by their illustrious visitors on their group-stage debut and showed plenty of early initiative – notably with captain Hannu Tihinen trying a cheeky back-heel in a goalmouth mêlée which forced a save from Iker Casillas – before settling for a containment strategy in their own half as the match developed. The only problem with such a strategy is making it work against some of the leading players in the world game. Ronaldo, who had ballooned an earlier free-kick over the bar, made no mistake midway through the half with a 25-metre stinger which flew over the wall before dipping viciously into the roof of Johnny Leoni's net.

The Portugal winger followed up in the 34th minute by directing a header towards Higuaín, who scampered down the right flank before squaring the ball for Raúl to steer in from point-blank range. The Madrid captain returned the favour in first-half added time, slipping a defence-splitting ball through for Higuaín and the Argentinian striker skipped round Tihinen before placing his right-footed shot beyond Leoni. Madrid left the field with Simply the Best playing over the tannoy, and Zürich could not really argue.

As in the first half, Zürich started the second brightly and conjured their best scoring chance thus far in the early exchanges, midfielder Johan Vonlanthen curling a free-kick over to the far post but the waiting Margairaz could only direct his header wide of the target. It was a taste of things to come with more Zürich pressure leading to Philippe Koch's free shot from around the penalty spot which Casillas did well to save. Madrid's luck ran out soon afterwards, though, when Alexandre Alphonse burst clean through their defence and was brought down by Casillas, conceding a penalty which Margairaz gratefully converted in the 64th minute.

The goal gave the hosts a huge lift and a minute later they were just one goal behind when Vonlanthen's corner was met at the near post by Aegerter with a glancing header that gave Casillas no chance. Madrid soaked up the pressure and got an unexpected reward at the end when Ronaldo's tame free-kick was punched by Leoni into the roof of his net. Substitute Guti added further gloss in added time, collecting the ball just inside the Zürich half before surging through to chip the keeper.

Marseille 1-2 AC Milan

AC Milan set their shaky domestic form to one side to get their UEFA Champions League campaign off to a winning start, overcoming old foes Olympique de Marseille 2-1 at the Stade Vélodrome thanks to two trademark Filippo Inzaghi strikes.


The Group C rivals last met in the very first final of the UEFA Champions League era in May 1993, but while the French club won that game 1-0, they were second best on home soil against a Milan side boasting just one win from three Serie A outings. Making his first start of the season, Inzaghi made the most of lax marking to break the deadlock just before the half-hour mark and he was at his predatory best to clinch all three points with 16 minutes remaining, after Gabriel Heinze had revived local hopes shortly into the second half.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps opted to field an attacking 4-4-2 formation to accommodate newly fit summer signing Lucho in a creative role behind Mamadou Niang and Brandão, and in torrential rain his side made early inroads. Brandão's physical presence quickly posed problems and Niang fired the first real chance over when released down the right, but that came after a moment of real danger at the other end, Charles Kaboré eventually clearing in extremis after the had ball rebounded goalwards following a series of deflections from a corner.

That incident revealed a certain hesitancy in the Marseille defence and Milan profited to full effect to open the scoring after 27 minutes, Clarence Seedorf justifying his selection ahead of Ronaldinho by turning inside Kaboré and angling an excellent cross from the left towards the far post, where the unmarked Inzaghi finished at point-blank range. As if ignoring Inzaghi once was not foolish enough, the home side then gifted him a free header from an Andrea Pirlo free-kick, though this time the veteran predator failed to profit.

Reduced to shooting from distance, in contrast, Marseille nonetheless came close to ending the half on level terms, Benoît Cheyrou rifling Brandão's knock-back towards the top corner, only for goalkeeper Marco Storari to turn his effort over. They began with renewed energy after the interval too, Lucho volleying narrowly wide before Heinze sent the crowd into raptures by rising to head in Cheyrou's free-kick.

With the locals now in full voice, Deschamps's troops sought to add a swift second, with Lucho sending a shot over and Niang just failing to find Brandão after racing on to his own back-heel between Thiago Silva and Gianluca Zambrotta. Lucho then came close to scoring in spite of himself, the ball bouncing wide off his right boot after a Taye Taiwo centre had taken a deflection, but it was Milan who went ahead, Inzaghi beating his marker to arrow in another expert Seedorf cross from the left. His side will now look to build on their winning start at home to FC Zürich on 30 September, when OM face a daunting trip to Real Madrid CF.