Valencia 0 - Roma 3

Valencia: Cañizares; Revellèire, Ayala, Pellegrino (Carboni 77'), Fabio Aurelio; Rufete (Aimar 65'), Albelda, Baraja, Vicente (Kily González 52'); Carew, Juan Sánchez. 4-4-2.
Roma: Antonioli; Cafu, Samuel, Aldair, Candela; Tommasi, Lima, Emerson, Zebina (Cufre 64'); Totti (Fuser 88'), Cassano (Guigou 90'). 4-4-2.

Goals:
0-1. 24. Totti. Header down past Cañizares from Candela corner.
0-2. 30. Totti. Ran on to Cafu cross to hit shot past keeper.
0-3. 36. Emerson. Picked up Totti pass and placed shot under Cañizares.

Group B:
Arsenal.................. 6 points
Ajax......................... 6 points
Valencia................ 5 points
Roma..................... 3 points

Valencia were caught out by a Roma side who were desperate to win to stay in the competition, and now find themselves trailing their nearest rivals in the group table. Rafa Benítez expressed his concern about this match despite his side's victory in Italy the week before, and he rested some of his key players at the weekend in order for them to be fresh. His main worry though was about the return of Totti to Fabio Capello's side, and he was unfortunately proven right as the Italian international scored twice and made a third before the game was even half way through to end Valencia's twenty game unbeaten home record in the Champions League.

For the first twenty minutes the visitors didn't get near Cañizares' goal, although the solid defensive wall also didn't leave many gaps for Benítez's men to exploit. But then the Totti show began, and in the space of only twelve minutes Valencia found themselves so far behind that the game was already out of their reach. Candela's corner from the left started things off, Totti getting away from his marker to head past Cañizares, and six minutes later the Italian's team captain was there again to bounce the ball past the keeper from the edge of the area from Cafu's cross to silence the local crowd. Worse was to come though, and with Valencia going forward, Totti found Emerson for him drill a shot past Cañizares for a third goal.

Benítez had left out Aimar as he had not fully recovered from a knock, and with natural replacements Mista and Angulo both suspended, the manager had drafted in Juan Sánchez to partner Carew up front. At half time though he asked the Argentine star to warm up, although he decided to wait before risking him to see how things went. For a few minutes things looked promising as Roma fell back to defend, but it soon became clear that it was not going to be an easy task. Eventually Kily González and Aimar came on, but the Italians fought to keep their first points in the second phase, and the "catenaccio" was switched on at full strength. It was a blow for the Spaniards, but a draw between Ajax and Arsenal in the other group match still leaves the group wide open, and four points from their last two games should still see them through. It would have been a lot easier though had Totti not been around.