Bayern Munich 2 - Deportivo La Coruña 3

Deportivo La Coruña carried on where Real Madrid and Valencia left off the day before, recording the first ever win by Spanish teams in Bayern Munich's Olympic stadium. The man of the match was undoubtedly Roy Makaay, who in the absence of the injured Diego Tristán scored a historic hat-trick to give his side the best possible start. The Dutch striker opened the scoring when a visionary Valerón put him through with a beautifully weighted reverse angle pass, and added a second on the stroke of half time from Héctor's low cross.

The introduction of Hargreaves at the break though inspired a comeback from the Germans, and a Salihamidzic shot and a well placed header from Elber made it all square midway through the second half. Capdevila came on to close the game down, but it was the presence of Toro Acuña a few minutes later which put Depor back in the match. After a period of pressure from the Spaniards, Valerón put Makaay through once again, and with the defence caught flat footed he ran on to fire a shot under Kahn. Depor had succeeded where Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia had failed, and they must now be full of confidence for the visit of AC Milan next week.

Barcelona 3 - Brugge 2

A full house for Spanish clubs on the first day of the Champions League proper, with victories for all four teams. Barcelona beat Club Brugge 3-2, a game which they should have won by a bigger margin but which they could have throw away in the end. Luis Enrique gave them an early lead, following up when Motta's shot was blocked, and Saviola missed a golden opportunity to make it two a few minutes later. However the German referee Helmut Fleischer awarded the Belgian side a penalty midway through the half when Víctor Valdés brought down Englebert, and Simons stepped up to square the match.

A Mendieta free kick five minutes from half time restored the lead though, and before the referee blew his whistle Saviola fought through to jab the ball past Verlinden. With almost three quarters of the possession of the ball, the Catalans should have increased their lead after the break. However the visitors grew in confidence towards the end, and a goal near the end from Englebert set up a nail-biting last few minutes for the home fans. (18.09.02)

Valencia 2 - Liverpool 0

Valencia defeated Gerard Houllier's Liverpool 2-0 thanks to first half goals by Aimar and Baraja. The Argentine attacking midfielder passed a late fitness test to make the starting line up, and he opened the scoring after a delightful passing move with his two anchor men Albelda and Baraja. Before the half time whistle Baraja had made it two with a low shot past Dudek, and the tie was virtually over. Houllier took off his two Senegalese internationals at the break to bring on Owen and Cheyrou, but it made little difference. Valencia had not lost at home in the 16 Champions League games they have played in the Mestalla stadium, and on ten of those occasions the opposition failed to score. This game was no different, and Cañizares kept up his unbeaten record since the start of the season.

Roma 0 - Real Madrid 3

The best possible start for Real Madrid, who defeated Roma 0-3 in the Olympic stadium in their opening game. An Italian side missing Batistuta, Totti and Guardiola from their starting line up, and who lost their opening league game, were no match for Del Bosque's side who scored with almost every shot at goal. The Real Madrid manager opted to play Guti up front and it proved to be an inspired decision, the midfielder turned striker rounding his ex team mate Panucci to beat Antonioli just before half time. The introduction of Guardiola after the break seemed to improve things for the home side, but a few minutes later Raúl pounced on a loose ball to fire a low shot past the keeper to extend the lead. Roma were beaten, and when Guti carved through the defence to add a superb third goal the local fans changed sides, whistling at their own players and cheering on Madrid. On this form, it is difficult to see anyone challenging the European champions. (17.09.02)