Soccer America's WINNERS & LOSERS: Champions League
- by Soccer America , Sep 30, 2004
Winners
WAYNE ROONEY. In his first Man U appearance since bought from Everton for $54.2 million, the 18-year-old notched a hat trick in a 6-2 European Champions League win over Fenerbahce. Rooney scored all three, including a free kick, from outside the penalty area.
ROBBIE RUSSELL. The Massachusetts product was the only American to see European Champions League action this week, coming on in the 74th minute for Rosenborg in a 1-1 tie with Arsenal.
JOSE MOURINHO. The Portuguese coach who left 2004 European Champions League winner Porto for Chelsea celebrated a win over his old club as Alexei Smertin, Didier Drogba and John Terry scored in the Blues' 3-1 win, their second straight Champions League victory.
Losers
MICHAEL OWEN stayed on the bench again as Real Madrid downed Roma, 4-2. Raul, coming out of a slump, scored twice to hurt Owen's playing-time prospects further. Since joining Real in August on a $14.80 million transfer, the England international has started just one match and has seen limited time off the bench. He has yet to score.
AJAX AMSTERDAM fell, 4-0, to Bayern Munich and is one of eight teams in the 32-team Champions League to lose its first two games. Roy Makaay, 29, who left the Netherlands in 1997 for Spain and joined Bayern last season, scored a hat trick. Ajax's American defender John O'Brien remained sidelined.
VALENCIA. The 2004 Spanish La Liga and UEFA Cup champion squandered an early 1-0 lead and fell, 2-1, to 2004 German champ Werder Bremen. Valencia played the last 36 minutes with 10 men after the ejection of Carlos Marchena. Bremen's goals came from German international Miroslav Klose and sub Angelos Charisteas, scorer of Greece's goal in its 1-0 Euro 2004 final win over Portugal.
