Breeze for Real, shock for Atletico

Dortmund beat Arsenal, Reds edge Ludogorets

Holders Real Madrid chased away some of their early-season blues when Gareth Bale scored the pick of the goals as the record 10-time winners routed FC Basel 5-1 in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday.

However, their City mates Atletico went down 2-3 to Olympiakos at Athens. But the two English Premier League sides played on the day -- Arsenal and Liverpool -- suffered contrasting fortunes. Borussia Dortmund defeated Arsenal 2-0, while Liverpool went past Ludogortes 2-1, thanks to a late penalty conversion by Steven Gerrard.

But Real hoged all the limelight. After a deflected Nacho effort put Real 1-0 ahead in the 14th minute, Bale raced on to a Luka Modric pass and dinked the ball brilliantly over onrushing Basel goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik before volleying into an empty net.

A minute later, Bale found space on the right of the penalty area and sent over a low cross for Cristiano Ronaldo, last season's Champions League top scorer with 17 goals, to tap in at the far post. New Real signing James Rodriguez made it 4-0 in the 37th minute when he started and finished a sweeping counter attack before Derlis Gonzalez almost immediately pulled a goal back for the visitors when he sped clear and beat Iker Casillas with a low strike.
Karim Benzema completed the scoring in the 79th minute when he lashed a left-foot shot into the net off the underside of the crossbar as Real became the first club to score 1,000 goals in European competition. Real coach Carlo Ancelotti has had problems integrating Rodriguez and fellow new signing Toni Kroos in midfield but both produced solid displays against the Swiss champions, with Rodriguez supplying a clever back heel to send Nacho clear in the buildup to the opening goal.

However, there were still some signs of weakness in Real's defence and the fact that Basel managed five shots on target to the home side's nine will not have pleased Ancelotti.
However, Atletico would have even more dejected. Olympiakos secured a surprise 3-2 victory over last year's runners-up to make a dream start to their Group A campaign.
The Greek champions went ahead on 13 minutes at the Georgios Karaiskakis stadium when slack Atletico marking at a corner allowed young French defender Arthur Masuaku to drill home a low shot.

It got even better for the hosts just after the half-hour mark when Ibrahim Afellay doubled the advantage. Mario Mandzukic pulled a goal back for Atletico seven minutes before half-time, but the visitors fell behind again to Kostas Mitroglou's 73rd-minute strike - his first goal for 10 months. Atletico substitute Antoine Griezmann set up a tense finish with a close-range strike with four minutes left, but Michel's team clung on for victory.
At Anfield, Liverpool scored a tense 2-1 win over debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria 2-1 with Gerrard scoring a penalty.

All three goals came towards the end of a pulsating Group B game and, fittingly, it was Gerrard, the last remaining hero of their famous 2005 final victory over AC Milan in Istanbul, who scored the winner.

Results: Group A: Juventus: 2 (Tevez 59, 89) bt Malmo FF: 0; Olympiakos: 3 (Masuaku 13th, Afellay 31st, Mitroglou 73) bt Atletico Madrid: 2: (Mandzukic 38th, Griezmann 86th); Group B: Liverpool: 2 (Baletolli 82nd, Gerrad Pen 90+3) bt  PFC Ludogorets Razgrad: 1 (Abalo 90); Real Madrid: 5 (Sucy OG 14th, Bale 30th, Ronaldo 31st, Rodriguez 36th, Benzema 80th) bt Basel: 1 (Gonzalez 38th); Group C: Zenit: 2 (Hulk 5th, Witsel 22nd) bt Benfica: 0. Monaco: 1 (Moutinho 61st) bt Bayer Leverkusen: 0; Group D: Borussia Dortmund: 2 (Immobile 45th, Aubameyang 48th) bt Arsenal: 0; Galatasaray: 1 (Yilmaz 90+1) drew Anderlecht: 1 (Praet 52nd).