Messi lights up Europe again

The Argentine, like last season, treated Europe’s blue riband club competition as his personal playground, scoring two classy goals before missing a penalty as Barca recovered from an early shock to drub visiting Panathinaikos 5-1 in Group D.
Inter took the lead but then had to come from behind to draw 2-2 at Dutch debutants Twente Enschede in Group A with the Italians losing forward Goran Pandev to a knee injury.

A much-changed Manchester United could find no way past obdurate Scottish visitors Rangers in Group C, drawing 0-0 in a game overshadowed by a serious ankle injury to Antonio Valencia.

Messi would have celebrated a hat-trick but for the second-half penalty save and he also rattled the goal frame before halftime as he resumed normal service after failing to hit the target at the World Cup finals.

David Villa, Pedro and Dani Alves also found the net for the irresistible Catalans, who emphatically made up for their shock defeat by promoted Hercules in La Liga at the weekend.

Inter forward Diego Milito was not far behind fellow-Argentine Messi in the Champions League goal charts last season but scored at the wrong end as they began the defence of their crown under new manager Rafael Benitez in jittery fashion. Milito’s own goal briefly left Inter 2-1 behind at Twente after Wesley Sneijder had given the Italians an early lead.

Samuel Eto’o spared his blushes with an equaliser but Inter had to settle for a point after a goalless second half.The other game in Group A also ended 2-2, Tottenham Hotspur wasting a two-goal lead against Bundesliga side Werder Bremen on their first appearance in the European Cup since 1962.

Manchester United struggled to find insipration in their goalless draw with Rangers and Valencia’s misfortune capped a poor night for manager Alex Ferguson, whose decision to make 10 changes to the side that drew with Everton on Saturday misfired.

Wayne Rooney did return after being left out at the weekend as he deals with marital problems but the England striker, like his team-mates, huffed and puffed against the massed ranks of Rangers’ eight-man defence without making a serious dent.
Turkish side Bursaspor were given a baptism of fire against Valencia, losing 4-0 at home in Group C’s other game.

In Group B, Benfica and Olympique Lyon started with victories, neither of them particularly convincing.

Benfica beat Israel’s Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 and last year’s semifinalists Lyon chiselled out a 1-0 win over Schalke 04, who played the second half with 10 men after central defender Benedikt Hoewedes was harshly sent off before the break.Russian champions Rubin Kazan, who stunned Barcelona last season and will face them again later in Group D, were beaten 1-0 at Denmark’s FC Copenhagen.