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| Sunday, September 22, 2002 01:32 EST |
States of perfection in Italian, Dutch leagues
[ESPN.com news services]
BERLIN -- Leaders Bayern Munich came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory over Energie Cottbus on Saturday
and move four points clear at the top of the German first
division.
Bayern, who started their Champions League campaign with a
3-2 home defeat at the hands of Deportivo Coruna on Wednesday,
woke up from a sluggish start to bounce back with their fifth
victory from six Bundesliga games.
"It was a poor performance from us in the first half but
after the break we showed what we are capable of," said Bayern
coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who is desperate for a title after his
team ended last season without any silverware for the first time
since 1995.
Second-placed Hansa Rostock, who began the day just one
point behind Bayern, lost ground after a 1-0 home defeat by
champions Borussia Dortmund.
Czech striker Jan Koller hit the winner in the 12th minute
for Dortmund, who climbed two places to fifth but remained six
points off the pace.
Werder Bremen joined Rostock on 12 points and took third
place on goal difference thanks to a couple of goals from Greek
striker Angelos Charisteas in a 3-2 win over troubled Bayer
Leverkusen.
Werder's French playmaker Johan Micoud and Leverkusen's
Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov were sent off in the 55th
minute for trampling on each other in one of several ugly scenes
that marred a tense second half.
Leverkusen's third league defeat of the season, on the back
of a 6-2 Champions League hammering by Greek side Olympiakos
Piraeus on Wednesday, sent them down one spot to 14th in the
18-strong table.
Four-times German champions Kaiserslautern did nothing to
shake off a deep crisis in a 0-0 draw with TSV 1860 Munich that
kept them last and still without a victory.
Italy: Juventus, AC Milan continue winning ways
MILAN -- Alessandro Del Piero scored twice for the second straight week as Italian champions Juventus maintained their winning start to the season with a 2-0 victory at promoted Empoli.
AC Milan, widely tipped to be Juve's closest challengers, also continued their impressive start to the campaign with a 3-0 home win over Perugia -- Filippo Inzaghi scoring his fifth goal inside a week.
After his double strike in Juve's 3-0 opening day win over Atalanta, Del Piero put Juve on the way at Empoli, scoring from the penalty spot in
the sixth minute.
Del Piero himself had been brought down by Empoli goalkeeper Gianluca Berti after latching on to a through ball from Davide Baiocco.
The Italy striker then had a close-range goal ruled out for offside 10 minutes before the break after Berti had parried a Marcelo Salas shot.
Del Piero secured the win in the 74th minute with a delightful goal when he brought down a Mauro Camoranesi pass with his chest, moved
inside and then chipped Berti with a perfect lofted shot.
Milan had failed to win against Perugia in the past two seasons, suffering three defeats and a draw, but they had little trouble against Serse Cosmi's side at the San Siro stadium.
Paolo Maldini put Milan in front five minutes before the interval with a looping header from a Rui Costa corner after Fabrizio Miccoli had earlier gone close for the visitors.
Spain: Real Madrid rolls
MADRID -- Barcelona has beaten Espanyol 2-0 at the Nou Camp, while Real Madrid eased to a 4-1 victory at home to Osasuna as Spain's top two maintained their unbeaten starts to the new league season.
Barca struggled early on against its city rivals but second-half goals from Patrick Kluivert and Luis Enrique clinched what was in the end a comfortable derby win.
With two wins and a draw from three games Barca moved top of the table on seven points.
Real Madrid moved up to second a point further back as an Ivan Helguera double and goals from Guti and Raul gave it its second win in two completed games after last weekend's match at Real Betis was suspended due to floodlight failure.
Deportivo Coruna joined Real on six points with a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Valladolid, Roy Makaay getting both the goals in the first half.
The top of the table will see a shake-up Sunday, as four sides with maximum points play their third matches.
Valencia, which led the standings after the second round of games, will be looking to make it three out of three away to Malaga, which also has six points.
Real Madrid's second home win of the season was set up by a brilliant Helguera finish.
The Spanish international midfielder, playing at centre-back this season, turned in an Esteban Cambiasso pass with a deft backheel on 10 minutes.
Osasuna then kept the home side at bay until early in the second half, when two goals in two minutes from Guti and Raul effectively settled the game.
Gerardo Rivero did pull one back for Osasuna with a penalty on the hour mark but Helguera's second restored Real's three-goal lead with 12 minutes to go.
Scotland: Rangers increase lead over idle Celtic
GLASGOW -- Ronald de Boer scored twice as Rangers beat Partick Thistle 3-0 to extend their lead over champions Celtic to four points at the top of the Scottish
Premier League on Saturday.
A goal in each half from the Dutch international plus one from Danish winger Peter Lovenkrands was more than enough to consolidate their position with Celtic playing at Dundee on Sunday.
Hearts and Dunfermline stay tied for third in the table -- three points behind Celtic -- after both had home wins against Dundee United and Motherwell respectively.
The biggest crowd of the day in Scotland -- over 48,000 spectators -- were at Ibrox to see Rangers recover winning form after Tuesday's shock 2-0 defeat to little-known Czech side Viktoria Zizkov in the UEFA Cup.
"It was a good reaction. We got three points and it was decent display without being spectacular. But it was much, much better than we saw the other day and the work rate was increased significantly," Rangers manager Alex McLeish told reporters
afterwards.
"We know we could have done a lot better in the European game, but we played well today and the defence can be proud of another shutout."
Rangers were always in control against newly-promoted Partick but were certainly helped by haphazard defending from the visitors. That was evident as Rangers scored the first goal through the pacey Lovenkrands after two minutes.
Dutch: PSV Eindhoven, Ajax still perfect
AMSTERDAM -- Dutch league leaders PSV Eindhoven and defending champions Ajax Amsterdam continued their perfect starts to
the season, winning their fifth games in a row.
PSV sunk Zwolle 3-1 while Ajax beat RBC Roosendaal 3-2 to share top spot with 15 points -- PSV leading the table on goal difference.
UEFA Cup winners Feyenoord, who beat Graafschap Doetinchem 2-0, are third on 13 points.
Mateja Kezman drew first blood for PSV after 10 minutes but they appeared to take their foot off the gas, possibly wary of their Champions
League date with English league leaders Arsenal on Wednesday.
Zwolle leveled through Marino Promes in the 52nd minute, the first goal PSV have conceded this season.
PSV raised the tempo again, however, and Kezman restored their lead in the 66th minute before Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink sealed the
points five minutes from time.
Ajax, who visit Inter Milan in the week, squandered plenty of chances in the first half against RBC before Zlatan Ibrahimovic broke the
deadlock 13 minutes into the second half.
Tomas Galasek doubled the lead with a fierce shot and Christian Chivu made it 3-0 from the penalty spot in the 75th minute to put Ajax
firmly in control.
RBC ensured a tense finale when former Ajax striker Nordin Wooter and Geert den Ouden scored in the closing stages.
Jari Litmanen, who replaced midfielder Maxwell 10 minutes into the second half, had to leave the field nine minutes later after apparently
damaging his hamstring.
Pierre van Hooijdonk headed Feyenoord in front against Graafschap after six minutes and Thomas Buffel doubled the lead 11 minutes into
the second half.
Willem II Tilburg and NEC Nijmegen shared the points in a 1-1 draw. Danny Hesp put NEC ahead from the penalty spot in the 28th minute
before Jatto Ceesay leveled in the 59th, only seconds after he came on as substitute.
France: Lyon's home streak ends
PARIS -- Nice and AJ Auxerre continued to
lead the way in the French first division with wins over Troyes
and Sedan respectively on Saturday, while champions Olympique
Lyon slumped to their first home loss in 22 months.
Nice, despite playing with 10 men for the second half, beat
Troyes 1-0 while AJ Auxerre outplayed Sedan 3-1 thanks to a
double by in-form Zimbabwean striker Benjani.
Monaco shattered Lyon's 30-game unbeaten home run with a 3-1
victory at the champions' Gerland stadium.
Congo's Shabani Nonda opened the scoring with a superb goal
in the 15th minute and Monaco playmaker Ludovig Giuly scored a
second goal in the 52nd as the principality team ended a home
run that had stretched for almost two years.
Senegalese substitute Souleymane Camara made it three in
injury time when he humbled Brazil's World Cup defender Edmilson
to score the third from close range and seal victory.
Lyon had last been beaten at home in November 2000 by Lille, and it was its third successive defeat after losing at Nantes
last week and at Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Surprise leaders Nice remained on top for the fifth week in
succession despite playing the whole of the second half without
defender Romain Pitau who was sent off in the 41st minute.
Two penalties, one on each side, had been awarded within a
minute before his dismissal.
Troyes David Linares missed his in the 40th minute but Nice
striker Christophe Meslin was more successful a minute later
after a foul on Brazilian Everson.
Auxerre spent a much quieter evening in their 3-1 victory
over Sedan, taking the lead as early as the eighth minute thanks
to French international Olivier Kapo.
Pius N'Diefi leveled in the 74th minute but Zimbabwe's
Benjani scored twice in the 75th and 81st minutes to seal
victory.
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