Updated September 20, 2012 11:29:25
Brazilian Oscar scored twice on his competition debut but Chelsea had to settle for a point in its Group E opener as Juventus fought back to draw 2-2 at Stamford Bridge.
With Didier Drogba, the man whose penalty sealed glory for Chelsea in May, gone, Oscar began a new chapter for the Londoners, scoring with a deflected shot and a memorable curling effort.
But Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella hit back to give the Italians a deserved point in their return to the blue riband tournament after a two-season absence.
"We started well and it was great goal for Oscar. It was right to start him tonight, he played well tactically and the second goal was a wonderful goal," Chelsea coach Roberto Di Matteo told Sky Sports.
"But we feel disappointed and a little bit deflated. We were in a fantastic position to win the game and came away with only a draw. We should have closed the game and got the win.
"But Juventus are a first class side, they are very difficult to beat and they played very well tonight too."
The result in west London meant that Shakhtar Donetsk finished the evening top of Group E following a 2-0 win at home to Danish competition debutants Nordsjaelland.
Manchester United took a seventh-minute lead against Galatasaray at Old Trafford when Michael Carrick swapped passes with first Robin van Persie and then Shinji Kagawa before skipping past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera and sliding the ball home.
The English giants - eliminated at the group stage last season - almost paid the price for taking their foot off the pedal, however, with Nordin Amrabat hitting the bar and Hamit Altintop clipping the post for the visitors before half-time.
Nani squandered an opportunity to give United breathing space when his 53rd-minute penalty was saved by Muslera, while the home side were indebted to a fine double save from David de Gea that saw him deny Burak Yilmaz and Emre Colak.
"They were very confident in their possession, and missing the chances we did in the second half kept us on the edge," said United coach Sir Alex Ferguson.
"Three points in the opening game are very important, especially when you look at what happened to us last season."
In the other Group H game, United's next opponents, Romanians CFR Cluj, won 2-0 at Portuguese side Braga courtesy of a first-half brace from former Braga forward Rafael Bastos.
Lionel Mesi quickly hit his stride with two late goals for Barcelona, which flirted with a rare home defeat before beating Spartak Moscow 3-2 at the Nou Camp.
Barca suffered an early blow when Gerard Pique had to go off injured, but the Catalans - champions in 2006, 2009, and 2011 - went ahead when Cristian Tello curled a low shot home from the cusp of the 18-yard area.
A Dani Alves own goal gifted Spartak a 29th-minute equaliser and the Russians sensationally took the lead just before the hour when Romulo beat Victor Valdes from Aiden McGeady's pass.
The Russians stood on the verge of a famous upset, only for Messi to equalise from Tello's lay-off in the 71st minute before heading in Alexis Sanchez's cross 10 minutes from time to hand Tito Vilanova victory in his first Champions League game as coach.
"The match became complicated for us and it wasn't easy," Messi told Canal+.
"My goals aren't important. What's important is that the team keeps this dynamic."
In the night's other Group G fixture, Celtic was held to a 0-0 draw at home to Benfica on the Scottish side's return to the group phase after a four-year absence.
Bayern Munich assumed control of Group F, winning 2-1 at home to Valencia through goals from Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos.
However, there was a disastrous start to the group phase for 2011 French champions Lille, beaten 3-1 at home to Belarusian outfit BATE Borisov, which had never previously won a game in the competition.
AFP/Reuters
Tags: sport,
soccer,
champions-league,
italy,
england First posted September 20, 2012 07:31:03
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