Anorthosis Famagusta scored twice in the first 15 minutes to beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on Wednesday.

October 2, 2008

Anorthosis Famagusta scored twice in the first 15 minutes to beat Panathinaikos 3-1 on Wednesday. As the Cypriot team continued its surprising run in the Champions League group stage.

Jose Sarriegi gave Panathinaikos a terrible start by scoring an own-goal in the 11th minute when his attempted back header from an Andreas Constandinou throw-in caught goalkeeper Mario Galinovic off guard. Sinisa Dobrasinovic doubled the lead in the 15th before Dimitris Salpingidis pulled one back for Panathinaikos in the 28th.

But Hawar Taher sealed the win in the 78th for Anorthosis, the first Cypriot team to make it into the Champions League group stage.

Anorthosis has four points after two games in Group B, while Panathinaikos remains without a point.

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Roma rallies to beat Bordeaux 3-1.

Brazilian forward Julio Baptista came off the bench to score twice and rally AS Roma to a 3-1 win over Bordeaux in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Yoann Gourcuff had given Bordeaux the lead in the first half. After the home side lost defender Henrique to a red card in the 36th minute, Roma equalized through Mirko Vucinic before Baptista’s two goals.

“I think our chances of qualifying are really hampered now,” Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc said. “But I told my players that we played well tonight. I am very happy with how we played, even though the score went against us.”

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said his team deserved to win after a sluggish start.

“For an hour we didn’t play well, but everything changed after that,” Spalletti said. “They played well for an hour and even scared us. Vucinic gave us a lot tonight, he brought his courage to the game.”

But Blanc was angered by the red card shown to Henrique.

“I am not someone who comments much on what happens during a game, but it cost us,” Blanc said. “The match became much more difficult, playing against Roma with 10 players. With 11 players we would have done much better.”

Blanc suggested Roma’s players used their experience to help influence Spanish referee Alberto Mallenco Undiano into sending Henrique off.

“The Italians learn very fast,” Blanc said. “(Henrique) told me he didn’t touch him and I have seen that there was no contact. But there is a player who falls to the ground. That’s what I mean by experience.”

Both teams lost their opening games in Group A. Roma has three points, Bordeaux has none. Chelsea and Cluj both have four points after drawing 0-0 in the other game.

“Cluj has shown its qualities with this result,” Spalletti said. “It’s up to us now to win our home games. Everything is possible.”

Bordeaux took the lead in the 18th minute, when Gourcuff twisted past his marker on the edge of the penalty area and hit a low, swerving shot past Doni and into the bottom left corner. Gourcuff recently returned to France after two years at AC Milan, which has loaned him to Bordeaux.

Roma took over in the second half and exposed goalkeeper Mathieu Valverde’s lack of experience.

Valverde was playing in the Champions League for the first time, and had only made eight league appearances in five years as Bordeaux’s reserve goalkeeper. His lack of top flight football showed when he came to collect Daniele De Rossi’s corner and missed the ball, allowing Vucinic a free header into the top corner in the 64th.

Valverde then stood on the spot against Baptista’s superb free kick in the 71st.

Gourcuff had needlessly given the ball away while trying to dribble out of defense, forcing his teammates to concede a foul. Baptista’s shot curled over the wall and into the top right corner.

Bordeaux’s defense was taken apart again in the 83rd when Rodrigo Taddei’s powerful cross from the right was turned in neatly by Baptista.

Bordeaux had looked comfortable until Henrique’s sending off in the 36th after Henrique had used his elbows.

“The sending off did not change anything for us, it did not have an outcome on the match,” Spalletti said, preferring to say Vucinic and Baptista turned the game around. “Baptista showed great character when he came on,” Spalletti said. “He is great in these situations, and his free kick was brilliant.”

Blanc reacted quickly by swapping Brazilian winger Jussie with Wendel, while winger Gabriel Obertan came off for defender Marc Planus. Wendel should have doubled Bordeaux’s lead moments before halftime, but headed wide from close range.

Both sides started without their regular captains.

Roma forward Francesco Totti is still recovering from a knee injury, and Bordeaux’s veteran goalkeeper Ulrich Rame sat out the match after hurting his groin against Saint-Etienne.

Spalletti played Vucinic as a lone striker, but Baptista joined him soon after the interval.

In the ninth minute, Jussie played a one-two with Marouane Chamakh and his low shot was saved by Doni.

Valverde, meanwhile, was called into action in the 12th and he did well to tip away Alberto Aquilani’s swerving free kick from the left. He was beaten by John Arne Riise’s free kick in the 26th but Riise the powerful shot went just wide.

Christian Panucci, Taddei, Baptista and De Rossi were all shown yellow cards within 16 minutes of the second half in heavy rain at Stade Chaban Delmas.