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On Wednesday, the Champions League group stage matches of the third round of the second day took place. Without stumbling, the French champion "Lyon" continues on, defeating "Olympiacos" in dramatic matches, "Porto" unexpectedly won against "Inter" and kept their hopes alive in the league, and "Artmedia" earned another point.
In the first match of Group E, last year's semifinalists "Milan" and "PSV" clubs met at the San Siro stadium in Milan. The match was quite even, with the hosts having more chances, but excellent performance by the Dutch goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes prevented the Italian team from taking the lead.
In contrast, the other match in the group between "Fenerbahce" and "Schalke" was full of surprises. The hosts took the lead as early as the 14th minute, but in the second half, two goals by "Schalke" striker Lincoln turned the game around. After this blow, "Fenerbahce" managed to score 2 more goals, but the Germans also scored, resulting in a 3-3 draw.
In Group F, the French champion "Lyon" club secured their third victory out of as many possible. However, this time the French team had to face some nervous moments, as "Olympiacos" equalized the score just 6 minutes before the end of the match. Nevertheless, Sineyus Govou saved his team in the 89th minute, and "Lyon" celebrated another victory with a 2-1 result, while the Greek team remains with zero points.
In other group matches, the "Rosenborg" club could provide a surprise, taking the lead 1-0 against Madrid's "Real" team in the first half. However, at the beginning of the second half, Jonathan Woodgate managed to equalize, and the Norwegians conceded 3 more goals until the end of the match. It is worth mentioning that in these matches, "Real" defender David Beckham shone, providing two assists and scoring a goal himself.
In Group G, there were no surprises. Both English clubs continue to lead confidently - defending champions "Liverpool" defeated Brussels' "Anderlecht" 1-0 away, while English champions London's "Chelsea" thrashed Seville's "Betis" at home with a 4-0 victory.
In contrast, the last match in Group H was full of surprises, as usual. Playing at home, the strongest European club in 2004, "Porto," unexpectedly defeated the famous Milan "Inter" 2-0 and earned their first points of the tournament. Meanwhile, the relatively unknown Slovak team "Artmedia" from Bratislava continued their successful run by taking two points from Scottish champions Glasgow "Rangers" - the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Wednesday's results
Group E
"Milan" 0 - 0 "PSV"
"Fenerbahce" 3 - 3 "Schalke"
14` [1 - 0] Fabio Luciano
59` [1 - 1] Lincoln
62` [1 - 2] Lincoln
73` [2 - 2] Marcio Nobre
77` [2 - 3] Kevin Kuranyi
79` [3 - 3] Nicolas Anelka
87` Alex ("Fenerbahce") sent off
Group F
"Lyon" 2 - 1 "Olympiacos"
4` [1 - 0] Juninho Pernambucano
84` [1 - 1] Pantelis Kafes
89` [2 - 1] Sidney Govou
"Real" 4 - 1 "Rosenborg"
40` [0 - 1] Roar Strand
48` [1 - 1] Jonathan Woodgate
52` [2 - 1] Raul Gonzalez
68` [3 - 1] Ivan Helguera
82` [4 - 1] David Beckham
Group G
"Chelsea" 4 - 0 "Betis"
24` [1 - 0] Didier Drogba
44` [2 - 0] Ricardo Carvalho
59` [3 - 0] Joe Cole
64` [4 - 0] Hernan Crespo
"Anderlecht" 0 - 1 "Liverpool"
20` [0 - 1] Djibrill Cisse
Group H
"Rangers" 0 - 0 "Artmedia"
"Porto" 2 - 0 "Inter"
22` [1 - 0] Marco Materazzi (own goal)
35` [2 - 0] Benny McCarthy
