Italians Fall; Ferguson Prevails
Italian teams suffered a rare off day in the European Champions League on Wednesday, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s return to his hometown in Scotland resulted in a triumph.
Defending champion AC Milan took a tumble after visiting Brugge of Belgium scored a stunning 1-0 victory at San Siro, using a 33rd-minute goal by Andres Mendoza of Peru to make the difference.
The two teams are tied for second place in Group H with four points, two behind leader Ajax Amsterdam, a 1-0 winner over last-place Celta de Vigo on a goal by Swedish international Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the 53rd minute.
Lazio, the other Italian team playing Wednesday, took an early lead on the road against Chelsea but saw the English team get goals from Adrian Mutu and Frank Lampard during a 12-minute second-half stretch in a 2-1 loss.
The victory gave Chelsea the Group G lead with six points, two ahead of Lazio and Sparta Prague, a 2-1 winner over Beskitas.
In Group F, Real Madrid joined Juventus as the only unbeaten, untied teams after a surprisingly difficult 1-0 home victory over Partizan Belgrade of Serbia and Montenegro, which is coached by German legend Lothar Matthaeus.
A goal by Raul Gonzalez on a header in the 38th minute proved to be the difference.
After the match, Madrid team doctor Alfonso del Corral said midfielder David Beckham suffered a right thigh strain and that his status is uncertain for this weekend’s game against Racing Santander in the Spanish league.
Meanwhile, Ferguson, Manchester United’s coach, came home to Glasgow and his team scored a 1-0 victory over Rangers in what had been dubbed the “Battle of Britain.” It was the first time since 1992 that the reigning league champions from England and Scotland played each other in European competition.
It also was the first time in Ferguson’s 17 years with United that he had returned to the place where he once played in the late 1960s.
Ferguson also coached Alex McLeish, the coach of Rangers, at Aberdeen in Scotland in the early 1980s. Aberdeen won the European Cup in 1983 with McLeish as captain.
In Wednesday’s game, Phil Neville’s goal in the fifth minute was all United needed, although goalkeeper Tim Howard made a big save on Christian Nerlinger in the 89th minute.
Wolff Out Again
Josh Wolff, an Olympian at the 2000 Sydney Games, will sit out the rest of the Major League Soccer season after suffering a broken rib in practice with the Kansas City Wizards.
Wolff, who has played in only 13 games this season because of other injuries, will be sidelined as many as eight weeks.
He has only two goals and one assist in his first season with the Wizards after being traded by the Chicago Fire.
Kluivert Unhappy
Barcelona and Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, who has scored only one goal this season, hinted he may leave the club if persistent criticism from fans continues.
“Here I suffer on the field and if things don’t change and they continue to whistle me ... it wouldn’t be normal for me to stay,” Kluivert told Spanish sports daily Marca. “Like this I can’t produce my best. The crowd’s behavior will be decisive. If they whistle you it means they don’t like you and I’ll look for another club.”
Quick Passes
Moira Placchi scored in the 63rd minute to lift Italy to a 2-2 tie in an exhibition with the United States women’s team at Kansas City, Mo. Mia Hamm sat out because of injuries suffered at the World Cup.... FIFA ruled that European teams, namely French clubs, are not obligated to release African players for Olympic qualifying games because the matches were not part of an international calendar drawn up by world soccer’s governing body.
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Times wire services contributed to this report.
