MADRID, Sept 19 (AFP): Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over Werder Bremen here Tuesday, with veteran captain Raul and arch shooter Ruud van Nistelrooy stealing the Bernabeu limelight.
Real went into their opening Group C match in what was their 300th European fixture in buoyant form with three wins out of three seeing them topping their domestic league, but without injured duo Pepe and Gabriel Heinze and the suspended Mahamoud Diarra.
Werder Bremen's sicklist was longer, with six of their first team regulars missing, although playmaker Diego made it to Madrid after winning his race against fitness. Real's new German coach Bernd Schuster said before the game that he was relishing the chance of getting "closer to my dream" and was looking for a strong start.
And he wasn't disappointed when Raul headed in van Nistelrooy's low cross from the left side of the penalty area to put Real in front in the 16th minute.
That took the 30-year-old Raul's European haul to 57 goals to consolidate his position as the competition's top scorer.
Despite his effort it didn't take Werder long to restore parity, 60 seconds to be precise when Boubacar Sanogo slipped his marker to latch on to Dusko Tosic's cross from the right and shoot past keeper Iker Cassilas from close range.
It's the Raul and Ruud show as Real defeat Werder
FE Team | Published: September 20, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
Share if you like