Valencia fired a warning shot over Manchester United's bows when they collected three vital points by beating French league champions Bordeaux 3-0 in Group B last night.
After a dull first half of few clear-cut chances, the Spaniards broke the deadlock with a superb left-foot drive on the hour from Javier Farinos which was followed within eight minutes by a close-range clincher from Romanian striker Adrian Ilie. Kily Gonzalez notched the third in the final seconds for Valencia as Bordeaux, whose league form in recent weeks has been appalling, flopped badly on the pressurised European stage.
Hertha Berlin, struggling badly in the German Bundesliga, opened their second phase Group A campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Barcelona, the side tipped by many as Manchester United's successors for the European crown. The match was played in near farcical misty and wintry conditions, although Russian referee Nikolai Levnikov decided the match should go ahead at the Olympiastadion even if some of the 65,000 crowd had to strain to see the action.
Barcelona, missing injured Brazilian playmaker Rivaldo, were happy to contain the Germans to get an away point on the board.
Berlin began well but after Andreas Thom and Michael Preetz had both gone close it was Barcelona who went ahead on 14 minutes when Luis Enrique nodded them in front following a Luis Figo corner headed on by Patrick Kluivert.
Preetz then saw a header cleared off the line by Boudewijn Zenden before Kai Michalke levelled with a fine drive in the 33rd minute to end a 390-minute drought for the Germans in all matches.
In the other Group A encounter, Porto won 2-0 at Sparta Prague. Substitute Ljubinko Drulovic scored the opener 13 minutes from time for the Portuguese champions, who won the European Cup in 1987. The Yugoslav striker had only come on as a substitute four minutes earlier for Rubens Junior.
Brazilian hitman Mario Jardel struck the killer second six minutes from time.
Sparta had gone close to an equaliser on the half-hour, but Libor Sionko's attempted one-two with Vratislav Lokvenc was just too long and Lokvenc was continually frustrated by Porto's well-rehearsed offside trap.
