The Brazilian striker, in a hot streak of goal-scoring form, saved the European champions from the first defeat of their title defence. But he remains frustrated because he does not start every game and has said he is considering leaving Bayern.

Elber has now scored seven goals in Bayern's last three matches - two in a 3-1 victory over Spartak, a hat-trick in a 4-0 thrashing of VfB Stuttgart in the Bundesliga and two on Wednesday.

'Of course I'm happy when I score goals but I'm not satisfied because this is a game we should have won,' Elber said after the draw in Rotterdam which left Bayern second in group H, two points behind leaders Sparta Prague.

With two draws in three Champions League games Bayern are yet to recapture the form which grabbed them their first European triumph in 25 years last May.

But they can only get better as a string of players, among them playmaker Stefan Effenberg, fellow midfielders Jens Jeremies and Mehmet Scholl, and striker Carsten Jancker, are sidelined with injuries.

Fortunately for Bayern, Elber is fit and in great form.

'Elber is a precious player and we know what we have in him,' coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said of the Brazilian, who joined from VfB Stuttgart in 1997.

'We knew already that he was a man for important goals.' Bayern commercial manager Uli Hoeness has stated Elber has a contract until 2003 and is not going anywhere.

The 29-year-old, who was on the bench when Brazil beat Chile 2-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Sunday, arrived in Rotterdam only on Tuesday night and missed his side's training session.

Bayern commercial manager Uli Hoeness, who also suffered Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz arriving late because he had been on international duty, was furious.

'The World Cup qualifiers could have taken place at another time,' he said.

'This is something we must talk about at the G-14,' he added, referring to the lobby group representing the leading European clubs.