LONDON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Former European champions Bayern Munich and Ajax Amsterdam started their UEFA Cup campaigns with 1-0 wins in Thursday's first-round matches.
Watched by a crowd of 64,000 at the Allianz Arena, Italy
striker Luca Toni scored the only goal for Bayern against
Belenenses, smashing the ball home from close range after a lob
by Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel in the 34th minute.
The winning margin means Belenenses will have everything to
play for against the four-times European champions
in the second leg in Portugal in two weeks.
Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen fared better in another
Germany/Portugal clash, beating Uniao Leiria 3-1 at home.
Ajax also look in better shape than Bayern after winning at
Dynamo Zagreb. Dane Dennis Rommedahl went round keeper Georg
Koch to score the winner from a pass by strike partner Klaas Jan
Huntelaar just after the hour mark.
It was a mixed time for the money-spinning English Premier
League clubs.
Tottenham Hotspur thumped Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus 6-1
at White Hart Lane but Everton striker Andy Johnson missed two
penalties in a 1-1 home draw with Ukraine's Metalist Kharkiv,
who finished with nine men.
Blackburn Rovers lost 2-0 at Larissa while Bolton Wanderers,
bottom of the Premier League, drew 1-1 at Rabotnicki Skopje of
Macedonia.
Spurs killed their match with three goals in three minutes
just before the break, with Michael Dawson, Irish striker Robbie
Keane and England forward Darren Bent setting up a victory that
will almost certainly put them into the group stage.
Larissa's victory marked a particularly good night for
Greece whose five sides, including AEK Athens and Panathinaikos,
all won.
Luis Garcia scored twice for Atletico Madrid in a 4-0 rout
of Turkey's Erciyesspor.
Spartak Moscow also look good for the group stage after a
5-0 win over Sweden's Haecken while former European champions
Red Star Belgrade won 1-0 at Groclin Grodzisk of Poland.
