Lionel Messi scored late in the second-half to salvage a 1-1 away draw with Germany's Werder Bremen in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday. An own goal by Carles Puyol 11 minutes after the interval put Bremen ahead before Argentinean youngster Messi came off the bench to level the score just before the end. The result put Barcelona in second place of Group A with four points, three ahead of third-placed Bremen. Bremen were ahead in the 56th minute after Catalans' skipper Puyol, under pressure from Tim Borowski, diverted Aaron Hunt's cross into his own net. Barcelona's sluggish start only improved in the 89th minute through brilliant work from Messi and Deco secured a precious draw for the Spanish giants. Messi cut inside from the right-flank and passed the ball to Deco, who gave the ball back with a silky pass behind the defenders only for the Argentinean to slot home. Elsewhere, Didier Drogba netted a hat-trick to lead Chelsea to a 3-1 away victory over Bulgaria's Levski Sofia. The victory place Chelsea on top of the group with six points, while Levski left at the bottom with no points.
Drogba The English champions dominated the first-half as the post denied them twice before taking the lead. In the 15th minute, John Obi Mikel picked out unmarked Drogba inside the box before the Ivorian fired a powerful volley that hit the crossbar. Six minutes later, Michael Ballack sent a long-range drive which deflected off Levski keeper Georgi Petkov's hands and struck the woodwork. In-form Drogba opened the score in the 39th minute when he poked home on the rebound after Mikel's initial shot was blocked by Petkov. The former Marseille striker doubled the lead seven minutes after re-start when he chested Wayne Bridge's long cross down inside the area before his shot sneaked through Petkov's hands into the back of the net. He added the third eight minutes past the hour mark with a back-heel from close range after capitalizing on Frank Lampard's misdirected shot Levski youngster Maryan Ognyanov scored the consolation one minute before the final whistle with a right-footed strike after being set-up by Hristo Yovov.
