Ruud van Nistelrooy notched his 50th goal in the UEFA Champions League to help his side grab a 2-1 home victory over Werder Bremen in the tournament's group stage opener. Raul was also on the score sheet to deny the German side, who initially equalized through Ivorian striker Boubacar Sanogo. Skipper Raul continued his fine form in the new season after grabbing the opener in the 16th minute. Van Nistelrooy cut inside in the left hand side of the area and provided a low cross to Raul, who got ahead of defender Naldo and headed home at the near post. Sanogo needed just one minute to equalize when he connected with Dusko Tosic's cross from the left and, despite being under pressure from Christoph Metzelder, managed to strike home beneath Ilker Casillas, who got a hand to it. Holland's prolific striker Van Nistelrooy missed two clear-cut chances before finally restoring the hosts' lead in the 74th minute.
Lazio celebrate the equalizer Raul released him with a deft pass and the former Manchester United man made no mistake from inside the area, sending Tim Wiese the wrong way to seal the victory for Real. In the other Group C match, Lazio came from behind to earn a 1-1 away draw with Greek side Olympiakos. Luciano Galletti put the hosts in front in the 55th minute when he latched onto Predrag Djordjevic's through pass and rounded the 43-year-old keeper Marco Ballotta before slotting into the empty net. Lazio left-back Luciano Zauri leveled the score in the 77th minute after collecting a neat pass inside the area before drilling a low shot into the back of the net. Real Madrid top the group with three points, two ahead of Olympiakos and Lazio, who lie second and third respectively.
