Barcelona, Inter Milan register easy wins
Barcelona, Inter Milan register easy wins
FC Barcelona beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 on Tuesday in Champions League Group C.

Barcelona: FC Barcelona beat Sporting Lisbon 3-1 on Tuesday in Group C of the Champions League on goals from Rafael Marquez and Xavi Hernandez and a penalty kick by Samuel Eto'o.

The result at Camp Nou Stadium gave rookie coach Pep Guardiola his first victory of the season and take some pressure off after Barcelona's worst domestic start for 35 years.

"The sensations are good ones," Guardiola said. "Results always help everything."

Marquez scored with a header in the 21st minute before Eto'o's 60th-minute penalty doubled Barcelona's lead.

Tonel stabbed home a cross in the 72nd to pull a goal back as Sporting threatened to steal a point despite Barcelona's dominant performance, but Xavi scored in the 87th to clinch the win.

In the other Group C game, Shakhtar Donetsk won 3-1 at FC Basel.

Barcelona and next opponent Shakhtar have three points to top the group. Sporting have zero points.

Guardiola, the former Barcelona player whose previous coaching experience was with the club's youth team, replaced Frank Rijkaard after the Dutchman won two league titles and the club's second European Cup in 2006 in his five seasons in charge.

"We've had three games and in two of them we've played really well," Eto'o said. "If we had drawn, the nerves would have crept up but with this win I think we can get on a roll."

"The most important thing is the victory."

Sporting defender Abel nudged Eto'o in the back as the Barcelona striker looked to meet Daniel Alves' cross in front of goal.

The Cameroon striker made no mistake from the spot, scoring into the bottom left of goal as goalkeeper Rui Patricio went the wrong way.

Marquez scored after moving into the area to head Xavi's corner across goal, with the ball bouncing under the diving Patricio to land inside the far post.

Barcelona's dominance was nearly unraveled after Tonel reached between two defenders to divert substitute Miguel Veloso's free kick into goal with his outstretched right foot.

But Xavi quelled the nerves by sliding under his marker to meet Andres Iniesta's cross from the left at the far post in a goal reminiscent of his winner for Spain in their 3-0 semi-final win over Russia at the European Championship in June.

Barcelona controlled play early with Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Alves all going close in the first 15 minutes.

Messi eluded Joao Moutinho and three Sporting players as he cut across the area, but his left-footed shot glanced just wide of the post in 18th.

A poor pass from Gerard Pique led to Sporting midfielder Fabio Rochemback's 25-meter (yard) free kick in the 31st that goalkeeper Victor Valdes punched away.

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A couple of long-range shots that flew into the crowd was all Sporting could manage after that to close out the half.

Henry had a low curling shot from the left side of the area that tested Rui Patricio in the 34th. Four minutes later, he shot high in another good scoring chance.

Barcelona kept the pressure on the Portuguese leaders in the second half, with Messi firing wide before Iniesta's cross-goal shot just missed the top corner in the 57th.

Valdes came out to block Moutinho's low shot in the 68th. Soon after, Tonel took advantage of a lapse from Barcelona's defence following a bruising period to score.

In Athens, Amantino Mancini and Adriano scored for Inter Milan to win 2-0 at Panathinaikos in manager Jose Mourinho's first Champions League game in charge at the Italian club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic beat three defenders to set up Mancini in the 27th minute. The Brazilian fired a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Mario Galinovic in the Group B game.

Ibrahimovic also inspired the second goal, finding Adriano for an easy finish past Galinovic in the 85th.

"Ibra did a lot of great work for the team," Mourinho said. "A player like him doesn't need to score to help the team."

The Sweden striker had missed two earlier chances after shaking off the hosts' experimental defence.

The match at Olympic Stadium saw Mourinho prevail over Hank Ten Cate, who became an assistant at Chelsea after Mourinho had left the club. Ten Cate took charge of Panathinaikos this offseason.

"The Champions League is not easy, especially when you're away from home. But the team came here with the right mentality - we came to win," Mourinho said.

"I spoke to Adriano before he came in and told him to stay between their two central defenders and that's exactly what he did. He made an incredible move."

Ten Cate said the experience of Inters players won them the game.

"A small mistake and you are punished immediately," the Dutch coach said. "We play to win and when you don't win, you're disappointed. We're improving and we played well against one of the best teams in Europe. We're getting there."

The hosts dominated possession but were easily held by the Italians throughout the game, although surprise Panathinaikos starter Bryce Moon rattled the crossbar in the 42nd.

Panathinaikos' Cleyton had a shot from the edge of the area in the 53rd, but it went wide with goalkeeper Julio Cesar out of position.

Panathinaikos' Andreas Ivanschitz landed a free kick in front of Cesar in the 68th, but the goalkeeper narrowly beat the Greeks to the ball.

"We had no luck and we went a goal down from nowhere. We had chances against a big opponent and hit the bar. But that's the way it goes," said playmaker Giorgos Karagounis, a former Inter player who was substituted in the first half because of a thigh strain.

"Inter can win anywhere. We've got no points but lots of games left to play."

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