UEFA Champions League update

Sheer disbelief in Istanbul, after Besiktas, the second club from Istanbul that participates in the Champions League, were humiliated 8-0 by Liverpool on Tuesday night. Ronald Koeman had a disappointing start at his new club Valencia, who suffered a 2-0 defeat at home against Rosenborg.

Besiktas fans feel shattered after the 8-0 battering and the front pages of some sports newspapers in Turkey, usually colourful, were all black. Liverpool claimed the biggest victory in UEFA Champions League history ever. Arsenal and Juventus held the old record, boasting a 7-0 win. Arsenal thrashed Slavia Praag, who had knocked out Ajax before, 7-0 on Matchday 3, while Juventus hammered Olympiakos 7-0 at the end of 2003.

Coach Ronald Koeman and his assistant Tonny Bruins Slot had a disappointing start at their new club Valencia. The Spaniards slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Rosenborg at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia. Iversen scored two goals for the Norwegian side either side of the break. Valencia face elimination from the Champions League after they collected just three points from four their four group stage matches. Chelsea are on top of Group B, after they drew 0- 0 at Schalke 04. Rosenborg are second, with seven points. Former PSV centre back Alex made an appearance with Chelsea against Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen in Germany.

In the other group A game Olympique Marseille, coached by Erik Gerets, suffered a 2-1 defeat on their trip to FC Porto. Real Madrid shared honours with Olympiakos, following a 0-0 draw. Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink did not feature in Celtic’s crucial 1-0 victory at home against Benfica.