The second round of group games in soccer’s UEFA Champions League kicked off today with Chelsea and Arsenal helping maintain a zero in the English loss column.
Chelsea notched a victory over French club Marseille after a seventh-minute corner kick, flicked home by John Terry, gave the English Premier League team a lead it would never relinquish.
Chelsea’s French striker Nicolas Anelka added a second from the penalty spot to secure its second straight Group F win.
Arsenal grabbed an early lead against Serbian opponent Partizan Belgrade thanks to a strike by Andrey Arshavin in the 15th minute.
Partizan equalized eighteen minutes later but the second half belonged to the north London club, with Arsene Wenger’s men taking the lead in the 71st minute through Marouane Chamakh.
The Gunners sealed the win in the 82nd minute with a Sebastien Squillaci goal and currently sit atop Group H alongside Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk after two games.
EPL clubs Manchester United and Tottenham will look to keep the streak going Wednesday in their games against Spain’s Valencia and FC Twente of the Netherlands. Both clubs are coming off ties in their first group play matches.
Also in Champions League play Tuesday, Italy’s AC Milan secured a 1-1 draw at Ajax’s Amsterdam Arena and Spanish giant Real Madrid claimed a 1-0 victory over French side Auxerre thanks to a late goal by Angel di Maria.
German powerhouse Bayern Munich and Italian club Roma both notched 2-1 victories, and Russia’s Spartak Moscow cruised to a 3-0 result over Slovakian opponent MSK Zilina. Shakhtar won its game against Portuguese outfit Braga 3-0.
