Arsenal ends away hoodoo, Real hits six
Bill Barclay, Reuters, London
Fast-starting Arsenal ended its away jinx in the Champions League in spectacular style on Wednesday, while Real Madrid hit six goals and fellow Spanish side Valencia also made it two wins out of two.
Brazilian Gilberto Silva scored the quickest goal in Champions League history, timed at 20.07 seconds, as Arsenal crushed PSV Eindhoven 4-0 in the Netherlands.
Real demolished Belgian side Genk 6-0 at the Bernabeu, while Spanish champion Valencia was comfortable 3-0 winner at Spartak Moscow.
In other results, Inter Milan sneaked a 1-0 victory over Ajax Amsterdam, Liverpool was held 1-1 at home by Swiss outsider Basel and French side Olympique Lyon romped to a 5-0 victory over Rosenborg Trondheim in Norway.
Lyon was the side Arsenal beat in its last away Champions League victory, back in February 2001.
But Arsene Wenger's side comprehensively ended its eight-game barren run at PSV to take a firm grip on group A, in which Arsenal is the only side with maximum points.
Almost straight from the whistle PSV lost the ball and Thierry Henry ran forward before crossing to Silva who sidefooted home.
The goal was timed by ruling body UEFA's website at 20.07 seconds, five-hundredths of a second faster than Alessandro Del Piero's effort for Juventus against Manchester United in October 1997.
Fit-again Freddie Ljungberg and Henry, twice, scored in the second half to wrap up a stunning victory.
Borussia Dortmund, beaten 2-0 at Arsenal last week, bounced back with an important 2-1 home victory over AJ Auxerre, Jan Koller and Marcio Amoroso scoring the vital goals. Dortmund has three points, while Auxerre and PSV are on one.
Despite the absence of a still unfit Ronaldo, Real continues to look invincible in group C, and they hit Genk with two goals right on the stroke of halftime at the Bernabeu.
Genk defender Didier Zokora deflected in a Guti drive for Real's first after 44 minutes and before the halftime whistle Michel Salgado had made it 2-0.
Portugal forward Luis Figo, with a penalty, Guti, Albert Celades and Raul completed another rout for the nine-times European champions, who won 3-0 at AS Roma last week.
Roma dropped more points when they could muster only a 0-0 draw at AEK Athens in Greece.
Spanish champion Valencia, impressive 2-0 winner over Liverpool last week, dominate group B after a comfortable victory in Russia.
Miguel Angel Angulo put Valencia in control after only five minutes and second-half strikes by Mista and Juan Sanchez, after a terrible error by Spartak goalkeeper Stanislav Cherchesov, completed the 3-0 win.
Spartak has now lost both its opening games and has not won a Champions League match in 13 attempts.
Valencia tops the group on six points with Basel a surprise second on four after their draw at Anfield.
With Michael Owen still firing blanks, Milan Baros gave Liverpool a 24th-minute lead but, against the run of play, Basel leveled before halftime through Julio Hernan Rossi and held out for an important point.
Twice former winner Inter leapfrogged four times champion Ajax at the top of group D thanks to Argentine Hernan Crespo's 74th- minute winner at the San Siro.
Inter has four points but Lyon is also in contention after a comprehensive 5-0 win over Rosenborg in France.
Tony Vairelles scored twice as Lyon hit four first half-goals on its way to its first points of the campaign.