Lech Poznan stuns Juventus LONDON – Juventus was stunned by Lech Poznan's stoppage-time equalizer, defending champion Atletico Madrid lost at Aris, and Liverpool comfortably beat Steaua Bucharest to open the Europa League group stage Thursday. Juventus, a two-time European Cup champion, had clawed back a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2 from Alessandro del Piero's goal before Lech Poznan striker Artjoms Rudnevs completed his hat trick to clinch the 3-3 draw. Manchester City enjoyed a smoother ride in the other Group A match, with goals from David Silva and Jo earning a 2-0 victory at Red Bull Salzburg. Five-time European champion Liverpool only came to life in the second half, with David Ngog scoring twice in the 4-1 victory over Steaua Bucharest in Group K. But four months after ending its 14-year wait for a trophy, Atletico endured a miserable start to its title defense in a 1-0 loss due to Aris midfielder Javito's second-half goal. Turin looked set to be scene for the night's big shock when Lech Poznan scored twice in the opening half hour. Rudnevs found the net from the penalty spot after Brazil midfielder Felipe Melo brought down Slawomir Peszko, and he doubled the lead when left unmarked in the area. But Juventus pulled a goal back on the stroke of halftime when Chiellini headed in Del Piero's free kick and he scored again five minutes after the break. When Del Piero put Juventus ahead it appeared the game was over, but Rudnevs made the home side pay for its profligacy when he struck from long range just before the final whistle. In Group B, Atletico striker Diego Forlan was marked out of the game and Aris went ahead in the 59th when Javito controlled the ball with his chest between two defenders before firing past goalkeeper David de Gea. Bayer Leverkusen routed Rosenborg 4-0 in the other Group B match, with Patrick Helmes scoring a hat trick and Stefan Reinartz adding the other goal. At Anfield, Joe Cole put Liverpool in front after just 27 seconds, but Cristian Tanase leveled in the 13th minute by chipping goalkeeper Pepe Reina. The Romanian side frustrated the five-time European Cup winners until Ngog scored from the penalty spot in the 56th after Pantelis Kapetanos had fouled Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Lucas Leiva dispatched a third goal from distance in the 81st and Ngog rounded off the win in stoppage time. FC Utrecht, which is Liverpool's next Group K opponent, was held 0-0 by Napoli. Stuttgart shrugged off its struggles in having zero points in the Bundesliga after three matches to open Group H with a 3-0 victory over Young Boys, while Getafe beat Danish side OB Odense 2-1 in Spain. Levski Sofia downed Ghent 3-2 in Bulgaria in Group C, while Sporting Lisbon won 2-1 at Lille. Dinamo Zagreb gained an early advantage in Group D by beating Villarreal 2-0, while FC Brugge drew 1-1 with PAOK. In Group E, AZ Alkmaar defeated Sheriff 2-1 and Dynamo Kiev was held 2-2 at home by BATE Borisov. CSKA Moscow won 3-0 at Lausanne Sports and Sparta Prague edged Palermo 3-2 in Group F, while AEK Athens defeated Hajduk Split 3-1 and Zenit St. Petersburg beat Anderlecht by the same score in the other Group G game. In Group J, Nene's 76th-minute goal gave Paris Saint-Germain a 1-0 victory at Sevilla, while Borussia Dortmund won 4-0 at Karpaty Lviv in Ukraine. FC Porto made a confident start to its Group L campaign by crusing to a 3-0 win over Rapid Vienna with goals from Rolando, Radamel Falcao and Ruben Michael, while Besiktas beat CSKA Sofia 1-0. Metalist Kharkiv enjoyed the biggest win of the night, routing Debreceni 5-0 away in Hungary, while Sampdoria drew 1-1 at PSV Eindhoven in the other Group I match.
