Lazio, Arsenal suffer in Champions League

Lazio, Arsenal and Nantes suffered damaging defeats in the Champions League on Wednesday as Real Madrid and Panathinaikos both made it three wins out of three.

Crisis club Lazio lost their third successive group D game, going down 1-0 in the Netherlands to PSV Eindhoven, and the struggling Serie A side now have only a slim chance of reaching the second group stage.

Arsenal succumbed to their second away defeat in group C when they were beaten by the same score in Greece by Panathinaikos, who top the group with a maximum nine points at the halfway stage.

Nantes, bottom of the French first division, lost their 100 percent record in group D when they were beaten 1-0 at home by Galatasaray.

Group A leaders Real Madrid made it nine points out of nine when they recovered from a goal down at halftime to trounce Anderlecht 4-1 in the Bernabeu, Spain striker Raul scoring twice.

Boavista stayed unbeaten in group B by defeating Borussia Dortmund 2-1, as did Liverpool after Jari Litmanen's goal gave them a 1-0 home win over Dynamo Kiev.

UPHILL TASK

Netherlands defender Kevin Hofland slotted in PSV's winner against Lazio after 40 minutes.

It was a second successive defeat for Lazio's new coach Alberto Zaccheroni after the 2-0 loss at AC Milan on Sunday and they have no points from three games in group D.

Furious Lazio president Sergio Cragnotti later described the refereeing performance of Scotland's Thomas McCurry as "scandalous" after he booked five Lazio players and failed to award the Italians a late penalty.

The Rome side, who have yet to win a game either in Serie A this season, lie six points behind the other three teams in group D.

PSV are top, followed by Galatasaray and Nantes, all on six points.

Substitute Sergen Yalcin volleyed the Turkish side's winner at Nantes after 78 minutes as the French champions' dire domestic form finally filtered through to their Champions League campaign.

Nantes thrashed PSV and Lazio in their first two games but prop up the French first division with only two points from eight matches.

Arsenal's poor away form, which cost them dear last season, has returned to haunt their group C campaign and they too face an uphill task to secure one of the top two slots and qualify for the second group phase.

Arsene Wenger's side, who lost their opening group C game 1-0 at Real Mallorca, were without defensive lynchpins Tony Adams and Sol Campbell in Greece.

Francis Jeffers missed their best chances to cancel out Giorgos Karagounis's 25th-minute diving header, which proved to be the winner for Panathinaikos.

Wenger later accused the Greek side's players of "diving and faking injury" during the match.

But Panathinaikos, Champions League semifinalists in 1996, now look certain to reach the second stage.

With nine points, they lead Mallorca (six), with Arsenal, who entertain Panathinaikos next, third on three points.

Mallorca beat bottom club Schalke 04 1-0 in Germany thanks to Samuel Eto'o's 65th-minute strike.

Real Madrid, the 1998 and 2000 European champions, look equally secure in group A after demolishing Anderlecht at the Bernabeu.

TOTTI WINNER

Anderlecht went ahead through Aruma Dindane's 33rd-minute chip but four minutes after the break Albert Celades levelled for the home side.

Raul put them in control with further goals after 51 and 68 minutes, and Santiago Solari rounded off the scoring for Vicente del Bosque's side with 11 minutes left.

Real have nine points, five clear of AS Roma, who also recovered from a goal down at home to beat Lokomotiv Moscow 2-1 in the Italian capital.

Italy striker Francesco Totti crashed in the Serie A champions' winner after 79 minutes.

Anderlecht are third in group A on two points with Lokomotiv on one.

In group B, Portuguese side Boavista continue to impress and their 2-1 victory over Dortmund put a huge dent in the Germans' hopes of qualifying.

First-half goals by Elpidio Silva and Erwin Sanchez secured their win in Oporto and Dortmund had Marcio Amoroso sent off in the final minute.

Boavista top the group on seven points, two clear of UEFA Cup holders Liverpool, who were too strong for Kiev at Anfield.

The English side should have had more to show for their efforts than the sharp close-range finish of Litmanen, who started in preference to Robbie Fowler, a second-half substitute.

Dortmund have two points, with Kiev on one.