Former rivals stutter at home

Former Supreme Soviet League rivals FC Spartak Moskva and FC Dynamo Kyiv warmed up for their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round first-leg meeting with score draws at the weekend – results which leave both clubs off the pace in their respective standings.

Dynamo denied
Although the Ukrainian Premier League is only four matches old, Dynamo are already five points adrift of pacesetters FC Metalurh Donetsk, while Spartak are the same number behind surprise leaders FC Rubin Kazan with the Russian season past the halfway mark. Dynamo looked to be on their way to victory at FC Vorksla Poltava when Artem Milevskiy and Ismaël Bangoura struck either side of Dmytro Yesin's effort for the hosts, only for Debatik Curri to equalise with nine minutes remaining. Spartak were also rueing the concession of a late goal against strugglers FC Khimki and had to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Levski lose
Dynamo's domestic adversaries FC Shakhtar Donetsk are even further from the summit – seven points – after a goalless draw at FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk left the Ukrainian champions with just one win from their opening four matches. In contrast, their opponents on Wednesday, NK Dinamo Zagreb, continued their unblemished start to the Prva Liga by winning 1-0 at NK Croatia Sesvete. Having drawn with RSC Anderlecht in the second qualifying second leg to confirm their progress, FC BATE Borisov were held again, 3-3 at FC Dnepr Mogilev, and remain unbeaten after 17 Vysshaya Liga matches. Their hosts in the first leg, PFC Levski Sofia, kicked off their domestic campaign with a surprise 1-0 defeat at PFC Vihren Sandanski.

Four-goal Marseille
Also in action for the first time were Olympique de Marseille, who surrendered a two-goal lead in drawing 4-4 at Stade Rennais FC, but SK Brann – who host OM for the first leg – head into the match in Bergen on the back of a 2-0 loss to Strømsgodset IF. Swiss title-holders FC Basel 1893 earned their fourth win in five matches with a 4-0 defeat of newly promoted FC Vaduz ahead of their first leg in Portugal against Vitória SC, whereas FC Steaua Bucureşti will travel to Galatasaray AS in confident mood thanks to a 2-0 win at bottom side FC Politehnica Iaşi. Victors by the same scoreline at SK Kladno were AC Sparta Praha, who tackle Panathinaikos FC.

Standard's silverware
Elsewhere, Wisla Kraków who face FC Barcelona, won 1-0 against KS Polonia Bytom in their Ekstraklasa opener, FC Schalke 04 – who welcome Club Atlético de Madrid to Gelsenkirchen – defeated fifth tier FC Homburg 3-0 in the German Cup first round and Aalborg BK drew 1-1 with Esbjerg fB prior to facing Lithuania's FBK Kaunas. R. Standard de Liège, at home to 2005 UEFA Champions League winners Liverpool FC, lifted their third Belgian Super Cup thanks to a 3-1 defeat of Anderlecht.