United, Chelsea and Rangers win in Europe

Manchester United cruised to a 5-0 destruction of Panathinaikos in their opening Group E Champions League game last night.

Manchester United cruised to a 5-0 destruction of Panathinaikos in their opening Group E Champions League game last night.

United were in command after French defender Mikael Silvestre bundled in a 13th-minute corner and South African midfielder Quinton Fortune lashed in a loose ball from the edge of the box a minute later.

Norway striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the third after 33 minutes when his sidefooter slipped through the grasp of Greece keeper Antonis Nikopolidis and trickled over the line. Nicky Butt headed the fourth from a John O'Shea cross on 40 minutes.

Panathinaikos, Greek runners-up last season, never threatened the English champions, who eased off in the second half and capped the night with a first United goal for Eric Djemba-Djemba seven minutes from time.

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Rangers beat VfB Stuttgart 2-1 at Ibrox in the other match in the group with two late goals.

Chelsea made a winning start to their Champions League campaign as William Gallas's 85th minute goal gave the London side a 0-1 victory over Sparta Prague in Group G.

Striker Hernan Crespo and midfielder Claude Makelele both made their full debuts for star-studded Chelsea, but it was French defender Gallas who broke the deadlock with a close-range finish from substitute Damien Duff's cross.