Liverpool tops Chelsea in 80th minute
CARDIFF, Wales - Liverpool's Peter Crouch scored on a header in the 80th minute to send the FA Cup winners past league champion Chelsea 2-1 Sunday in the Community Shield, the traditional lead-in to the English Premier League season.
Crouch was unmarked as he jumped to head the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini. Liverpool had scored its first goal in the ninth minute on a counter attack, with John Arne Riise making a solo run and shooting past Cudicini.
"They just backed off and backed off, and I thought I'll just have a go," Riise said. "I caught it sweet."
Liverpool fielded a below-strength lineup against a Chelsea squad with almost all its stars, including new additions Andriy Shevchenko and Michael Ballack. Shevchenko had a goal, and Ballack left with an injury after 26 minutes.
Shevchenko scored in the 43rd minute, taking Frank Lampard's cross from the halfway line and chesting it down to sidefoot past Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Ten minutes earlier, Shevchenko curled a long shot that a diving Reina parried with one hand.
The Premier League season begins Saturday, with Liverpool opening at Sheffield United and Chelsea hosting Manchester City next Sunday. Chelsea is bidding for its third consecutive league title.
Ballack appeared to hurt his leg, holding ice to his left hip before being substituted. Earlier, he drew a yellow card in the sixth minute.
"If you don't think about the difference of condition of both teams, they deserved to win because they were better than us," Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said.
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BERLIN (AP) — Werder Bremen came back to beat Hannover 96 4-2 in the Bundesliga, with Brazilian midfielder Diego scoring one goal and setting up two others in his debut.
Diego scored in the 19th minute goal and assisted on goals for Miroslav Klose in the 85th minute and Daniel Jensen during injury time.
Bremen, ranked as Bayern Munich's biggest rival for the title, needed Hugo Almeida's 79th-minute goal to even the score in the furious final minutes.
"We have an experienced team and will get some good players back," said Klose, the World Cup's top scorer. "I have big hopes that we will have a great season."
Hannover outplayed Bremen for most of the game at home and took the lead on goals by Jiri Stajner in the 41st minute and Vahid Hashemian in the 67th. Hannover has gone 32 years since its last win against its north German rival.
Diego, picked up from FC Porto, stripped U.S. defender Steve Cherundolo of the ball in the penalty area to score his first goal for Bremen. He beat two players on the dribble, then set up Klose with a sideways pass as Bremen took a 3-2 lead.
In Sunday's other game, VfL Wolfsburg and Hertha Berlin played to a scoreless tie.
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PARIS (AP) — Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie scored three goals, sending Lille past Lens 4-0 and into the lead in the French first division.
Lille has six points and is in front on goal difference ahead of Nancy and Bordeaux, which have also won their opening games.
After Mathieu Bodmer gave Lille the lead in the 14th minute, Odemwingie struck in the 33rd and added two goals after the break. Odemwingie was Lille's top scorer last season with 14 league goals.
France winger Franck Ribery played for Marseille in a 2-0 home win over Rennes. Ribery decided to stay with Marseille after saying this week he was intent on leaving the club. He was yellow-carded in the second half and beat four defenders to set up the second goal for Toifilou Maoulida.
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Ajax won the Johan Cruyff Trophy, beating PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in the game pitting the Dutch league champion against the cup winner.
Mauro Rosales, Kenneth Perez and Wesley Sneijder scored for Ajax while PSV captain Philip Cocu scored for PSV.
Rosales put Ajax ahead in the seventh minute, finishing a cross from Gabri de la Torre, who joined the team from FC Barcelona in the offseason. Cocu tied the score for the defending league champions on a corner shortly after halftime.
Perez gave Ajax the lead in the 70th, following up a deflected shot by Jaap Stam. Sneijder added insurance with a long shot 10 minutes later.
The Dutch league's regular season begins Friday.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Dunfermline came back to hold Rangers to a 1-1 tie in the Scottish Premier League, earning its first point of the season.
Rangers appeared headed to the top of the standings when Thomas Buffel scored in the 63rd minute at East End Park. But substitute Owen Morrison tied it six minutes later, prodding the ball home from close range after his first shot had been blocked.
Hearts and Falkirk lead the league with seven points each, with defending champion Celtic and St. Mirren next with six.
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