Malta Independent

Barcelona outclass Inter in 2-0 win without injured Messi

● Di Maria's goal saves PSG's blushes in 2-2 draw with Napoli ● Luuk de Jong salvages draw for PSV against 10-man Tottenham ● Salah scores 2 as Liverpool beats Red Star 4-0 ● Real Madrid's Hakimi leads Dortmund to 4-0 rout of Atletico

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Rafinha filled in for the injured Lionel Messi by scoring the opening goal to lead Barcelona to a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Chosen by coach Ernesto Valverde to take Messi's place in the starting lineup, an inspired Rafinha recovered the ball to start an attack that he finished off by scoring from a pass by Luis Suarez in the 32nd minute.

Jordi Alba made sure of the win with a second goal with seven minutes remaining.

Messi cheered the goals from the stands at Camp Nou, his right arm in a sling after fracturing it in a win over Sevilla on the weekend.

Barcelona took the lead of Group B with nine points after its third win in as many matches. Inter was left with six points following its first loss.

Di Maria's goal saves PSG's blushes in 2-2 draw with Napoli

Angel Di Maria rescued Paris Saint-Germain with a superb injury-time equalizer to salvage a 22 home draw with Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday.

The Argentina winger curled the ball past goalkeeper David Ospina into the top left corner to spare PSG a second loss in Group C.

Despite the 93rd-minute equalizer, PSG star Neymar seemed frustrated with the result. The Brazil forward marched straight off without shaking anybody's

hands and kicked a plastic object.

Forward Lorenzo Insigne put Napoli ahead in the 29th minute with a cool finish and PSG equalized in the 61st when Napoli defender Mario Rui scored an own goal.

Belgium forward Dries Mertens poked home from close range in the 77th after a sloppy mistake from center half Marquinhos, who failed to deal with a looping ball into the penalty area.

PSG has won its first 10 league games while averaging nearly four goals per game . But it has struggled in both of its big European matches, opening with a 3-2 loss at Liverpool.

Liverpool easily beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0 in the night's other match and leads the group with six points. Napoli has five points and PSG is third with four points.

After failing to get past the Round of 16 in the past two seasons, another early eliminatio­n could be looming unless PSG improves.

For Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti, meanwhile, it was an enjoyable moment against his former club.

Shaky Porto beats Lokomotiv 3-1 in Champions League

Porto recovered from a shaky start to beat Lokomotiv Moscow 31 on Wednesday, opening up a gap at the top of its Champions League group.

A penalty save from Iker Casillas and a goal-line clearance kept Porto from going behind early on, before Moussa Marega scored from a 26th-minute penalty at the other end after a foul by Lokomotiv's Eder.

Porto's Jesus Corona crossed for his fellow Mexican Hector Herrera to score with a header in the 35th. Lokomotiv hit back three minutes later when Alexei Miranchuk cut the ball back for his twin brother Anton to send into the top corner. It was Lokomotiv's first Champions League goal since February 2004.

Yacine Brahimi's pass made the third goal for Porto in the 47th, slicing through the Lokomotiv defense to Corona, who blasted the ball past goalkeeper Guilherme.

Lokomotiv finished with 10 men after defender Solomon Kverkvelia's last-ditch foul on Herrera in the 76th.

Galatasara­y drew 0-0 with Schalke in Wednesday's other Group D game. Porto is top of Group D on seven points, two ahead of Schalke and three ahead of Galatasara­y.

Lokomotiv's first Champions League group stage campaign in 15 years looks all but over at the halfway point, with the Russian champion having lost all three games.

Luuk de Jong salvages draw for PSV against 10man Tottenham

After watching Tottenham give up a 2-1 lead with just minutes to go against PSV Eindhoven, coach Mauricio Pochettino was left wondering if his team deserves a prolonged stay in the Champions League.

Captain Luuk de Jong scored a late equalizer Wednesday to salvage a 2-2 draw for PSV Eindhoven against 10-man Tottenham that left both teams unlikely to advance from Group B.

Pochettino said his team should have extended its lead earlier in a match it largely dominated.

"You need to kill the opponent when you have the opportunit­y," he said. "If you didn't win this type of game, it's so difficult to deserve to qualify (for the knockout round) in the Champions League."

Tottenham had recovered from giving away a first-half goal and looked headed toward a 2-1 victory until goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was sent off in the 79th minute for fouling Hirving Lozano, who had earlier capitalize­d on a mistake by Toby Alderweire­ld to put PSV ahead.

Christian Eriksen, making his first start after a month out with an abdominal injury, was involved in the buildup for Lucas Moura's equalizer and set up Harry Kane for Spurs' second.

The shared points were the first for both teams in Group B following defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona, who were playing each other later Wednesday.

After Kane put Spurs ahead, the visitors looked in control until referee Slavko Vincic showed Lloris a straight red for charging out of his penalty area and bringing down Lozano, who had broken through the Tottenham defense.

Substitute keeper Michel Vorm did well to save the resulting free kick with his first touch of the ball, but he stood no chance in the 87th minute when De Jong turned in the equalizer from close range.

Both sides badly needed a win after losing their first two matches and it was reflected in a fast, open match.

Mexico striker Lozano put PSV in front on the half hour — with a big assist from Alderweire­ld, who first lost the ball and then deflected Lozano's shot into the net. But, just as against Inter Milan two weeks ago when it lost 2-1, Mark van Bommel's team could not protect its lead.

Davinson Sanchez thought he had levelled just four minutes later, but his effort was ruled out for offside. Instead, Lucas Moura scored the equalizer in the 39th with another deflected effort. Eriksen slid a diagonal ball through the PSV defense for Kieran Trippier, who cut the ball back for Moura to finish.

Eriksen got an assist on Kane's goal in the 55th minute, crossing from the left for the England forward to head home. Kane could have had a brace, but he headed against the bar with the match still goalless. Substitute Erik Lamela also hit the woodwork, as did Gaston Pereira for PSV.

PSV, the 1988 European champion and perfect so far this season in the Dutch Eredivisie, has failed to win any of its Champions League matches this this year, following a winless campaign last season.

"It was really a heavy evening for us against a strong, really strong opponent," Van Bommel said. "In the end we have to be happy with the point."

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