Storming into an early 2-0 lead and with a new Brazilian playmaker scoring spectacular goals, Chelsea could hardly have made a better start to the defense of its Champions League title.

By the end of Wednesday's match against Juventus, however, the European champions were learning the hard way how hard it will be to retain club football's most prestigious prize.

There were no tears from Lionel Messi as he left the Camp Nou pitch after this Champions League game - just that familiar smile after another two-goal performance that secured a come-from-behind victory.

Messi scored a late double Wednesday to bring Barcelona back to win 3-2 over Spartak Moscow and successfully launch its campaign for a fourth European title in eight seasons.

Barcelona's already thin defense will be without Gerard Pique for the next two to three weeks because of a sprained foot.

Pique injured his left foot in Barcelona's 3-2 win over Spartak Moscow on Wednesday in their Champions League opener.

Cristiano Ronaldo had the last word in a wild shootout against Manchester City, scoring in the 90th minute Tuesday as Real Madrid came back for a 3-2 victory in a Champions League opener where all five goals came late.

Ronaldo, returning to the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time since saying he felt "sad" at the club, scored with a dipping shot that slipped past goalkeeper Joe Hart as Madrid showed the grit and determination that coach Jose Mourinho had said was missing from the team to start the season.

Officials from two FIFA-approved goal-line technology systems arrived in Japan on a Club World Cup inspection visit on Tuesday, hours after English football witnessed yet another disputed incident.

Everton was denied what appeared a clear goal against Newcastle in a Premier League match on Monday, as a referee's assistant did not spot that the ball had crossed the line.

Seven-time European champion AC Milan limped to a scoreless draw against Belgian side Anderlecht in Tuesday's Champions League opener in front of a more than half-empty San Siro.

Milan was hoping for a positive result after a dismal start to the season in which it has lost its first two home games for the first time in 82 years.

Football authorities need to do more to combat racism in the British game and urge candidates from ethnic backgrounds to apply for prominent roles in the sport, a government report said Wednesday.

The report, published by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, criticized clubs for lacking a transparent way of reporting incidents of racist behavior at the same time as praising the improvement in atmosphere at matches compared to the 1970s and '80s.

Lukas Podolski and Gervinho scored as Arsenal came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Montpellier in their Champions League opener on Tuesday.

All the goals came in a frantic opening spell. Montpellier midfielder Younes Belhanda won and converted a penalty in the ninth minute, Podolski equalized in the 16th and Gervinho put the Gunners ahead two minutes later.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Theo Walcott that his contract negotiations could end up affecting team selection if the situation drags on for the rest of the season.

Walcott's current deal with the Gunners expires at the end of this season and negotiations have reached a stalemate, raising fears the England winger could become the latest star name to quit the north London club over the last 12 months.

Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez said he doesn't know when he will return following surgery on his left ankle that was only supposed to keep him out for three weeks.

Gomez told Munich's TZ newspaper "I don't know when I can fully return, when I can take part in team training again. I myself am very impatient and can't even guess how much more time the foot needs. I don't know where I stand."