Holders Milan edge out Ajax

EUROPEAN champions AC Milan began their title defence with a 1-0 Champions League win over Ajax Amsterdam thanks to a 67th minute strike from the in-form Filippo Inzaghi last night.

Italian international Inzaghi drove home a loose ball after Ajax keeper Bogdan Lobont had parried a shot from Andriy Shevchenko to get Milan off to a winning start in Group H.

But Carlo Ancelotti’s side had goalkeeper Dida to thank for a superb save in injury time to keep out a close-range strike from Ajax midfielder Rafael van der Vaart.

Until Inzaghi’s strike, his sixth in four games including his goals for Italy in their recent qualifiers, Ajax had the better chances.

Lazio battled to a 2-0 victory away to Besiktas in Champions League Group G in a game largely dominated by the Turkish Super League champions.

Defender Jaap Stam opened the scoring for the Italian side in the 37th minute, rising unchallenged to head home a Stefano Fiore corner.

It was another header that brought Lazio’s second in the 77th minute. Fiore dived to nod the ball past a stranded Oscar Cordoba.

Mircea Lucescu’s side will rue a series of missed chances. Metin Tumer and Ibrahim Uzulmez turned the Lazio defence on several occasions but Turkish international striker Ilhan Mansiz and Romanian Daniel Pancu failed to convert.

Besiktas made the early running but it was Lazio’s Fiore who had the best early chance, with Colombian keeper Oscar Cordoba having to dive low and left to save his drive. It fell to Stam to eventually put the visitors in front, the Dutch defender heading in a Fiore-taken corner from the left to break 37 minutes of scrappy stalemate.

Lazio keeper Angelo Peruzzi kept the visitors’ lead intact with four minutes to go to the break when he denied Tumer Metin’s well-taken curling free kick.

Besiktas came out for the second half and immediately start pressing the Italians with Sinan Kaloglu going close in the 76th minute when his shot hits the crossbar. But seconds later Fiore popped up to double Lazio’s lead.

The 28-year-old midfielder was gifted the ball by Besiktas’ defender Ronaldo and his shot flew past Cordoba into the far corner of his goal.

That proved a goal too much for the home side whose spirits seemed to flag as Lazio defended their lead.