Striker Lisandro Lopez scored a late header to give Porto a 2-1 win over Olympique Marseille to move atop of the UEFA Champions League Group A while Liverpool recorded an 8-0 win over Besiktas on Tuesday.

 

In Porto, the Portuguese league leaders have eight points from four matches, one point more than Marseille. And the 8-0 victory at Anfield was a Champions League record, beating the 7-0 by Arsenal against Slavia Prague last month and Juventus against Olympiakos in December 2003.

 

Tarik Sektioui put Porto in front with an individual effort in the 27th minute, beating three defenders and the goalkeeper to slot calmly home.

 

Marseille levelled on 47 minutes through Mamadou Niang who headed in from a cross by Laurent Bonnart.

 

Marseille striker Djibril Cisse had a goal ruled offside by German referee Wolfgang Stark before Lopez clinched the victory for Porto 12 minutes from time with a header after a cross from Ricardo Quaresma.

 

"We did not have a very good first half. Marseille deserved their equaliser but afterwards we got stronger and we managed to score again," Porto coach Jesualdo Ferreira said.

 

Marseille coach Eric Gerets said his side had made defensive errors to concede the goals.

 

At Anfield, Israel international Yossi Benayoun scored a hat-trick for Liverpool, winners of the Champions League in 2005 and runners-up last season.

 

Liverpool, who failed to win any of their opening three games, could not afford to drop more points against the Turkish club, who beat them 2-1 in Istanbul last month.

 

Peter Crouch and Benayoun scored in the first half to pave the way for a torrent of goals after the break.

 

Benayoun added two more, with other goals from captain Steven Gerrard, substitute Ryan Babel with two, and Crouch his second.

 

Besiktas have only won once away from home in 10 Champions League fixtures.

 

Crouch opened the scoring after 19 minutes. However, it was Benayoun who was the star of the show. He opened his tally in the 32nd minute by volleying in a cross from Voronin, and scored twice in three minutes to register his first hat-trick for Liverpool.

 

Gerrard then blasted home the fifth before Babel came off the bench to help himself to two goals in three minutes.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 7, 2007)