Valencia take top spot

Valencia celebrate Jocelyn Angloma's goal

Valencia 2-1 Panathinaikos

A below-strength Valencia came from behind to beat Panathinaikos and secure top place in Champions League group A.

The hero for the Spanish side was Jocelyn Angloma, the 35-year-old French defender who reacted first to a loose ball in the area and calmly stroked in to seal victory 15 minutes from time.

Hector Cuper's side, needing victory to stay clear of England's Manchester United, fell behind on 27 minutes.

Giorgos Nassiopoulos was hauled down in the area and Angelos Basinas scored from the ensuing penalty to make it 1-0 for the Greek club.

Cuper reacted by bringing on Swedish defender Joachim Bjorklund in place of French midfielder Didier Deschamps.

Valencia improved markedly, and equalised six minutes before half-time with a Juan Sanchez header from a Zlatko Zahovic free-kick.

Panathinaikos, already eliminated from the group, gave everything in the last 15 minutes and only some resolute defending and sharp keeping from Santiago Canizares secured the win.

Valencia were missing three first-choice defenders from their starting line-up, which featured a three-man backline augmented by roving midfielder David Albelda.

But Albelda's inexperience handed Panathinaikos the opener as the player pulled back Nassiopoulos in the box.

Zahovic jumps Bassinas

The visitors deserved that lead after the lively Giorgos Karagounis had come close with two fierce drives from outside the area in the opening minutes.

The introduction of Bjorklund for Deschamps changed the game, though, as Valencia defended with more solidity and lost none of their attacking threat.

The equaliser came from a Zahovic free-kick on the right. Sanchez smacked in a header at the near post and Konstantinos Chalkias could only push the ball into his own net.

Two minutes before the break Angloma did brilliantly to get past three challenges on the left and pull back for Sanchez to shoot just wide.

Another long shot from Karagounis came close to giving Panathinaikos the lead again three minutes into the second-half and on 50 minutes his cross produced a clear chance for Nikolaos Liberopoulos at the far post.

Sanchez then headed down and into the arms of Chalkias when he seemed certain to score before Valencia finally got the goal they needed.

Referee Knud Erik Fisker awarded an indirect free-kick on the edge of the area, apparently for time-wasting from Chalkias, and ordered it taken twice after the Panathinaikos defence encroached.

At the second attempt, Zahovic fired the free-kick into the wall and Angloma struck from close range to ensure top spot in the group and make sure they will avoid fellow Spanish sides Real Madrid and Deportivo Coruna in the quarter-finals.

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Valencia: Canizares, Deschamps, Djukic, Zahovic, Alonso, Ayala, Vicente, Sanchez, Baraja, Angloma, Albelda. Subs: Palop, Bjorklund, Carew, Angulo, Kily Gonzalez, Milla, Aimar.

Panathinaikos: Chalkias, Olivares, Vlaovic, Goumas, Vokolos, Seitaridis, Nasiopoulos, Basinas, Liberopoulos, Karagounis, Fissas. Subs: Nikopolidis, Galetto, Warzycha, Pflipsen, Sigurdsson, Koutsoyres, Koutelieris.