Lazio twice came from behind to claim a draw against Real Madrid in front of a typically raucous crowd at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

Macedonian forward Goran Pandev was the home side's hero on the night, cancelling out Ruud van Nistelrooy's two goals with a brace of fine left-footed strikes. Real coach Bernd Schuster cut a frustrated figure on the touchline as he watched his side twice throw away the lead.

Madrid began the game in customarily confident fashion, stroking the ball around at the back, but a collective lapse in concentration nearly let in Tommaso Rocchi after five minutes, and it was a sign of things to come.

Real focused most of their attacking efforts down the left-hand side, and it paid dividends on nine minutes, when Arjen Robben won a free-kick and Wesley Sneijder's inswinging cross was turned home by Van Nistelrooy. Replays suggested the finish owed more to luck than judgement, however, the ball flying in off his left calf.

For much of the first half, Lazio's attacks were easily repelled by the Real defence, but cracks began to appear. A sloppy pass from Mahamadou Diarra nearly let in Pandev, but the giant Malian recovered in time to snuff out the danger.

Pandev was then guilty of a terrible miss when he blazed over from 12 yards after being put through by Rocchi, but he made amends in spectacular fashion after half an hour. Guglielmo Stendardo helped on a high ball into the box, and Pandev coolly dispatched a stunning left-foot volley into the top left corner.

Real poked and probed with Sneijder and Robben as the first half progressed, but veteran goal-keeper Marco Ballotta was equal to their efforts and the half ended level.

Untidy play from Real allowed Lazio a glimpse of goal on more than one occasion at the beginning of the second half, and Rocchi was guilty of a particularly bad miss when he finished tamely into the side netting with only Casillas to beat. Moments later Madrid were ahead, Van Nistelrooy racing onto Raul's through ball and calmly lifting the ball over Ballotta to claim his 52nd Champions League goal.

Thereafter Madrid did their best to kill the pace of the game, but another error allowed Lazio to equalise. This time it was Guti who was caught in possession, and when the ball found its way to Pandev he cut in from the right and fired low past Casillas into the bottom corner.

Schuster responded by introducing Javier Saviola for Raul and Gonzalo Higuain for the ineffectual Robben, but there was no way through Lazio's spirited back line.

The home side came close to snatching it when substitute Stephen Makinwa fired straight at Casillas, who saved with his legs. At the other end Royston Drenthe flashed a volley wide from Sergio Ramos's deep cross, but the final score was a testament to Madrid's ponderousness and Lazio's resolve.

Werder Bremen 1-3 Olympiacos

Olympiacos scored three second-half goals to stun Werder Bremen 3-1 in North Germany and go top of Group C.

It was the first victory for the Greeks in 32 Champions League away matches and ended Bremen's six-match unbeaten streak in the competition at home.

Bremen took the lead in the 32nd minute when Almeida fired home from close range at the back post after Markus Rosenberg had headed on Daniel Jensen's cross.

However, they then went to sleep in the second-half as Ieroklis Stoltidis (73), Christos Patsatzoglou (82), and Darko Kovacevic (87) got the goals that saw the Greeks earn a shock win.

Rosenberg could have had a hat-trick of headers in the opening 45 minutes, while Almeida also had other chances as Bremen got on top of things after a slow start.

Olympiacos looked lively in the opening exchanges with Luciano Galletti drawing a good save by Christian Vander on a counter-attack move in the 23rd minute, but as the half developed they had to spend more and more time defending.

They seemed to be on the back foot for most of the second-half too, but substitute Kovacevic turned the game on its head seconds after coming on.

It was his shot that lead to the equaliser, as the poor Vander could only parry allowing Stoltidis to run in and score.

A cracking 30 yard drive from Patsatzoglou was then deflected in by Per Mertesacker to shock the home fans, before Kovacevic tapped home an easy third late on after another Vander spill.

Bremen are now without a point after two games, but Olympiacos are in decent shape with four points out of six leaving them top ahead of Real Madrid on goal difference.

Tom Williams & SF / Eurosport