Adrian Mutu scored twice as Fiorentina defeated Debrecen 4-3 in a memorable match in Champions League Group E.

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Six of the seven goals were scored in a harem scarem first half that began eventfully when Peter Cvitkovics slid home inside the first 90 seconds to send the Ferenc Puskas Stadium into raptures.

Celebrations ceased a matter of moments later when Mutu drew level and by the 10th minute Alberto Gilardino had given the Serie A side the lead.

Mutu hit an emphatic third goal, and, though Gergely Rudolf responded for the home side, Mario Santana's strike saw the visitors go into the interval in firm control.

The second half was by no means as thrilling a fare as the first but a header from the previously wasteful Adamo Coulibaly two minutes from time set up a nervous finale.

The Viola held out, however, and Liverpool's conquerors from the previous round of fixtures now have six points from their three games played.

Debrecen took a shock lead inside 90 seconds when Jszsef Varga's right-footed cross required no second invitation for Czvitkovics to slam a finish past Sebastien Frey from close range.

The next indication that we were in for a remarkable evening came when Mutu drew Fiorentina level within four minutes, with the Romanian finishing with a low shot from eight yards out after a pull back from Dario Dainelli.

Another four minutes later and Fiorentina had completed the rapid turnaround, with Mutu the provider this time for Gilardino, the Italian picking his spot - the bottom left-hand corner of Vukasin Poleksic's goal - after a cute pass from his strike partner. It was 2-1 after 10 minutes.

Coulibaly could have brought his team level straightaway but scuffed his effort wide and the striker's miss looked even more costly when Gilardino rolled the ball into the path of Mutu to hit an imperious shot, the magnificence of which was only accentuated by it first striking the inside of the left-hand post before hitting the back of the net. 19 minutes gone, 3-1.

Another impressive strike from Gergely Rudolf, who found the top corner of the goal with a curling shot from 20 yards, restored hope for the home side in the 28th minute but the Serie A side regained their two-goal lead before half-time.

Eight minutes before the interval, Santana made it 4-2 with a low finish into the bottom corner after Mutu had been denied a first-half hat-trick by Poleksic's save.

The second half, though engaging, was unable to replicate the thrills and spills of the first period. Gilardino and Mutu, who were unforgiving in the first half, miscued with a diving header and long-range shot respectively to confirm that football is indeed a game of two halves.

Coulibaly grazed the side-netting after gaining control of a bouncing ball but as chances became increasingly few and far between so belief began to ebb from the Hungarian hosts.

Mutu's search for his hat-trick continued until the very end nonetheless - the Romanian striking a shot from distance that forced Poleksic into evasive action to fist the ball away.

Coulibaly, the striker who minutes earlier had missed a one-on-one with Frey, headed home from six yards out to set up a nervous final two minutes, but, despite the home side's goalkeeper Poleksic charging forward for one of a series of late corners, the away side held out to maintain second place in the group ahead of Liverpool.