Malaga tops Anderlecht 3-0 to lead Group C

(AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

BRUSSELS (AP) Eliseu scored two great goals to lead Malaga past Anderlecht 3-0 and give the Spanish club the lead in Group C of the Champions League.

On the stroke of halftime, the Portuguese international unleashed a 22-meter left-foot volley to break open the game, and after Joaquin had scored a 57th-minute penalty, Eliseu put the game beyond doubt with a looping lob out of reach of goalie Silvio Proto.

With its defense yet to concede a goal in the Champions League, Malaga took the group lead with six points, ahead of AC Milan on four. Milan beat Zenit St. Petersburg 3-2 earlier Wednesday.

The victory extended Malaga's good start to the season after financial worries over the summer looked set to weaken the club.

But once the club's Qatari owners made it clear they had no intention of selling and shook up the front office, everything has gone Malaga's way.

It stands in third place in the league and has looked impressive in the Champions League.

Anderlecht came in with high hopes of taking the joint lead in the group, but never got a challenge going. When the Belgian champion was given some space early on, its forwards Milan Jovanovic and Dieumerci Mbokani couldn't break through when faced with a staunch defense led by Martin Demichelis.

As soon as Malaga decided to increase the pace and push forward, the momentum swung. Proto made some sterling saves to keep the visitors at bay, but the match was effectively over when Eliseu scored his first.

Updated October 3, 2012