Tottenham travelled to the San Siro to face Rafael Benitez's Inter but made a horror start, conceding three goals in the first 15 minutes and losing goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes due to a red card.

Inter captain Javier Zanetti finished a wonderful passing move to score the game's opening goal after two minutes, before Jonathan Biabiany was brought down in the penalty area by Gomes, resulting in the shot-stopper being sent off.

Samuel Eto'o converted the subsequent penalty, before Dejan Stankovic capped off a remarkable 35-pass build-up with a goal in the 14th minute to make it 3-0.

Inter went for the kill and set up several half-chances before Eto'o scored his second after 34 minutes.

In a complete reversal of the first 45 minutes, Harry Redknapp's men started the second half with promise and could have scored through Tom Huddlestone soon after the interval.

Bale produced a piece of individual brilliance to score Tottenham's first, running from inside his own half and beating two defenders before launching a fierce drive into the corner of the net.

Bale's second came in the 89th minute and was not unlike his first, the Welshman receiving the ball just inside Inter's half and bursting forward before another left-footed drive sailed into the goal.

A minute later, Tottenham surged forward again, and Aaron Lennon cleverly attracted the attention of three defenders before finding Bale, who sealed his hat-trick and set up a nerve-racking finish for a stunned Inter side.

Despite the brave comeback, Tottenham couldn't find a fourth but will be buoyed by a second-half display that showed their aptitude at competing with Europe's best.

In the other Group A encounter, Dutch champions FC Twente drew 1-1 with Bundesliga outfit Werder Bremen.

In a match where opportunities were scarce, Twente took the lead courtesy of Theo Janssen in the 75th minute.

A swift Bremen response followed, with Marko Arnautovic and Claudio Pizarro involved in a slick build up before Arnautovic scored the equaliser in the 80th minute.

Inter top the Group A standings on seven points, followed by Tottenham on four, while Bremen and Twente have two points apiece.

Schalke continued their recovery from a horrid start to the season with a 3-1 Champions League win over Hapoel Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

The competition's all-time leading goal scorer, Raul, made a stunning return to form by scoring the German outfit's first two goals, before Jose Manuel Jurado added a third to seal an emphatic win.

Tel Aviv managed to pull a goal back in injury time through Itay Shechter but it was a mere consolation in a match utterly dominated by Felix Magath's side.

Schalke have struggled domestically this season and sit 16th in the Bundesliga, but they now have six points from three games in the Champions League to sit second in Group B behind Lyon.

The Ligue 1 outfit are three points clear at the top of Group B after they comfortably accounted for 10-man Benfica at Stade de Gerland.

Goals in either half from Jimmy Briand and Lisandro Lopez were enough to see off the Portuguese champions who had Nicolas Gaitan sent off just before half time.

The French side dominated the match from the outset with Yoann Gourcuff and Lisandro both creating early chances.

The opener fell to Briand in the 21st minute, the Frenchman heading home unmarked at the back post.

Gaitan then received two yellow cards in the space of 10 minutes, the second an undisciplined foul on Anthony Reveillere.

Lyon had a plethora of chances after the break but it took a scrappy goal-mouth finish from Lisandro to make it 2-0.

Manchester United got a glimpse of life after Wayne Rooney as they struggled to a 1-0 win over Bursaspor in Champions League Group C.

In a lacklustre display from a United side missing several of its first-team regulars, it took a spectacular individual effort from winger Nani to give Sir Alex Ferguson's side all three points.

The match was played just hours after striker Rooney issued a statement confirming he wants to leave Old Trafford over concerns about the future strength of the United squad, and the display was hardly an advertisement for the club's ambition.

Without the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes, United looked disjointed, but Nani still managed to give them the lead after just seven minutes.

The Portuguese international swiftly turned his marker before hitting a curling shot into goal from 20 yards.

United have hardly been impressive in the Champions League this season but still remain on top of Group C with seven points.

Rangers and Valencia remain locked in a battle for second spot after they drew 1-1 in Scotland.

Maurice Edu was both hero and villain for Rangers, earning the dubious honour of scoring goals for both sides.

Rangers put the pressure on La Liga high-flyers Valencia and had a penalty shout waved away in the early stages.

The Glasgow side's attacking thrusts eventually paid off with Edu heading the ball home in the 34th minute after a precise cross from Vladimir Weiss.

But Valencia restored parity just after the break as Edu inadvertently headed a Tino Costa free-kick into the back of his own net.

Walter Smith's side had a couple of late chances to reclaim their lead, but ultimately had to settle for a share of the points which leaves them two behind Manchester United in the group standings. Valencia sit in third place on four points, while Turkish champions Bursaspor round out the group without a point from three games.

Meanwhile, Lionel Messi scored a double as Barcelona saw off FC Copenhagen 2-0 to reclaim top spot in Champions League Group D.

Copenhagen had taken maximum points from their first two games after an impressive start to the European campaign, prompting a pre-match warning from Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola for his side not to underestimate the Danish champions.

But the home side were on top from the outset at the Camp Nou and Argentine star Messi wove his magic with a thunderous strike in the 19th minute to make it 1-0.

Copenhagen refused to lie down and after holding Barcelona for the remainder of the first half, came out firing to create chances of their own in the second half.

Dame Ndoye's dipping effort from the edge of the box struck the bar in the 66th minute, and striker Cesar Santin somehow managed to nod the rebound wide to give Barcelona a reprieve.

Messi, in typically clinical fashion, made the visitors pay in injury time, sealing the win with a close-range finish set up by Eric Abidal.

The win moves Barcelona to seven points at the top of Group D, one point clear of second-placed  Copenhagen.

Panathinaikos and Rubin Kazan both missed the opportunity to make up ground in the group standings as they played out a drab scoreless draw in Athens.

The point was Panathinaikos' first of the campaign and Rubin's second, but neither side looked worthy of anything more in a match with few chances.

Rubin's Alan Kasaev went closest to a breakthrough when he was denied from six yards by Alexandros Tzorvas, while Panathinaikos defender Jean-Alain Boumsong saw his overhead kick sail just wide of the upright.