(Champions League)
Bayern Munich delivered a statement performance, securing the largest victory margin of the opening round while inflicting the heaviest defeat on Dinamo Zagreb.
On the road, Benfica grabbed an important win, as did Premier League outfits Aston Villa and Liverpool, along with Bundesliga powerhouses Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen.
Meanwhile, goalless affairs were seen in Bologna vs. Shakhtar, Manchester City vs. Inter, and Atalanta vs. Arsenal, where neither side could break the deadlock.
Perhaps the most surprising outcomes of the round were points dropped by heavyweights Arsenal, Manchester City, Inter Milan, and Barcelona.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
The opening day of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League brought goals in every fixture.
Young Boys ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Aston Villa
Aston Villa got off on the right foot after years of absence from the Champions League. A 3-0 away win against Young Boys is how Aston Villa made their mark.
Juventus ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) PSV Eindhoven
It was a comfortable win for Juventus at home over PSV Eindhoven. PSV Eindhoven denied Juventus a clean sheet with a goal in the third minute of the final added time, losing 3-1 on the night.
AC Milan ( 1 ) – ( 3 ) Liverpool
AC Milan was first on the scoreboard, with Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the third minute, but it wasn’t enough to stop Liverpool from getting a winning start. Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk both headed in goals in the first half, sending Liverpool into the break with a 2-1 lead, eventually made 3-1 in the second half with a goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.
Bayern Munich ( 9 ) – ( 2 ) Dinamo Zagreb
A flying start to the season for Bayern Munich as they secured three points with a 9-2 win over Dinamo Zagreb. Harry Kane scored 4 goals, with three coming from the penalty spot.
Real Madrid ( 3 ) – ( 1 ) Stuttgart
The margin of victory was wider than the performance suggested, but as usual, Real Madrid found a way to come out on top. Real Madrid kicked off their title defense with a 3-1 win over Stuttgart. The goalkeeping heroics of Thibaut Courtois were crucial before their attack gained momentum.
Sporting CP ( 2 ) – ( 0 ) Lille
Sporting CP went into the half-time break with a lead and a numerical advantage after Viktor Gyökeres scored in the 38th minute, and Angel Gomes picked up a second yellow card two minutes later. The game ended in a 2-0 home win for Sporting CP, but considering that Lille played the entirety of the second half a goal down and with a man fewer, it may take time to assess the strength of both teams properly.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Sparta Prague ( 3 ) – (0) RB Salzburg
Sparta Prague took the lead in the second minute and were 2-0 up by halftime, eventually defeating RB Salzburg 3-0.
Bologna (0) – (0) Shakhtar Donetsk
Shakhtar Donetsk missed an early opportunity to secure a win when Georgiy Sudakov failed to convert a penalty in the 4th minute. The game ended in a goalless draw.
Celtic ( 5 ) – ( 1 ) Slovan Bratislava
A dominant display from Celtic saw them secure a 5-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava.
Club Brugge ( 0 ) – ( 3 ) Borussia Dortmund
It took over a third of the game before the first goal was scored. Jamie Gittens, who entered in the 68th minute, opened the scoring in the 76th minute and added a second 10 minutes later. Borussia Dortmund’s new signing, Sehou Guirasy, sealed the win with a penalty in the 5th minute of injury time, giving Dortmund a 3-0 away win over Club Brugge.
Manchester City ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Inter Milan
The marquee fixture of the day, Manchester City vs. Inter Milan, ended in a goalless draw.
Paris Saint-Germain ( 1 ) – ( 0 ) Girona
Girona nearly escaped Paris with a draw, but a late goalkeeping error by Paulo Gazzaniga cost them the match after an otherwise excellent performance.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Feyenoord ( 0 ) – ( 4 ) Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen made a winning start to their Champions League campaign with four first-half goals against Feyenoord. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring in the fifth minute and added another in the 36th minute, after Alejandro Grimaldo had doubled the lead in the 30th minute.
Red Star Belgrade ( 1 ) – ( 2 ) Benfica
Red Star Belgrade probably deserved more than a defeat, but Benfica held on to their 2-0 first-half lead to secure the win.
Monaco ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Barcelona
Monaco found victory against a 10-man Barcelona side. Eric Garcia was sent off in the 10th minute, leaving Barcelona to play the remainder of the match at a numerical disadvantage. Despite this, Barcelona performed well but fell short due to defensive errors. Monaco secured a winning start at home.
Atalanta ( 0 ) – ( 0 ) Arsenal
David Raya’s double save denied Matteo Retegui from converting a penalty into a goal in the 51st minute, resulting in a goalless draw. Atalanta and Arsenal played out a stalemate in Bergamo.
Atlético Madrid ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) RB Leipzig
Antoine Griezmann scored the equalizer and assisted José Giménez, who netted a 90th-minute winner for Atlético Madrid. This came after they conceded an early goal in the 4th minute to RB Leipzig.
Brest ( 2 ) – ( 1 ) Sturm Graz
Brest did what was expected at home and picked up a win against Sturm Graz.
The standings after the first round of games in the new format of the UEFA Champions League:
