PSG 3-0 Real Madrid
Angel Di Maria scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain recorded a 3-0 win over Real Madrid in Wednesday night’s Champions League clash in the French capital.
Los Blancos would have been looking to start their Group A campaign with a positive result at the Parc des Princes, but PSG had other ideas as they collected all three points with an impressive victory on home soil.
Di Maria scored twice in the first period for the Ligue 1 champions before Thomas Meunier added a third in second-half stoppage time on a tough night for Zinedine Zidane‘s side, who had two goals disallowed.
PSG were without the services of Neymar through suspension, while Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani were also absent through injury, meaning that summer arrival Mauro Icardi led the French side’s line.
Madrid were also without a key player in the shape of captain Sergio Ramos, but a strong front three included Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale with the pair supporting the in-form Karim Benzema.
After a fairly slow start to proceedings, PSG made the breakthrough in the 13th minute when Juan Bernat‘s low cross was poked into the back of the net by Di Maria.
The Argentina international’s effort came quickly at Thibaut Courtois, but the Madrid stopper will surely have felt that he should have done more in an attempt to prevent the ball from flying past him.
Atletico Madrid 2-2 Juventus
Substitute Hector Herrera scored a 90th-minute equaliser to crown a fine Atletico Madrid comeback and deny Juventus victory in the Champions League.
Former Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado produced a sumptuous curling finish to put Juventus in front before a header by French World Cup winner Blaise Matuidi made it 2-0.
Stefan Savic sparked Atletico’s fightback with a header inside the six-yard area before Herrera struck from a late corner.
Juventus sent on substitute Aaron Ramsey in the 86th minute, the Wales midfielder’s first appearance for the champions of Italy since moving to Turin in the summer.
Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 Lokomotiv Moscow
In Group D’s other game, Lokomotiv Moscow won 2-1 in Germany against Bayer Leverkusen.
Juventus host Leverkusen on 1 October while Atletico travel to Russia to face Lokomotiv on the same day (both 22:00 EAT).
Man City 3-0 Shakhtar Donestk
Manchester City bounced back from their shock Premier League defeat at Norwich by launching their Champions League campaign in style with a deserved victory at Shakhtar Donetsk.
Humbled at Carrow Road on Saturday evening, the English champions were imperious in Ukraine against an initially tenacious, but ultimately inferior, opponent.
Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring midway through the first half, firing into a largely empty net after Ilkay Gundogan’s curling shot came back off the post.
Mahrez then turned provider for the onrushing German to toe-poke the ball past the helpless Andriy Pyatov and give the visitors a firm grip on the game – a grip they did not relinquish.
After spurning a number of good opportunities, including an untypically forgiving close-range effort from Raheem Sterling that struck the post, Gabriel Jesus gave the one-sided game a more fitting scoreline with a neat finish after Kevin de Bruyne’s pass.
City have been plunged into something of a defensive injury crisis of late as a result of the muscle injury that has consigned John Stones to a spell on the sidelines alongside fellow centre-back Aymeric Laporte, who is out until the new year.
In their absence, Fernandinho – a midfielder by trade but long touted as a potential central defender by Guardiola – made the short move into the back four in Ukraine, alongside Nicolas Otamendi.
If, as expected, the Brazilian is to be the man to deputise at the back (and he hinted as much after the game by admitting he had been training as a defender since the start of the season), he will have sterner tests than this, but what he was required to do, he did well.
Two interceptions, two solid headers won and a passing accuracy of 90% make for a quietly efficient night.
Shakhtar’s best opportunities fell to Junior Moraes, but after three times finding himself with just Edersen to beat he first struck the Brazilian’s chest with a shot, then missed the ball completely with an attempted flick finish before floating a lob harmlessly off target after the City keeper had rushed out of his box.
They sent on wily and capable Ukraine international Yevhen Konoplyanka and Brazilians Marcos Antonio and Dentinho but to zero alteration to the flow of the game.
Meanwhile, City were able to give Benjamin Mendy a first run-out of the season and some minutes to Joao Cancelo – a clear indication that while they currently lack depth in some defensive areas they are spoilt for choice in others.
Dynamo Zagreb 4-0 Atalanta
Only Dinamo Zagreb’s 4-0 hammering of Italian side Atalanta in Croatia prevents Pep Guardiola’s side topping the group.
Olympiacos 2-2 Tottenham
Tottenham threw away a two-goal lead as they were forced to settle for a point in their Champions League Group B opener against Olympiakos in Greece.
Two goals in four first-half minutes put Spurs in control, with Harry Kane opening the scoring from the penalty spot before Lucas Moura’s scorching 20-yard finish.
Yet Mauricio Pochettino’s side conceded shortly before half-time through impressive Portuguese winger Daniel Podence’s quality finish.
That lifted the passionate home crowd and Olympiakos equalised from the game’s second penalty, former France forward Mathieu Valbuena beating Hugo Lloris, the current Les Bleus captain, from the spot.
Tottenham’s result means both of last season’s Champions League finalists have failed to win their opening group games, after holders Liverpool were beaten 2-0 by Napoli in Italy on Tuesday.
Bayer Munich 3-0 Red Star Belgrade.
In Group B’s other game on Wednesday, Bayern Munich beat Red Star Belgrade 3-0 in Germany thanks to goals by Kingsley Coman, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller.
Pochettino’s side showed Herculean spirit to go all the way to the final last season yet were far from their best as they made a shaky return to the competition in the port city of Piraeus.
Having allowed a 2-0 lead to slip against Arsenal in the Premier League on 1 September – again after conceding late at the end of the first half – this is the second time in three games they been left to reflect on what might have been.
With five-time winners Bayern and the unpredictable Red Star, who beat Liverpool last season, also in the group, Pochettino will hope this result does not come back to haunt his side.
Kane won the penalty which led to him breaking the deadlock, the Spurs striker clearly tripped by Tunisia defender Yassine Meriah. Then Moura produced an emphatic finish after Ben Davies marked his return by winning back possession and laying on the pass for the Brazil winger to score an outstanding goal.
On a night of missed opportunities, Kane could have had a hat-trick.
Yet, on two separate occasions, Dele Alli – making his first start of the season – and substitute Erik Lamela decided to go for glory instead of choosing the easier option of squaring to Kane to score.
