Sunday, 22 December 2024
Sunday, 22 December 2024
The UEFA Champions league returned on Tuesday night, reigniting the passion of football fans around the globe. Day 1 of Europe's biggest football competition saw a dazzling display of skill, record breaking performances and nail-biting moments from the game as top clubs across the continent battled for glory.
Here's a recap of all that happened on the opening day of the Champions league 2024/25 season.
Juventus vs PSV (3-1)
Juventus made a perfect return to the Champions League as they beat Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven 3-1 at home on Tuesday, helped by two quick-fire goals from Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie in the first half.
Yildiz and McKennie put Juve 2-0 up at the break in coach Thiago Motta's debut leading a side in European competition and Nicolas Gonzalez added a third after the break before Ismael Saibari pulled one back for PSV in stoppage time.
Champions League regulars Juventus have returned to Europe's elite club competition following a one-year absence when they missed out for the first time since 2011-12 after having points docked in a case centred on the club's transfer dealings.
Two former European champions, meeting for the first time in a competitive match, ensured an energetic start to the competition.
Yildiz gave Juve the lead after 21 minutes with a stunning curling shot from just inside the box, leaving goalkeeper Joel Drommel helpless as the ball went in off the inside of the post.
The Turkish teenager opened the scoring in the new Champions League format in which clubs play eight games in the 36-team league phase that has replaced the former group stage.
Aged 19 years and 136 days, Yildiz also became Juventus' youngest goalscorer in the Champions League, breaking the record held by Alessandro Del Piero, who scored against Borussia Dortmund in 1995 aged 20 years and 308 days.
Young Boys vs Aston Villa (0-3)
Aston Villa made a stylish return to the Champions League with a 3-0 win at Swiss side Young Boys on Tuesday in their first game in the tournament for 41 years.
Youri Tielemans opened the scoring in the 27th minute, which was doubled by Jacob Ramsey nine minutes later. The victory was capped off in the 86th minute as Amadou Onana scored the third.
Clashes with Bayern Munich and Juventus await among their remaining seven fixtures in the revamped league stage of the competition.
Bayern Munich vs Dinamo Zagreb (9-2)
Harry Kane broke Wayne Rooney's record for the most Champions League goals by an English player when the Bayern Munich striker scored four times against Dinamo Zagreb.
It was one of several records broken as Bayern routed Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in one of the highest-scoring games in Champions League history — and an emphatic start to European competition for new coach Vincent Kompany.
“Amazing game, a bit of a crazy game for sure,” Kane told broadcaster DAZN. “To score all those goals in the end was a great night.”
Kane took his tally to 33 in the competition by scoring in the 19th, 53rd, 73rd and 78th minutes — three of the goals were penalties — to surpass Rooney's record of 30.
Four other Bayern players scored in the emphatic win and there were two goals for new signing Michael Olise on his Champions League debut after signing from Crystal Palace.
Leon Goretzka's header in stoppage time made Bayern the first team to score nine goals in the Champions League era. Some teams, including Bayern, achieved that feat in the old European Cup. It was the highest-scoring game in the competition in terms of total goals since Borussia Dortmund beat Legia Warsaw 8-4 in 2016, according to UEFA.
Kane and Kylian Mbappé were joint top scorers in last season's Champions League with eight goals each.
Another record was broken when Thomas Müller came off the bench to play his 152nd Champions League game for Bayern. That's the most for a player for one club, breaking a tie with former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez. Müller has made the joint fourth-most appearances in the competition of any player.
Sporting CP vs LOSC Lille (2-0)
Zeno Debast and Viktor Gyokeres fired Sporting Lisbon to a 2-0 Champions League win over 10-man Lille on Tuesday, as defender Angel Gomes was sent off for a second yellow card.
Sporting created a number of good chances in the first half but were kept at bay by Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, until Gyokeres latched onto a delightful pass from Pedro Goncalves to open the scoring in the 38th minute.
In the second half, Debast unleashed a superb long-range effort into the top right corner to seal victory for the home side.
Portuguese club Sporting CP are sixth in the early Champions League standings and face PSV in their next European game on October 1.
Real Madrid vs VFB Stuttgart (3-1)
Kylian Mbappé renewed his quest to win a European title by scoring for Real Madrid in his first Champions League match with the club.
Stuttgart were arguably the superior side at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu stadium, with Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making a string of critical saves to deny efforts by the German side.
Mbappé found the open net after a cross by Rodrygo just seconds into the second half of Madrid's 3-1 win over Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Stuttgart found the equaliser with Undav's header in the 68th minute but Real substitute Luka Modric lifted a corner to meet Rudiger in the six-yard box and he nodded a header past the goalkeeper in the 83rd.
“It was a great night,” Mbappé said. “It was a tough match, as they always are in the Champions League, but it was important to start with the win at home.”
Milan vs Liverpool (1-3)
Arne Slot‘s first Champions League game in charge of Liverpool ended with a 3-1 win, having gone behind very early on.
The Liverpool manager made two changes to the side that lost at home to Nottingham Forest three days ago, with Kostas Tsimikas and Cody Gakpo replacing Andy Robertson and Luis Diaz on the left side.
Things started horribly for the Reds as Kostas Tsimikas was caught out of position allowing Christian Pulisic to nip into the vacant space and slot home a superb finish with barely two minutes on the clock.
Liverpool responded brilliantly though. They controlled play and dictated the tempo against a deep defensive block. Mo Salah, who twice hit the crossbar, and Cody Gakpo looked hungry to score but the equaliser came courtesy of a defender.
Trent Alexander-Arnold flicked in a free kick and found Ibrahima Konate who nodded past an injured Mike Maignan to pull Liverpool level. A second set piece, this one a corner, put the visitors ahead with Virgil van Dijk heading home.
Late in the second half, Dominik Szobozslai volleyed home a cross from Cody Gakpo to secure the points and send the Reds marching on.
With inputs from agencies.
