Paris Saint-Germain made a statement at the start of their Champions League title defence, while Barcelona, Liverpool and Arsenal also secured victories in their opening matches of the competition.
PSG were the biggest winners of the night, cruising to a 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes. Ferran Torres marked his Champions League debut for the French champions with a hat-trick, while Ousmane Dembélé added two goals. Fabian Ruiz completed the scoring late in the game.
Barcelona also enjoyed a comfortable start, defeating Feyenoord 5-1. The Spanish giants quickly established control and finished the night with an emphatic victory in front of their home supporters.
Liverpool had a tougher challenge at Anfield but came through with a 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid. The Premier League side secured all three points after an entertaining encounter against the Spanish club.
Arsenal also began their campaign on a winning note, edging Napoli 1-0 away from home. The result gave Mikel Arteta’s side an important three points from a difficult opening fixture.
Elsewhere, Sporting CP defeated Galatasaray 3-1, while Stuttgart recorded a 3-1 victory over Viking FK.
The opening results have given several of Europe’s leading clubs a strong foundation as the league phase of the Champions League continues.
With more heavyweight fixtures still to come, the early rounds are already beginning to provide an indication of which teams could emerge as serious contenders for the European title.
