Champions League Round-Up: Arsenal Beat Paris, Dortmund Hit even, Barcelona, City and Inter Win Big
Arsenal secured their first victory of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League group stage with a win over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund dominated with a stunning seven-goal performance, Barcelona netted five, and both Manchester City and Inter Milan enjoyed significant victories. Here’s a recap of the opening night of Matchday 2.
Match Summaries
Salzburg 0-4 Brest
Brest continued their excellent Champions League start with a second win, showcasing a strong second-half performance in Austria. Abdallah Sima scored first in the 24th minute, converting a pass from Ludovic Ajorque. Mahdi Camara added a second, followed by Sima’s second goal and a late strike from Mathias Pereira Lage.
Player of the Match:Abdallah Sima (Brest)
Stuttgart 1-1 Sparta Praha
Kaan Kairinen’s stunning equalizer in the 32nd minute helped Sparta earn a point after Enzo Millot opened the scoring for Stuttgart. Both teams had near misses, with Stuttgart’s goalkeeper Alexander Nübel making crucial saves.
Player of the Match:Enzo Millot (Stuttgart)
Arsenal 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain
Arsenal enjoyed a comfortable win at home, with first-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. Havertz’s brave header opened the scoring, followed by Saka’s direct free-kick. Paris failed to capitalize on their opportunities in the second half.
Player of the Match:Kai Havertz (Arsenal)
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 AC Milan
Victor Boniface scored his first Champions League goal, sealing a narrow victory for Leverkusen on 51 minutes after Mike Maignan deflected a shot. AC Milan’s Álvaro Morata came close to equalizing but couldn’t find the net.
Player of the Match: Florian Wirtz (Leverkusen)
Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic
Dortmund overwhelmed Celtic, with Karim Adeyemi netting a first-half hat-trick. Emre Can opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and despite a brief equalizer from Celtic, Dortmund dominated the match.
Player of the Match: Karim Adeyemi (Dortmund)
Barcelona 5-0 Young Boys
Barcelona bounced back from an earlier defeat with a resounding win, led by teenager Lamine Yamal. Robert Lewandowski scored twice, complemented by goals from Iñigo Martínez, Raphinha, and a late own goal from Mohamed Ali Camara.
Player of the Match: Raphinha (Barcelona)
Inter 4-0 Crvena Zvezda
Inter clinched their first win of the campaign, extending their unbeaten home run to ten Champions League matches. Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s free-kick opened the scoring, followed by goals from Marko Arnautović, Lautaro Martínez, and a penalty from Mehdi Taremi.
Player of the Match:Mehdi Taremi (Inter)
PSV Eindhoven 1-1 Sporting CP
PSV and Sporting battled to a 1-1 draw in an exciting match. Jerdy Schouten opened the scoring for PSV, but a late equalizer from Daniel Bragança salvaged a point for Sporting.
Player of the Match:Jerdy Schouten (PSV)
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City
Manchester City kicked off their campaign with a strong performance, scoring twice before halftime. İlkay Gündoğan opened the scoring, followed by a goal from Phil Foden. Erling Haaland and James McAtee further extended the lead.
Player of the Match:Phil Foden (Man City)
Upcoming Matches (Wednesday)
– Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta
– Girona vs Feyenoord
– Aston Villa vs Bayern München
– GNK Dinamo vs Monaco
– Liverpool vs Bologna
– LOSC Lille vs Real Madrid
– Leipzig vs Juventus
– Sturm Graz vs Club Brugge
– Benfica vs Atlético de Madrid
