UCL: Feyenoord Stun Man City, Inter And Barcelona Win Again To Go Top
Feyenoord stunned Manchester City on Tuesday, while Inter and Barcelona – on a memorable night for Robert Lewandowski – picked up fourth league phase wins to rise to the top of the standings.
Arsenal, Atalanta – scoring six in the process – Bayern, and Leverkusen, meanwhile, all picked up significant victories, while Atleti won big in Prague.
Here is a round up of all the action from the opening night of UEFA Champions League Matchday 5.
Sparta Praha 0-6 Atlético de Madrid
Atleti sealed an emphatic win in Prague with a relentless attacking display. Julián Alvarez struck in each half – the first an exquisite free-kick – on either side of Marcos Llorente’s floated cross-shot to put the visitors in control shortly before the hour mark.
Diego Simeone’s men showed no let-up as the match wore on, with substitute Antoine Griezmann marking his 100th UEFA Champions League appearance with a low finish and fellow replacement Ángel Correa netting twice from close range in the space of four minutes late on.
Slovan Bratislava 2-3 AC Milan
Christian Pulišić handed Milan a 21st-minute lead, finishing confidently after running onto Tammy Abraham’s pass. The hosts leveled three minutes later, Tigran Barseghyan chipping the ball over Mike Maignan, but a flurry of second-half goals denied them their first league phase points.
Rafael Leão restored the lead with a delightful dink of his own before Tammy Abraham capitalised on David Strelec’s misplaced back pass. Substitute Nino Marcelli gave the hosts late hope with a fierce strike, but those hopes were dented when Marko Tolić was then dismissed.
Bayer Leverkusen 5-0 Salzburg
Florian Wirtz scored twice as Leverkusen overpowered Salzburg in Germany. Wirtz scored an early penalty before a superbly lofted free-kick from Alejandro Grimaldo gave the hosts a two-goal lead inside 11 minutes.
Wirtz scored his second at the half-hour mark with a low shot, Patrik Schick and Aleix Garcia scoring Leverkusen’s fourth and fifth in the second half for their first-ever goals in the competition.
Young Boys 1-6 Atalanta
Atalanta recorded an eye-catching win thanks to doubles from Charles De Ketelaere and Mateo Retegui. Retegui slid in an accomplished finish to open the scoring, though the hosts levelled through Silvère Ganvoula’s header.
However, they fell behind after quickfire goals from De Ketelaere and Sead Kolasinac, and it was 4-1 before half-time when Retegui pounced on a cross. De Ketelaere scored his second after the interval, before Lazar Samardžić’s solo goal capped the win for the visitors.
Barcelona 3-0 Brest
Robert Lewandowski’s two goals – including his 100th in the UEFA Champions League – and Dani Olmo’s strike were the difference, as Barcelona claimed an 11th consecutive home win across all competitions. Lewandowski broke the deadlock from the penalty spot to mark his century, before Olmo showcased his sublime footwork to add a second.
There was still time for Lewandowski to score another in added time for Barcelona’s third, expertly taking Alejandro Balde’s pass into his stride and coolly slotting in.
Bayern München 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain
Minjae Kim’s close-range header ensured Bayern extended their winning run without conceding to seven matches across all competitions. The Korea Republic international nodded emphatically into the roof of the net after the Paris defense was unable to clear Joshua Kimmich’s swirling delivery from a corner.
Paris, who were reduced to ten men just before the hour mark following Ousmane Dembélé’s dismissal for a second booking, could have gone further behind but for Matvei Safonov’s fingertip save to turn Jamal Musiala’s powerful strike onto the post.
Inter 1-0 Leipzig
Inter moved to the league phase summit with a narrow victory over Leipzig, who remain without a point. Simone Inzaghi’s side took the lead in the 27th minute, when Castello Lukeba diverted Federico Dimarco’s free-kick beyond his own goalkeeper.
Denzel Dumfries fired wide just after the break while Yann Sommer denied Antonio Nusa at the other end, as the Nerazzurri secured a fifth successive clean sheet in this season’s competition.
Manchester City 3-3 Feyenoord
Feyenoord came from 3-0 down to score three late goals and earn a remarkable point against City. An Erling Haaland double and a deflected İlkay Gündoğan effort had initially put the hosts in complete control.
But Anis Hadj Moussa took advantage of some hesitant defending to offer the visitors hope before Santiago Giménez tapped in to reduce the deficit further. That set up a thrilling finish, and Dávid Hancko sparked wild celebrations by heading in from Igor Paixão’s cross.
Sporting CP 1-5 Arsenal
Arsenal cruised to an emphatic victory with a dominant attacking display in Lisbon. Gabriel Martinelli tapped in an early opener before Kai Havertz finished a well-worked team goal and Gabriel headed home a set piece just before half-time.
Sporting emerged with intent after the break and got a goal back through Gonçalo Inácio, but Bukayo Saka’s penalty and Leandro Trossard’s header from a rebound wrapped up Arsenal’s victory.
