Arsenal beat Paris on Tuesday to pick up their opening win of the league phase of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, while Borussia Dortmund hit seven, Barcelona scored five, and Manchester City and Inter also racked up emphatic victories.
First-half goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal a comfortable home win over Paris. Havertz put the Gunners in front with a brave header 20 minutes in, and captain Saka scored directly from a wide free-kick 15 minutes later to confirm Arsenal in the ascendancy in north London.
João Neves’s shot was deflected onto the crossbar by David Raya as Paris sought to get on the scoresheet in the second half but to no avail.
Tuesday night’s UEFA Champions League action
Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City
Manchester City got their campaign rolling with two goals either side of half-time. İlkay Gündoğan combined with Phil Foden to open the scoring with his first goal since rejoining the club, and then Foden doubled their advantage with his opening goal of the campaign. Erling Haaland rounded Slovan keeper Dominik Takáč to make it three – the Norwegian’s 42nd strike in 41 Champions League appearances – before James McAtee pounced on Foden’s chip for his first goal in City colours.
Barcelona bounced back from an opening defeat at Monaco with a convincing 5-0 victory, spearheaded by teenager Lamine Yamal.Two goals from Robert Lewandowski, either side of a headed set-piece conversion from Iñigo Martínez and Raphinha’s strike on the rebound, earned the hosts a four-goal advantage early in the second half. Young Boys hit the woodwork through Joël Monteiro before Mohamed Ali Camara netted a late own goal to add to the hosts’ tally.
PSV and Sporting shared the spoils in an entertaining 1-1 draw at the PSV Stadion. Jerdy Schouten intercepted a strass pass and strode into space before firing past Franco Israel to give PSV a 15th-minute lead. The Eredivisie side had several good opportunities to increase their advantage, but ultimately had to settle for a draw after sub Daniel Bragança equalised with an outstanding first-time finish at the near post from Maximiliano Araújo’s cross with 84 minutes on the clock.
Inter claimed their first win, and made it ten Champions League home matches without defeat, by cruising past Crvena Zvezda. After Hakan Çalhanoğlu had curled in a splendid 11th-minute free-kick, Mehdi Taremi set up both Marko Arnautović and Lautaro Martínez to slot in during the second half. Summer signing Taremi then opened his account for the club by clipping in a penalty with nine minutes left.
Dortmund cruised past Celtic with Karim Adeyemi starring with a first-half hat-trick. Emre Can struck first from the penalty spot on seven minutes, but Celtic equalised two minutes later through Daizen Maeda. Adeyemi soon scored two more, Serhou Guirassy converted another penalty and Adeyemi’s third sealed Dortmund’s emphatic half-time lead. In the second half, Guirassy netted again to make it six, then sub-Felix Nmecha’s goal eleven minutes from time capped a super night for the home side.
Victor Boniface scored his maiden Champions League goal as Leverkusen picked up a second straight win in the league phase. Boniface struck the decisive blow on 51 minutes after Mike Maignan had parried Jeremie Frimpong’s shot. Álvaro Morata came closest to drawing Milan level, but the Bundesliga champions held out for maximum points.
Kaan Kairinen’s sublime 32nd-minute equaliser earned Sparta a fourth point, curling in a free-kick via a post after Enzo Millot had nodded the opener with seven minutes played. Martin Vitík and Veljko Birmančević headed against the woodwork for the visitors either side of Kairinen’s strike, and Birmančević was denied by Alexander Nübel’s fine save shortly after half-time. Visiting keeper Peter Vindahl also excelled, turning Fabian Rieder’s late long-range effort behind as Stuttgart collected their first point.
Brest’s excellent start to the Champions League continued with a second win courtesy of a clinical second-half performance in Austria. Abdallah Sima opened the scoring on 24 minutes when he raced on to Ludovic Ajorque’s pass and held off two defenders to score. Salzburg had chances of their own, but Mahdi Camara added a second midway through the second period, and then Sima grabbed the third with a close-range effort. Mathias Pereira Lage wrapped up a memorable night when he swept in the fourth from the edge of the penalty area.
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