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The UEFA Champions league returned this week and it was everything that we expected it to be. Round 1 of the group stage had 16 action-packed matches. Let's take a look at some of the major talking points and results.
FC Barcelona 4-0 PSV Eindhoven
It was another sublime performance from Lionel Messi on the opening day of the Champions League. Barcelona enjoyed most of the possession before Messi broke the deadlock at 31' with a curling free kick from long range.
Ousmane Dembele doubled the lead in the 74th minute and it was just too easy for the home team after that. Messi scored two more goals within a span of 10 minutes to get his 48th career hat-trick. PSV had a decent 11 shots in total but only two of them were on target, which was not enough to trouble Ter Stegen.
Inter Milan 2-1 Tottenham
In the second match of group B, Tottenham bottled a 1-0 lead after 85 minutes and ended up losing by 2-1 after the final whistle. It was an amazing comeback by the Italian side at San Siro with Mauro Icardi and Vecino scoring late goals.
It was Christian Eriksen who opened the scoring after half-time when his shot was deflected into the net. It looked like the English team would hold on to their one-goal lead comfortably but the home team had something else in mind. Inter Milan captain Icardi, scored an amazing volley from outside the box to get his side back in the game at 85'.
Mauricio Pochettino would have happily taken one point from this match but Matias Vecino headed the ball into the Spurs' net in stoppage time to steal all three points for his team.
Liverpool 3-2 PSG
This was arguably the most entertaining match of matchday 1 which ended in favour of the home team. Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring for Liverpool with a great header at the half-hour mark.
After just 6 minutes, PSG gave away a penalty which was calmly converted by James Milner. Thomas Meunier pulled one back for the away side just before half-time.
PSG's attacking trio was kept quiet to a large extent by the Liverpool defence but Mbappe managed to level the score at 83' after Mo Salah gave the possession away cheaply. It looked like the match would end all square but Firmino scored an amazing solo goal in the 92nd minute to get all three points for his team in a crucial group stage match.
Manchester City 1-2 Lyon
Manchester City are one of the strongest contenders for the Champions League this year under Pep Guardiola. However, their opponents painted a different picture of them. Olympique Lyonnais managed to score two goals in the first half without reply and City ended with a fourth straight defeat in the Champions League under Guardiola.
The English side tried to fight their way back into the game but could only score one goal before the final whistle. With Shakhtar, Lyon and Hoffenheim in the group, City must win all of their remaining matches in order to ensure their place in the knockout stage.
Valencia 0-2 Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo was ready to make an impactful debut in the Champions League for his new club but this was not the kind of impact that he would have hoped for. The Juventus no. 7 was sent off after 29 minutes after a controversial decision by the referee.
Ronaldo was guilty of making an aggressive move towards the Valencia defender but a red card seemed very harsh. 10-man Juventus did not have any problem to get a victory as Miralem Pjanic scored twice from the spot to secure a comfortable lead.
Valencia had a late opportunity to get one goal back when they were awarded a penalty in stoppage time but Szczesny was keen on keeping a clean sheet as he denied Dani Parejo from the spot. Juventus would appeal to get Ronaldo's punishment reduced as he could miss a crucial away game at Old Trafford against his old club - Manchester United.
Other results
AS Monaco 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Club Brugge 0-1 Dortmund
Galatasaray 3-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
Ajax 3-0 Athens FC
Benfica 0-2 Bayern
Real Madrid 3-0 Roma
BSC Young Boys 0-3 Manchester United
