Champions League matchday 1 roundup: Bayern and City cruise, Barcelona and Tottenham struggle, Liverpool and Real flop

The 28th season of the UEFA Champions League got underway this week, with matchday-1 fixtures featuring all 32 teams.

There were 10 wins, 6 draws (2 goalless games), 41 goals and two-hat-tricks. Salzburg's 6-2 win over Genk was the highest-scoring game.

Here's how the teams fared on the first matchday.

Group A

Di Maria was at the 'double' against former club Real Madrid

Record 13-time winners Real Madrid suffered a 0-3 humbling at Paris St. Germain, in a game where former Madridista Angel Di Maria scored a brace. This was Real's worst Champions League defeat under Zinedine Zidane.

In the other group game, Club Brugge and Galatasaray played out a goalless draw in Belgium, which consigns Real to the bottom spot in the group.

Group B

Robert Lewandowski scored his ninth goal in seven games, and 55th in the Champions League, in Bayern's 3-0 home win over visiting Crvena Zvezda. One of seven players to score 50 goals in the competition, Lewandowski is now one goal behind fifth-placed Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy on the all-time list which is headed by Cristiano Ronaldo (126).

In the other group game, last season's runners-up Tottenham Hotspur squandered a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Greek side Olympiacos.

Group C

Croatian midfielder Mislav Orsic became the 92nd different player to score a Champions League hat-trick as Dinamo Zagreb overwhelmed tournament debutantes Atalanta 4-0 in Zagreb.

In the process, Dinamo became the first Croatian club to register a hat-trick in the Champions League, and Orsic became the eighth debutant to score three goals in a game.

With the win, Dinamo moved to the top of the table on goal difference, following Manchester City's 3-0 win at Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.

Group D

Juan Cuadrado scored a fabulous left-footer into the top corner and Blaise Matuidi doubled Juventus' lead midway through the second half. But late goals from Stefan Savić and Héctor Herrera forced a share of the spoils for Atlético Madrid in an entertaining 2-2 draw at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid.

In the other group game, Lokomotiv Moscow won 2-1 at Bayer Leverkusen to move to the top of the table.

Group E

Erling Braut HÃ¥land — Erling Braut Håland

19-year-old Norwegian Erling Braut Håland scored three goals in Red Bull Salzburg's thumping 6-2 home win over Belgian side Genk. In the process, Håland became the third-youngest player to score a Champions League hat-trick.

Salzburg, the 46th different club and the first from Austria to register a hat-trick in the competition, moved to the top of the table following Napoli's 2-0 home win over defending champions Liverpool. It was the Anfield club's second reverse against the Serie A side in as many visits to Italy.

Group F

Substitute Nicolò Barella scored an injury-time equalizer as 2010 champions Internazionale were held to a 1-1 draw by visiting Czech side Slavia Praha in Milan.

In the other group game, the first-ever meeting in the competition between Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona ended in a goalless stalemate after Marco Reus saw a penalty saved by his compatriot Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Ansu Fati of Barcelona became the fifth 16-year-old to feature in the competition.

Group G

Timo Werner's brace earned Leipzig a 2-1 win at Benfica

Timo Werner scored his first Champions League brace as Leipzig won 2-1 at Benfica. It was Leipzig's third match win in seven games in the competition.

In the other group game, Lyon drew 1-1 with Zenit St. Petersburg, which puts Leipzig top of the group after matchday 1.

Group H

Ajax, in their first European fixture since the high-profile departures of Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, beat Lille OSC 3-0 in Amsterdam.

In the other group game, Valencia won by a solitary goal at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, which featured a missed penalty in the second-half from Ross Barkley for the hosts.

Also check out:Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Musab Abid