The latest round of the UEFA Champions League delivered high drama, with Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayer Leverkusen all securing dominant victories. Arsenal put on a strong display to defeat Paris Saint-Germain while Bayer Leverkusen continues to take huge strides, beating AC Milan at home. Barcelona and Dortmund were involved in a goal fest.
Let us take a look at Matchday 2 results in detail.
Arsenal 1-0 PSG
Arsenal extended their unbeaten start to the season with a comfortable 2-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, in what turned out to be a forgettable night for PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal took the lead when Kai Havertz nodded home from Leandro Trossard’s 20th-minute cross, capitalizing on a costly error by Gianluigi Donnarumma. The PSG goalkeeper misjudged the cross and collided with Havertz, allowing the German to head the ball into an empty net. Saka doubled the Gunners’ lead in the 35th minute to hand Arsenal their first win of the competition.
This is Arsenal’s first win of the competition, having drawn 0-0 against Atalanta in the first match.
Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 AC Milan
Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface secured a crucial second-half goal to deliver a 1-0 victory over AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. This result gave the Bundesliga champions a perfect start with six points, following their 4-0 win over Feyenoord.
Boniface’s decisive strike came six minutes after halftime when he slotted in a rebound following Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s save from Jeremie Frimpong’s shot. Meanwhile, Milan, still without a point, struggled after losing 3-1 to Liverpool in their first match.
Inter Milan 4-0 Red Star Belgrade
Inter Milan secured their first victory in this season’s Champions League, delivering an impressive 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade at San Siro. The match kicked off with Hakan Calhanoglu scoring a stunning free-kick in the 11th minute, setting the stage for Inter’s commanding display despite the rainy conditions.
Marko Arnautovic doubled the lead in the 60th minute, followed by captain Lautaro Martinez, who netted the third goal in the 71st minute. Martinez was also instrumental in winning a penalty, which Mehdi Taremi converted for his first goal with Inter, capping off a resounding victory.
Barcelona 5-0 Young Boys
ŠK Slovan Bratislava 0-4 Manchester City
Erling Haaland scored his 42nd goal in the Champions League, achieving this milestone in just 41 appearances, while James McAtee marked his first goal for the club shortly after.
PSV 1-1 Sporting
Sporting CP managed to secure a 1-1 draw against PSV in the Champions League, thanks to a late goal from substitute Daniel Braganca. PSV took the lead in the 15th minute with a stunning long-range strike from Jerdy Schouten. However, Braganca equalized in the 83rd minute with a well-placed flick into the roof of the net, matching the quality of Schouten’s earlier effort.
The Portuguese side, who secured a 2-0 victory over Lille in Lisbon, now sit on four points from two matches, while PSV has one point after suffering a 3-1 defeat against Juventus in their opening game.
RB Salzburg 0-4 Brest
Abdallah Sima scored two goals as Brest secured a 4-0 victory over RB Salzburg in the Champions, marking an impressive start to their inaugural European campaign. This win followed their earlier 2-1 victory at home against Sturm Graz, showcasing a strong counter-attacking style that overwhelmed Salzburg, who created numerous chances but failed to convert them into goals.
With this win, Brest has made history by becoming the first team since Sheriff Tiraspol in 2021 to win their first two matches in the Champions League.
Stuttgart 1-1 Sparta Praha
VfB Stuttgart faced a disappointing 1-1 draw at home against Czech champions Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday. The match saw an early goal from Stuttgart’s Enzo Millot, which was later equalized by Sparta’s Kaan Kairinen. Stuttgart had hoped for a win to bolster their campaign but ultimately had to settle for a share of the points.
Stuttgart, marking their return to Europe’s elite competition for the first time since the 2009-10 season, showcased a much-improved performance after their previous 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid. They will be looking to build on this as they prepare to face Juventus on October 22. Meanwhile, Sparta Prague will be gearing up for a challenging encounter against Manchester City next.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
