On the second evening of the opening round of fixtures in the UEFA Champions League, PSG scrambled over the line over last season’s surprise package Girona and Celtic thrashed Slovan Bratislava to record their biggest win of the competition. Man City and Inter Milan played a 0-0 draw in the 2023 final rematch.
PSG 1-0 Girona
PSG started their European life without Mbappe with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Spanish side Girona at the Parc Des Princes. The Catalans began on the front foot, as early chances were shared fairly evenly. However, it was the hosts who nearly broke the deadlock when Zaïre-Emery’s strike from the edge of the box skimmed just wide of the post.
The hosts’ most promising opportunity in the first hour came when Ousmane Dembélé was sent through on goal by a precise pass from Kolo Muani. The goal came from an unexpected source. Nuno Mendes’ hopeful last-minute cross took a deflection off Alejandro Francés and slipped through goalkeeper Gazzaniga’s hands, slowly rolling over the line to give PSG a 1-0 win.
Manchester City 0-0 Inter Milan
Man City and Inter Milan played a 0-0 draw at the Etihad Stadium in what was a 2023 Champions League final rematch. In a thrilling contest, both teams wasted several opportunities to take the lead. City’s attack was repeatedly frustrated by Inter’s solid defensive organization, while Simone Inzaghi’s Inter, dangerous on the counter, struggled with poor finishing on a tense night for both sides.
Kevin De Bryune was taken off by Pep Guardiola at halftime after the midfielder suffered a groin injury from a challenge by Yann Sommer. The Belgian is now a major doubt for Man City’s marquee clash against Arsenal this weekend.
Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
Celtic thrashed Slovan Bratislava 5-1, making a strong start to this year’s Champions League. Liam Scales’ powerful header in the 17th minute put the hosts ahead at Celtic Park. Kyogo Furuhashi scored Celtic’s second goal early in the second before Engels converted from a penalty kick to put the hosts 3-0 up.
Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Last season’s finalists, Borussia started their new season with a commanding 3-0 win over Club Brugge at Brussels. Jamie Gittens made a notable contribution, scoring twice after coming off the bench, while Serhou Guirassy secured the win with a late penalty. Despite Brugge’s persistent attacking, they failed to convert their chances.
With this clean sheet, Dortmund also became the first team in the competition’s history to face the same opponent five different times without conceding a goal.
Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
Bologna and Shakhtar played a 0-0 stalemate at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara. Both sides came out all guns blazing in the first half but the defenses remained solid, limiting their opponent’s offensive threats in the final third.
Sparta Praha 3-0 Red Bull Salzburg
Sparta Praha achieved a commanding 3-0 win over Red Bull Salzburg in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night. It was a flawless return to the Champions League for Sparta Prague, who returned to the competition for the first time since 2005.
Kaan Kairinen gave the hosts the lead in the 2nd minute of the game and Victor Olatunji doubled their lead just before halftime. In the second half, Olatunji provided the assist for Qazim Laci, who scored Sparta Prague’s third goal. At 25 years old, Olatunji became only the third African player to both score and assist on his UEFA Champions League debut.
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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.
