Gameweek 1 of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League began with much fanfare, but it didn’t throw up any surprises with the usual suspects winning their games in a convincing manner.
Aston Villa returned to the Champions League in style against Young Boys and Juventus barely had to sweat against PSV, while Bayern Munich ran riot in their opening game and Liverpool were the comeback kings at San Siro. PSG narrowly beat Girona through an own-goal, while Sparta Praha marked their return to Champions League with a dominating performance against Salzburg.
Let’s take a look at the games of the first round of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League.
Juventus FC 3-1 PSV Eindhoven
Juventus hosted PSV Eindhoven at home in this tie. They started on the front foot and opened the scoring with a blistering shot from youngster Kenan Yildiz in the 21st minute. The Old Lady kept threatening and soon scored the second goal through midfielder Weston McKennie in the 27th minute.
The second half went the same way and the Italian giants added a third through Nico González in the 52nd minute, killing off the game. PSV did, however, earn a consolation goal late on via Ismail Saibari in stoppage time to take a slight bit of confidence back home.
BSC Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa FC
Young Boys hosted Aston Villa at the Wankdorf Stadium this weekend. The contest seemed a bit too much for the Swiss side as Villa hammered them from start to finish.
Young Boys couldn’t find any rhythm, with the Villa players mostly on the attack, taking a 2-0 lead in the first half through Youri Tielemans (27′) and Jacob Ramsey (38′). They should also have had a third goal courtesy of Ollie Watkins, but his effort was ruled out for handball.
Villa continued to attack in the second half as well and were rewarded a late third goal through Amadou Onana in the 86th minute, marking a great return for them to Europe’s elite competition.
AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool FC
This was supposed to be the battle of the titans, and it started at a blistering pace with Milan forward Christian Pulisic delivering the opener inside three minutes. But Liverpool started to settle down and began controlling the game after the initial frantic phase.
The Reds eventually equalised in the 23rd minute when defender Ibrahima Konaté headed home from a free-kick. The Merseysiders had the Italian giants on the ropes by this point and soon scored a second through another set-piece as a corner kick was headed home by Virgil van Dijk in the 41st minute.
The second half saw a more even contest, with Milan attacking the Liverpool goal as well. Just when it looked like they could equalise, a counter-attacking move saw Liverpool score a third through Dominic Szoboszlai in the 67th minute. Milan did muster a couple of decent chances after that but never really threatened the Liverpool goal, with the full-time whistle handing the Reds all three points.
Real Madrid CF 3-1 VfB Stuttgart
The defending champions welcomed German team Stuttgart to the Bernabéu in this exciting match-up. It was the away side that started with purpose, however, and if not for their goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Los Blancos could have had an embarrassing first half.
The first half went goalless but the Galácticos came back in the way they always do with an opener through Kylian Mbappé 30 seconds into the second half. Stuttgart did equalise through Deniz Undav, but the Spanish giants again took the lead through Antonio Rüdiger in the 83rd minute from a Luka Modric corner-kick and killed off the game when Brazilian teenager Endrick scored deep into stoppage time.
FC Bayern Munich 9-2 GNK Dinamo Zagreb
Bayern hosted Croatian side Dinamo in their opening fixture at the Allianz Arena. Harry Kane opened the scoring for them from the spot-kick in the 19th minute. Raphaël Guerreiro scored an absolute scorcher in the 33rd minute and CL debutant Michael Olise made it 3-0 in the 38th minute.
In the second half, the away side scored two goals in quick succession through forward Bruno Petkovic (48′) and defender Takuya Ogiwara (50′) to reduce the deficit to one goal. But, buoyed by the home crowd, Die Roten attacked with intent and scored first through Kane in the 57th minute and then through Olise in the 61st minute. They further added two more goals via spot-kicks from Kane in the 73rd and 78th minutes. Leroy Sané then found the net in the 85th minute to make it 8-2 and Leon Goretzka completed the rout in stoppage-time, handing Dinamo a humiliating 9-2 defeat.
Sporting CP 2-0 LOSC Lille
Portuguese side Sporting hosted French team Lille at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon for this fixture. The Leões started brightly but were denied by the opposition goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier a couple of times. However, they were rewarded with the opening goal when the in-form Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres netted into the far post in the 38th minute. Bad then turned to worse for Lille when their midfielder Angel Gomes was shown a second yellow at the 40-minute mark.
The second half saw much of the same, with Sporting attacking and Lille on the defensive. Sporting’s second goal arrived unexpectedly, however, as their defender Zeno Debast struck a long-range effort in the 65th minute, ending Lille’s hopes of trying to find an equaliser and a point.
AC Sparta Praha 3-0 FC Red Bull Salzburg
Czech side Sparta Praha marked their return to the Champions League in fine fashion against Salzburg. They started with a flourish when a counter-attacking move saw them score inside two minutes through Kaan Kairinen. Salzburg did try to gain control of the game but kept losing possession in dangerous areas, giving Sparta several chances to attack. Sparta then doubled their lead in the 42nd minute through Victor Olatunji, who found a long pass in the box.
The second half was slightly better for the Austrian side as they started to attack more, but they couldn’t find the elusive goal. Sparta then found a third in the 58th minute through midfielder Qazim Laçi, putting the game past Salzburg.
Bologna FC 1909 0-0 FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Bologna hosted Ukrainian champions Shakhtar at the Renato Dall’Ara in their opening fixture. The away side were awarded a penalty for a foul in the box within three minutes but failed to convert it, with Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski making a fantastic save.
Bologna took charge of the game from there on but couldn’t find a goal, with opposition keeper Andriy Pyatov in fine form. Nothing much to write home about, as this match-up ended in a tame draw.
Paris Saint-Germain FC 1-0 Girona FC
PSG started their quest for that elusive Champions League title on the front foot against Girona with many chances being floundered in the first half.
The second half saw much of the same, with PSG attacking even more but struggling to break down the Girona defence. The best chance of the game fell to Ousmane Dembélé, but a stunning piece of defending from Ladislav Krejcí prevented him from scoring. Girona looked set to share the spoils with a stoic defensive performance but were halted by a goalkeeping error by Paulo Gazzaniga in the 90th minute as a costly own goal from saw PSG take all three points.
Also read: UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Sponsors
Celtic FC 5-1 ŠK Slovan Bratislava
Celtic kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 home thrashing of debutants Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday. The Scottish giants took the lead just 17 minutes into the game through a Liam Scales close-range header from a corner, while Kyogo Furuhashi doubled their advantage two minutes after the break with a tap-in off Nicolas-Gerrit Kühn’s cross.
Arne Engels made it 3-0 from the penalty spot following a Danylo Ihnatenko foul on Alistair Johnston in the 56th minute before Kevin Wimmer pulled one back for the visitors with a superb volley into the far corner five minutes later. Japanese winger Daizen Maeda restored Celtic’s three-goal advantage as he beat goalkeeper Dominik Takác from a pass from fellow Japan international Reo Hatate in the 70th minute and substitute Adam Idah sealed the rout with a simple finish three minutes from time.
Club Brugge KV 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Jamie Gittens scored twice as Borussia Dortmund opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 victory away at Club Brugge. Serhou Guirassy then added a third via a late penalty.
However, it was Club Brugge who carried the greater attacking threat for most of the contest, going closest to scoring when Hugo Vetlesen rattled the crossbar, but they were made to pay for their lack of clinical edge.
Following last night’s victory, Dortmund became the first team in Champions League history to play a single opponent five times without conceding a goal.
Manchester City FC 0-0 FC Internazionale Milan
In a repeat of the 2023 UCL final, it was Inter Milan who came away from the Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against the reigning Premier League champions on Wednesday as both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair.
Pep Guardiola’s men were largely stalled by Inter’s impressive discipline in defence, while Simone Inzaghi’s men were dangerous on the break but lacked in finishing.
Had he got his name on the score sheet, City’s star forward Erling Haaland would have become the fastest player in football history to record 100 goals for a European club.
FK Crvena zvezda 1-2 SL Benfica
An early goal from winger Kerem Aktürkoglu and a free-kick by his fellow Türkiye international Orkun Kökçü earned Benfica a 2-1 Champions League victory against Crvena zvezda on Thursday.
Red Star Belgrade reduced the deficit when Felício Milson was played through and scored from close range four minutes from time, but they were unable to find an equaliser at the death.
Goals from Aktürkoglu and Kökçü ensured this was the first time two Turkish players ever scored for a non-Turkish club in a Champions League match. Moreover, since the beginning of the 2021/22 season, no player has scored more direct free-kick goals in major European competitions than Kökçü.
Feyenoord Rotterdam 0-4 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who went unbeaten domestically last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip. Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, while another one of last season’s stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, as Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock. Alonso’s men completed the rout on the stroke of half-time.
Feyenoord never looked like responding, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.
At the age of 21 years and 139 days, Wirtz became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut.
Stade Brestois 29 2-1 SK Sturm Graz
Brest celebrated winning their first-ever match in a European competition after goals from Hugo Magnetti and Abdallah Sima secured a 2-1 victory over Sturm Graz.
Magnetti scored Brest’s maiden European goal in the 23rd minute. However, Sturm Graz equalised just before half time when Brest midfielder Edimilson Fernandes inadvertently sent the ball into his own net. Brest adopted a more aggressive approach following the interval and were rewarded when Sima restored their advantage by skilfully evading his marker and scoring with his left foot in the 56th minute.
As the match neared its end, Sturm Graz were reduced to ten men when Dimitri Lavalee received his second booking after a tackle on Magnetti.
Atlético Madrid 2-1 RB Leipzig
It was a late header by defender José María Giménez that gave Atlético Madrid a 2-1 win over RB Leipzig in their Champions League opener on Thursday.
The German side took a shock lead in the fourth minute thanks to a header by striker Benjamin Šeško, capping a quick counter-attack. However, Antoine Griezmann struck back with a fine volley into the top corner in the 28th minute to level the score.
Atleti dominated the match with 20 attempts on goal, but it wasn’t until the 90th minute that they finally managed to find the winner, with Giménez heading in a cross from Griezmann.
Atalanta BC 0-0 Arsenal FC
David Raya’s stunning double save from Mateo Retegui’s penalty-kick earned a 0-0 draw for Arsenal against Atalanta in Bergamo in their Champions League opener.
The Spaniard dived low to his right to beat away Mateo Retegui’s initial spot-kick in the 51st minute before springing across his goal to claw away the forward’s follow-up header. That was the most dramatic moment of an otherwise tepid affair in Bergamo as Mikel Arteta’s team produced a gritty away performance against the Europa League holders.
Including shootouts, Raya has now saved four of the last eight penalties he has faced in all competitions, having conceded each of the 19 in a row beforehand. Moreover, Raheem Sterling became the first player in UCL history to play for four different English clubs, having previously represented Liverpool, Man City, and Chelsea in the competition.
AS Monaco 2-1 FC Barcelona
Barça were reduced to ten men in just the 10th minute of the contest as Eric García was handed a straight red card for bringing down Takumi Minamino after a poor pass by Marc-André ter Stegen put him and his team in trouble.
Monaco needed just six minutes to take advantage, with Maghnes Akliouche giving them an early lead. Barça were struggling, but they levelled the game with their first effort as Lamine Yamal became the competition’s second youngest goalscorer behind teammate Ansu Fati.
Monaco, though, were back ahead in the 71st minute when 18-year-old George Ilenikhena raced clear and finished into the back of the net on his UCL debut. Barça were unable to respond for a second time and suffered their first-ever defeat of the 2024/25 season.
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