PSG Dominates Slovan Bratislava as Liverpool Edges Atletico in Champions League Opener
PSG Cruises Past Slovan Bratislava
Paris Saint-Germain began their pursuit of a third straight Champions League trophy with a commanding 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava on Wednesday. Ferran Torres stole the spotlight by netting a hat-trick in the match at Parc des Princes.
The reigning champions wasted no time breaking down Slovan’s defense. Ousmane Dembele opened scoring with a rebound finish and then headed home a deflected cross to give PSG a two-goal lead inside 22 minutes. Torres then tapped in Dembele's cross just past the half-hour mark and scored again less than two minutes into the second half. He completed his trio of goals in the 57th minute with an unorthodox shot that spun into the bottom corner.
Suleiman Camara scored a consolation goal for Slovan, but Fabian Ruiz sealed the win for PSG by capitalizing on a sloppy clearance.
Torres Focused on Domestic Challenges
"It is the Champions League, we always play against tough teams, but we have to be focused first in Ligue 1 because we didn't start in the right way," said Torres, reflecting on PSG’s domestic struggles so far.
Liverpool Overcomes Atletico Madrid
Liverpool followed up last week’s Premier League win at Ipswich with a 2-1 comeback victory over Atletico Madrid at Anfield. Atletico took the lead in the 17th minute when Julian Alvarez, starting for the first time this season, set up Marcos Llorente to chip the ball over goalkeeper Alisson.
Llorente has now scored five goals in three visits to Anfield, including two in last season’s clash and a key goal in Atletico’s 2020 last-16 triumph.
Liverpool responded before halftime through Dominik Szoboszlai, assisted cleverly by Ronald Araujo’s backheel. Alexis Mac Allister then put Liverpool ahead early in the second half with a powerful left-footed strike from outside the box. Atletico failed to find an equalizer afterward.
"I’ve loved it. The atmosphere has been incredible and I feel lucky, lucky to experience it," said new Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola after his Champions League coaching debut.
Arsenal and Barcelona Impress
Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 win over Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona despite missing several good chances in the first half. Napoli’s goalkeeper Alex Meret made a notable save to deny Mikel Merino. Piero Hincapie also missed a close-range opportunity after halftime. The breakthrough came with 15 minutes remaining when Martin Odegaard, fresh off scoring a winning goal against Chelsea, combined with Christos Tzolis before firing a shot off the far post.
Barcelona started their Champions League journey strongly, hammering Feyenoord 5-1. Raphinha was outstanding, scoring twice and extending his season tally to eight goals playing upfront following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Torres.
Karim Adeyemi impressed with a long-range strike early on, while Lamine Yamal added a free-kick goal. Feyenoord’s Sem Steijn pulled one back, but Gabriel Jesus came off the bench to score his first goal for Barcelona with a header.
"We controlled the game, we are dominant and this is fantastic to see. This is our style and how we want to play," said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick.
Other Notable Results
- Ermedin Demirovic scored a first-half hat-trick as Stuttgart defeated Viking 3-1 at home. Viking were making their first European appearance in 34 years.
- Sporting Lisbon, quarter-finalists last season for the first time since 1983, rallied to beat Galatasaray 3-1 in Lisbon.
