Barcelona continued their free-scoring start to the Champions League, while Paris Saint-Germain also made a statement on the opening night of their title defence. Raphinha struck twice as Barcelona overwhelmed Feyenoord, with Karim Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus also finding the net in a five-goal rout.
PSG were just as ruthless, with Ferran Torres scoring a hat-trick after Ousmane Dembele’s first-half double. Liverpool, meanwhile, had to fight back from an early Marcos Llorente goal to beat Atletico Madrid at Anfield, while Martin Odegaard’s fourth goal in five games gave Arsenal a hard-earned victory over Napoli.
The night’s results offered plenty of different flavours: Barcelona and PSG produced goal fests, Liverpool showed their ability to respond under pressure, and Arsenal relied on patience before their captain delivered the decisive moment.
RAPHINHA LEADS BARCELONA’S GOAL PARTY
Raphinha’s sensational start to the season continued as Barcelona tore Feyenoord apart. The Brazilian opened the scoring inside three minutes after producing a brilliant piece of skill to evade two defenders before finishing calmly.
Karim Adeyemi soon doubled the advantage with a curling effort from outside the box, before Raphinha returned to strike again in the 57th minute.
Lamine Yamal added a fourth from a free-kick, while Gabriel Jesus marked his Barcelona debut with a late header. Sem Steijn’s consolation ensured Barcelona’s wait for a Champions League clean sheet continued, but the attacking display was emphatic.
FERRAN TORRES BAGS HAT-TRICK FOR PSG
PSG began their title defence in style as they dismantled Slovan Bratislava. Dembele set the tone with two goals in six first-half minutes before turning provider for Torres, who tapped in his first of the night.
Torres doubled his tally shortly after half-time before completing his hat-trick from a Dembele corner. Fabian Ruiz added a late sixth, while Suleiman Camara scored a consolation for Slovan.
For PSG, it was a much-needed European boost after an indifferent domestic start.
LIVERPOOL TURN THE TABLES ON ATLETICO
Liverpool were given an early reminder of their history with Atletico when Marcos Llorente put the visitors ahead at Anfield. But Arne Slot’s side gradually turned up the pressure and eventually found a response through Dominik Szoboszlai.
Alexis Mac Allister then completed the turnaround after the break, firing Liverpool ahead following a sustained spell of pressure.
Atletico had chances to make Liverpool pay, but the hosts held on for a victory that puts them on the front foot in Europe.
ODEGAARD RESCUES ARSENAL IN NAPLES
Arsenal’s finishing was anything but clinical against Napoli, but their persistence eventually paid off. After missing several clear opportunities, the Gunners found their breakthrough through Odegaard.
The captain’s strike from outside the box was his fourth goal in five games and capped a performance in which Arsenal registered 26 attempts.
The winner came after a 29-pass move, underlining the control Arsenal showed before Odegaard finally provided the finishing touch.
– Ends
