UEFA Champions League highlights: PSG dominant, Liverpool win late thriller

Title holder Paris Saint-Germain roared to victory in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Liverpool found yet another late winning goal in its stunning start to the season.

Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League title defense in style with a 4-0 home win over Atalanta. Despite a missed penalty by Bradley Barcola, the result was never in doubt, and coach Luis Enrique praised his team's dominant performance. Nuno Mendes scored in the second half, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia netted a standout goal just before halftime.

 

Liverpool produced another late winner, with captain Virgil van Dijk scoring in stoppage time to secure a 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid. The Reds had led 2-0 early with goals from Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, but Marcos Llorente equalized with goals on either side of halftime. Van Dijk’s goal, off a Szoboszlai corner, continued Liverpool’s trend of scoring late; they’ve now won all four league games this season with goals after the 80th minute.

 

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan won high-profile matches that served as rematches of past finals. Bayern beat Chelsea 3-1, with two goals from Harry Kane, avenging their 2012 final defeat. Inter secured a 2-0 win at Ajax thanks to two headed goals from Marcus Thuram. 

 

Champions League debutants impressed across Europe. Norway’s Bodo/Glimt drew 2-2 at Slavia Prague after trailing 2-0, with a dramatic late equalizer from Sondre Brunstad Fet. Pafos earned a 0-0 draw at Olympiakos despite being down to 10 men from the 26th minute and losing both of their veteran Brazilian players before halftime, including David Luiz, who exited with an injury after 33 minutes.

 

Union Saint-Gilloise also made a strong start with a 3-1 win away at PSV. The fourth debutant, Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan, plays Thursday at Sporting Lisbon, after one of the longest journeys in European football.

 

The Champions League’s first round stretched over three days, with Manchester City set to face Napoli and Barcelona visiting Newcastle. Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out a thrilling 4-4 draw on Tuesday, while 10-man Real Madrid came from behind to beat Marseille 2-1 thanks to two penalties by Kylian Mbappé.

 

PSG, Liverpool, and the competition’s newcomers all made headlines in an exciting start to this season’s campaign, with high drama, late goals, and debut magic defining the round.