Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a superb goal as Paris Saint-Germain began the defence of their Champions League crown with a comprehensive 4-0 win over Atalanta at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Atalanta came here fresh from an unbeaten start to the campaign in Serie A but having lost the chief architects of their recent success, coach Gian Piero Gasperini departed for Roma after nine years at the helm, while last season’s top scorer Mateo Retegui was sold to Saudi Arabia and African footballer of the year Ademola Lookman has been frozen out following a failed to attempt to secure a transfer. Marquinhos opened the scoring inside three minutes as PSG made a fast start in front of their own fans, with Kvaratskhelia bursting through to blast home a second before the interval. Nuno Mendes added another early in the second half and substitute Goncalo Ramos then wrapped up the victory at the death. Bradley Barcola also had a penalty saved in the first half as Luis Enrique’s team proved far too strong for their Italian opponents, who had no answer to the threat posed by the European champions. PSG will now hope to build on this and avoid the troubles that befell them last season, when they won just one and lost three of their first five games in the league phase. They overcame that poor start to qualify for the knockout rounds and go on to win the title, but their prospects of retaining the trophy have been called into question with early-season injuries exposing the limits of an overworked squad. Here it was all-action midfielder Joao Neves who had to come off in the second half after going down seemingly complaining of a painful left hamstring. The French club hardly had any off-season break after a last campaign which stretched over 65 games and 11 months, and they recently lost star forwards Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue for several weeks to injuries picked up on international duty. Playing at centre-forward here, therefore, was the 19-year-old Senny Mayulu, who came off the bench to score the last goal in the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in last season’s final. Source: rfi

UEFA Champions League finalists Inter had little problem brushing aside Ajax in their first Champions League match since 2022, beating the former four-time winners 2-0 in Amsterdam. Ajax manager John Heitinga picked up right where he left off last weekend, when the former Netherlands international surprisingly kept many of his expensive summer transfers on the bench. Oscar Gloukh, Raul Moro, and Kasper Dolberg all started as reserves against Inter, giving Youri Regeer, Oliver Edvardsen, and Wout Weghorst more starts. Last year’s finalists Inter were without star striker Lautaro Martinez, who was left on the bench with fitness issues. 20-year-old Pio Esposito replaced the Argentine and started alongside Marcus Thuram. A quiet first half didn’t come to life before the 34th minute, when referee Michael Oliver pointed at the spot for an Inter penalty. Ajax defender Youri Baas was penalised for pulling Marcus Thuram’s shirt, but upon further review, Taylor cancelled the penalty and penalised Thuram for pulling Baas’s shirt, keeping Ajax alive. Just a few minutes later, Oliver Edvardsen launched Mika Godts with a deep ball onto Inter’s half, putting the Belgian winger one-on-one with Yann Sommer. Unable to keep his cool during a big chance, Godts chose to attack Sommer’s near post, but his effort was too weak to test the Swiss stopper. It taught Ajax a hard lesson in ruthlessness as Inter opened the scoring a minute later, when Marcus Thuram freely headed the ball in from Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner. Ajax and Heitinga were left to fight an uphill battle from there on, and it wouldn’t get any easier when Thuram doubled Inter’s lead two minutes after half-time. The Frenchman headed in a Calhanoglu corner again, putting Inter up 2-0 with 43 minutes to go. A toothless Ajax caused Inter very few problems in the second half, in which it took the four-time Champions League winners until the 69th minute to even record an attempt at goal and get somewhat close to Sommer. Inter had little reason to put pressure on Ajax, who were simply unable to threaten Inter’s lead for the remainder of the second half. A late opportunity saw Kasper Dolberg, who made his first minutes in an Ajax shirt since 2019, head the ball over the bar of a near-empty goal after heavily duelling with Manuel Akanji. Inter comfortably won their first game of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League as they eye a fourth final in five years. The Serie A champions face Slavia Prague next at San Siro. Ajax, who played their first Champions League game since the group stage of the 2022/23 season, will look to get their first points in two weeks’ time, when the away game at Olympique Marseille will be played. Source: flashscore

Benfica sacked coach Bruno Lage following Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to minnows Qarabag, the club announced, with some media claiming that Jose Mourinho is in line to take over. Mourinho actually began his coaching career at Benfica but quit after just two and a half months before making his name at the Lisbon giants’ arch rivals Porto. He was dismissed by Fenerbahce last month after just over a year in the job following the Turkish side’s elimination from the Champions League qualifying competition, ironically at the hands of Benfica. The Eagles led 2-0 early on at home to Azerbaijan’s Qarabag on Tuesday before falling to a shock 3-2 reverse in their opening league stage game. “We have just reached an agreement with Bruno Lage, who today leaves his post as Benfica coach,” former Portugal midfielder Rui Costa, the club’s president, told reporters late Tuesday. Former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Lage, who was in his second spell at Benfica, was already under pressure after his team dropped their first league points of the season away to Santa Clara at the weekend. Costa said that Benfica expected to have their new coach in charge in time for Saturday’s league encounter with AVS. All three of Portugal’s sports dailies mentioned 62-year-old Mourinho as a possible successor. A Bola said that Benfica wanted to negotiate with the self-styled “Special One”. Mourinho’s previous spell at Benfica lasted just 11 matches at the back end of 2000, but then, after impressing at Uniao de Leiria, he joined Porto and guided them to back-to-back league titles and the Champions League crown in 2004. That set him on the path to a hugely successful career coaching Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid before his fortunes started to nose-dive after joining Manchester United in 2016. Lage won the Portuguese Primeira Liga in 2019 in his first spell with Benfica, while last season he guided them to Portuguese Cup success. Source: france24

Trent Alexander-Arnold was just one piece of Real Madrid’s offseason overhaul, joining from Liverpool just before the summer’s Club World Cup. The 26-year-old defender arrived in the Spanish capital along with new manager Xabi Alonso, defenders Dean Huijsen and Alvaro Carreras, and young winger Franco Mastantuono. Just four minutes into Real Madrid’s opening Champions League match of the season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. The former Liverpool defender started the league phase match against Marseille but was withdrawn in the opening minutes, pulling up and clutching the back of his left thigh. He had received a short outside the right edge of Real Madrid’s penalty area and grabbed his leg as the ball rolled towards the touchline. He was replaced by Dani Carvajal, who himself is only recently back from a serious knee injury and has been sharing time with Alexander-Arnold at the right-back position. Soft tissue injuries have been a worrying part of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s career trajectory. The 26-year-old missed multiple matches last season for Liverpool due to muscle problems, suffering two separate hamstring injuries, one in November and one in February. In the previous campaign, he missed 16 matches due to a knee issue, plus another hamstring injury that forced him out for four games in September of that season. Alexander-Arnold missed time in March 2022 with a small hamstring injury and missed five games in December 2020 thanks to a calf problem.

Kylian Mbappe slammed home two penalties for Real Madrid as the record 15-time winners opened their Champions League campaign with a controversial 2-1 comeback win over Olympique Marseille on Tuesday. Xabi Alonso benched Vinicius Junior among several changes to the side which beat Real Sociedad in La Liga on Saturday to continue Madrid’s 100 percent start in La Liga. Jude Bellingham was named on the bench for the first time after undergoing shoulder surgery in July, but neither he nor the returning Eduardo Camavinga made it on to the pitch. Madrid coach Xabi Alonso was dealt an early blow on his first European game at the helm of the Spanish giants when Trent Alexander-Arnold limped off with a thigh injury. Alexander-Arnold limped off after just three minutes, to be replaced by veteran Carvajal. Mason Greenwood picked Arda Guler’s pocket and fed the Timothy Weah, who slammed past Thibaut Courtois at the near post for his first Marseille goal. Mbappe, who watched former side Paris Saint-Germain win the Champions League last season after he left for Madrid, almost opened the scoring with a spectacular overhead effort which dropped just wide. Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid’s youngest Champions League starter at 18 years and 33 days, hit the inside of the near post as both teams sought to break the deadlock. The Belgian goalkeeper denied Weah from distance as the Juventus winger, on loan in France, impressed. Real Madrid equalised when Geoffrey Kondogbia clumsily bundled over Rodrygo Goes in the box. Mbappe, in fine form at the start of the season, dispatched the penalty past Rulli’s outstretched arm. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang drilled just wide and then tested Courtois in the second half as Marseille continued to give as good as they got. Madrid finished the second game running with 10 men after Carvajal squared off with Rulli and then pushed his head into the goalkeeper’s. Medina slid in to challenge Vinicius and the ball hit his arm, with the referee awarding a penalty, which Mbappe gratefully dispatched to claim victory for Los Blancos. Kylian Mbappé has now scored 50 goals as Real Madrid player since joining Los Blancos in July 2024. However, just as they did against Real Sociedad after Dean Huijsen’s red card, they finished with three points. Source: msn

Juventus came back from two goals down in stoppage time to draw 4-4 in a thrilling Champions League match with Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. Lloyd Kelly saved a point for Juve in the final seconds of the game in Turin by heading home a pinpoint cross from Dusan Vlahovic, who had scored what looked like a consolation goal in the fourth minute of added time. Igor Tudor’s team seemed down and out when Ramy Bensebaini rolled home Dortmund’s fourth from the penalty spot in the 86th minute. But just as at the weekend, when Juve struck late to beat fierce rivals Inter Milan, Kelly stepped up to earn Juve a draw and spark bedlam in the Allianz Stadium stands. Englishman Kelly’s equaliser was the final act of a match which exploded into life in the second half after a soporific opening period. Little had happened by the time Karim Adeyemi lashed in Dortmund’s opening goal from Serhou Guirassy’s quick pass, with Maximilian Beier grazing the outside of the post from an improbable angle seconds before the first major bit of action. But Adeyemi’s goal sparked a previously uninspiring match into life, with Guirassy somehow failing to score from six yards out moments later after bundling his way to in front of Juve goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Juve woke up, with Teun Koopmeiners blasting over following a neat exchange of passes with Lois Openda, and in the 63rd minute Kenan Yildiz levelled the scores with a brilliant curling strike reminiscent of Italian icon Alessandro Del Piero. The cheers from that goal had barely died down when seconds later Felix Nmecha was allowed too much space to smash Dortmund back into the lead from just outside the penalty area. Vlahovic, who looked on the way out during the close season, put Juve level in the 68th minute, the Serbia striker confidently stroking home his third goal of the season from Yildiz’s pass. Yan Couto put Dortmund ahead again with a powerful low drive which squirmed through the slippery fingers of Di Gregorio in the 75th minute. And when Guirassy’s shot smashed into Kelly’s arm as the defender slid to block, Bensebaini struck what looked likely to be the killer blow. But Juve kept pushing and inspired by Vlahovic, the Serie A team somehow scrambled a result out of nowhere. Source: hindustantimes

Tottenham beat Villarreal 1-0 at home as Thomas Frank’s side secured a narrow victory in his first Champions League game as head coach. A spine-tingling atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before kick-off had barely simmered down before Luiz Junior spilled the ball into his own net from a Lucas Bergvall cross to give the hosts the lead in just the fourth minute. That goal marked Spurs’ fastest in the history of the tournament and while the showing in the first half hinted that they would add to their tally, the performance quickly tapered off following the restart. A rejuvenated Villarreal came out after the break, coupled with a degree of sloppiness from Frank’s men, but they would gather themselves to hold on and ensure all three points were secured in their first Champions League game since March 2023. Source: skysports

The Gunners beat their Spanish opponents 2-0 at the Estadio de San Mames on Tuesday night to make it a perfect start to their league phase campaign. Second half substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard proved to be the difference after replacing Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres respectively. Just 36 seconds after coming on, Martinelli latched onto a flick from Trossard where he raced clear on goal. He then proceeded to squeeze the ball under Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon in the 72nd minute – scoring Arsenal’s fastest ever substitute goal in the Champions League. And in the 87th minute, Martinelli returned the favour by teeing up the Belgian forward after great work down the byline. Trossard swivelled in the box and found the back of the net with a deflected strike to seal a well-deserved three points. In doing so, the two substitutes have become the first Arsenal players to assist each other’s goals as substitutes in the Champions League. But more impressively, victory at Bilbao has seen Mikel Arteta’s side enter the record books in club football’s most prestigious competition. Arsenal have become the first side in European Cup and Champions League history to win six consecutive matches against Spanish teams. Source: talksports

Atlético Madrid have been dealt a major double injury blow ahead of their Champions League opener against Liverpool on Wednesday. Strikers Julian Álvarez and midfielder Johnny Cardoso have both been ruled out of the clash. The news is a major setback for the Spanish side, who are already dealing with a number of injury problems in their squad. The absence of the two players will put a lot of pressure on manager Diego Simeone’s side, as they travel to Anfield for what is arguably their most difficult fixture in the league phase this season. Álvarez’s injury is a major blow for his side. The forward was a key part of Atlético’s attack last season, scoring seven goals in 10 Champions League games. His absence, along with the other four players who are ruled out, will be a major challenge for the Spanish side as they look to get their Champions League campaign off to a good start. Julian Álvarez suffered a knee injury during Atlético’s 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday. The Argentine forward, who assisted Pablo Barrios for the opening goal, was substituted at half-time and has not trained with the group since. Meanwhile, Johnny Cardoso is also a late withdrawal, due to a sprained left ankle sustained in training on Monday. Cardoso had been testing as a starter in midfield, which means Simeone will have to change his intended line-up. The absence of Julian Álvarez and Johnny Cardoso will have a major impact on the game as Alvarez is pivotal in Atlético’s attack and Cardoso’s control in the midfield will be missed. The Premier League champions will be looking to take advantage of the situation and get their Champions League campaign off to a good start.

Benjamin Mendy is set to join Pogon Szczecin after a brief stint at Zurich. Benjamin Mendy (31 years old) continues his. The left-back, free since the end of his contract at Zurich last month, will sign a one-year contract (plus an option) with Pogon, currently 9th in the Polish Championship. The club, recently bought by a philanthropist, has the ambition to conquer the championship title. Trained in Le Havre and then passed through Marseille (2013-2016), Monaco (2016-2017), Manchester City (2017-2023), Lorient (2023-February 2025) and finally Zurich (February-July 2025), Mendy will therefore know a seventh club in his professional career and a fourth country. Source: l’equipe