Lionel Messi scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Juventus in Tuesday's Champions League opener, earning a measure of...
Lionel Messi scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 3-0 win over Juventus in Tuesday's Champions League opener, earning a measure of revenge for their elimination by the same team last season.
Four months after Juventus knocked them out in the
quarterfinals, Barcelona began the group stage with a victory at the Camp Nou
as Messi scored just before the break and helped set up a second before adding
Barca's third.
Ousmane Dembele, making his first Barcelona start since his
€150 million move from Dortmund this summer, nearly broke through after
intercepting a risky pass from Mattia De Sciglio in the box, but could only
fire wide.
De Sciglio had to come off with a knock soon afterwards and
Messi provided the opener just before the break by rolling a shot inside the
far post after a one-two with Luis Suarez.
Messi nearly had a second soon after the break but his shot
from 20 yards shook the post and then came back off of Gianluigi Buffon before
falling out of play.
The Argentine then played a large role in Barcelona's second
as he ran the ball to the byline and his cross fell for Ivan Rakitic to lash
home, and then he added his second goal in the 69th minute.
In the other Group D game, Sporting Lisbon secured a 3-2 win
away to Olympiakos.
It took less than two minutes for Seydou Doumbia to head
home the opener, and Gelson Martins had the visitors 2-0 up inside 13 minutes
following a counter-attack.
Bruno Fernandes got behind the defence two minutes before
half-time to add a third as the Portuguese side went top of the group despite
Felipe Pardo's late brace providing some consolation for the hosts.
Manchester United marked their return to Champions League
football with a comfortable 3-0 home win over Basel.
United made a fast start, with striker Romelu Lukaku having
an early shot blocked and Ashley Young shooting wide soon afterwards.
But they were rocked after 19 minutes when midfielder Paul
Pogba, stretching for a challenge, suffered what looked to be a hamstring
injury and was replaced by Marouane Fellaini.
Jose Mourinho's side were within a whisker of taking the
lead when Henrikh Mkhitaryan's low strike came back off a post, with the same
player seeing the rebound blocked.
But they had the advantage when Young crossed and substitute
Fellaini headed home to break the deadlock 10 minutes before the break, and the
lead was doubled when Romelu Lukaku headed home a corner early in the second
half.
Basel almost pulled a goal back when David De Gea made a
brilliant save to deny Mohamed Elyounoussi after he produced a sharp turn and
shot, but with seven minutes remaining United made it three when Marcus
Rashford finished off a Fellaini cross.
Also in Group A, CSKA Moscow came from a goal down to win
2-1 at Benfica.
A blistering first half performance by Paris Saint-Germain
saw their star forward line all on target as Scottish champions Celtic were
thrashed 5-0 at Celtic Park in Group B.
PSG made the majority of the early running and had chances
before, with 20 minutes gone, Neymar broke through when he clipped home a fine
finish.
Celtic were not lying down and Leigh Griffiths saw a free
kick tipped away by Alphonse Areola, but went two down when Kylian Mbappe
picked up a loose ball to put PSG firmly in control after 34 minutes.
Any faint hopes of a Celtic revival were snuffed out five
minutes before the break as Jozo Simunovic pulled back Cavani inside the area
and the striker slotted home the penalty.
Brendan Rodgers' side conceded a fourth when Mikael Lustig
put the ball into his own net inside the game's last 10 minutes, and there was
still time for Cavani to rub salt into Celtic wounds with the fifth.
Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich began their campaign with
a comfortable 3-0 home win over Belgian champions Anderlecht.
Bayern dominated the early stages, with James Rodriguez
failing to convert an excellent headed chance, but led after 12 minutes as
Anderlecht were reduced to 10 men.
The incident happened when Sven Kums pulled back striker
Robert Lewandowski inside the area, with the referee showing him a red card and
awarding a spot kick that Lewandowski converted.
Bayern began the second half on the front foot and their
pressure told after 65 minutes when Joshua Kimmich's low cross was converted by
Thiago Alcantara.
And Kimmich got the goal his performance had deserved when
he rounded off the scoring in the 90th minute.
In Group C, new signing Davide Zappacosta scored a
spectacular goal on his full Chelsea debut in a simple 6-0 win over Qarabag.
Pedro Rodriguez powered home the opener from 20 yards in the
fifth minute, but it was Zappacosta's strike on the half-hour that will grab
the headlines.
The defender received the ball from Thibaut Courtois not far
from his own goal and turned up the speed, evading two defenders on the
touchline before firing into the net from the side of the box with the Qarabag
keeper expecting a cross.
Cesar Azpilicueta's header made it 3-0 in the 55th minute,
before substitute Tiemoue Bakayoko also scored his first goal for Chelsea when
the ball fell to him in the box in the 71st minute.
Michy Batshuayi completed the rout, adding a brace with
goals in the 76th and 82nd minutes, the first swith a shot from outside the box
and the second bundled over the line.
Chelsea enjoy an early two-point lead atop the group as
rivals Roma and Atletico Madrid played out a goalless draw at the Stadio Olimpico.
Saul Niguez squandered a gilt-edged chance at the death as
his effort was saved by keeper Alisson before he smashed the rebound against
the post to let the Italians off the hook.
