20 goals were scored on the first matchday of the 2015/2016 Champions League season. Joy Sports brings you a review of Tuesday's action.
Manchester City crashed to a 2-1 defeat in their Champions League opener against Juventus, despite taking the lead early in the second half.
A Giorgio Chiellini own goal had given the home side a deserved lead, but they were pegged back by two well-taken strikes from Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata.
City should have taken the lead inside the first two minutes. The irrepressible Fernandinho won the ball in midfield and played Raheem Sterling in on goal but his effort was too close to Gianluigi Buffon, who saved easily.
Paul Pogba thought he had opened the scoring when he turned in a Juan Cuadrado cross, only for it to be ruled out for offside against Alvaro Morata. The visitors contained City for much of the first half, reducing them to half chances with Wilfried Bony blazing a decent opportunity wide before Fernandinho came close with a shot from distance.
But Manuel Pellegrini’s side weren’t to be denied much longer, though in suspect circumstances, as Vincent Kompany climbed all over Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulders to steer the ball beyond the stranded Buffon. Moments later Buffon made an excellent one-handed save from Sterling and then denied David Silva on the rebound.
The lead lasted barely 20 minutes, though, as Mario Mandzukic guided Paul Pogba’s excellent whipped cross beyond Joe Hart. Within 10 minutes the game had slipped away from City as Alvaro Morata hooked a wonderful left-footed strike inside Hart’s right hand post to seal victory for the visitors.
Memphis Depay struck against his old club but Manchester United's Champions League campaign started with a disappointing 2-1 loss at PSV Eindhoven in a match that was overshadowed by a serious injury to Luke Shaw.
The England defender was stretchered off taking gas and air following a lengthy delay after he was involved in a leg-breaking challenge with Hector Moreno on 15 minutes.
The Mexican defender lunged in on Shaw inside his own penalty but somehow escaped without punishment.
United eventually recovered their composure to snare the lead when Depay showed bewitching footwork to jink in from the left and coolly fire under Jeroen Zoet.
But ironically it was Moreno, who perhaps should not have been on the pitch, who levelled in first-half stoppage time when his header from a left-wing corner was deflected into the net by Daley Blind.
United dominated the second period with Depay and full debutant, Anthony Martial looking dangerous, but their misery was compounded when they were caught on the break just before the hour.
Luciano Narsingh finished off a lovely move with a firm header into the corner on 57 minutes and despite creating enough chances to snare a point, Louis van Gaal's men came up empty-handed on what was an all-round wretched night in Eindhoven.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 33rd Real Madrid hat-trick as the Spanish side cruised to a 4-0 win in their Champions League opener against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Fresh from a 6-0 win at the weekend, Real went into this game as clear favourites against a Shakhtar team who lost many of their star players in the summer. But Rafa Benitez’s side needed a goalkeeping howler to go in one-up at the break, with Andri Pyatov spilling the ball at the feet of the unmarked Karim Benzema.
Injuries to Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane added to the sense of unease around the Bernabeu as the game got underway in the second half, but a very fortunate penalty decision gifted Ronaldo his first of the night, and a red card for Taras Stepanenko left the Ukrainian visitors facing a mammoth task to rescue anything from their trip to the Spanish capital.
As it was, another penalty gave Cristiano his second goal, before a rasping Marcelo shot was parried into the path of the waiting Portuguese international to hand him his hat-trick.
Angel Di Maria brought his delicate touch to Paris St Germain's game as the French champions started their Champions League campaign with a routine 2-0 home win against Malmo on Tuesday.
Di Maria scored after four minutes of their Group A match o and Edinson Cavani made it 2-0 in the 61st in a one-way encounter at the Parc des Princes.
Playing against the club where he started his career, PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked a bit rusty, having played only one league game in an injury-plagued start to his season. He was replaced by Javier Pastore 15 minutes from time.
Malmo thought their moment had come in the 26th minute but Markus Rosenberg's goal was disallowed after the forward had fouled Thiago Silva.
Angel Di Maria brought his delicate touch to Paris St Germain's game as the French champions started their Champions League campaign with a routine 2-0 home win against Malmo on Tuesday.
Di Maria scored after four minutes of their Group A match o and Edinson Cavani made it 2-0 in the 61st in a one-way encounter at the Parc des Princes.
Playing against the club where he started his career, PSG forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked a bit rusty, having played only one league game in an injury-plagued start to his season. He was replaced by Javier Pastore 15 minutes from time.
Malmo thought their moment had come in the 26th minute but Markus Rosenberg's goal was disallowed after the forward had fouled Thiago Silva.
New signing Julian Draxler scored the winner as VfL Wolfsburg edged past CSKA Moscow 1-0 in their Champions League Group D opener on Tuesday for a winning return to Europe's premier club competition after a six-year absence.
Germany international Draxler, brought in from Schalke 04 for 35 million euros to replace Kevin De Bruyne who joined Manchester City, struck on the rebound in the 40th minute.
Wolfsburg dominated throughout with the Russians defending deep and the hosts could have scored more goals were it not for some sloppy finish.
Last season's Bundesliga runners-up next play Manchester United on Sept. 29 with CSKA taking on Dutch side PSV Eindhoven in the other group match.
Two first-half goals from Antoine Griezmann gave Atletico Madrid a strong start to their Champions League campaign with a 2-0 away win over Galatasaray in their opening Group C fixture on Tuesday.
Griezmann put the visitors ahead in the 18th minute when Juanfran sent in a cross from the right and the French international fired the ball past an outstretched Fernando Muslera in the Galatasaray goal.
Atletico doubled their lead with a second goal from Griezmann in the 25th minute when Diego Godin headed a cross from Koke back across the goal for the winger to knock the ball into the net from close range.
Other Games
Benfica 2-0 Astana (Nicolas Gaitan, K.Mitroglou)
Sevilla 3-0 Moenchengladbach ( Kevin Gameiro, Ever Banega, Y.Konoplyanka)
-
Follow Joy Sports on Twitter: @Joy997FM. Our hashtag is #JoySports
Latest Stories
-
Interplast Ltd wins double honours at 10th Ghana Mining Industry Awards
12 mins -
Coastal CSOs Forum embarks on study trip to enhance Ghana’s coastal resilience efforts
34 mins -
NPP stronger and bigger than any individual – Haruna Mohammed to Prof Frimpong-Boateng
36 mins -
Bawumia lacks emotional attachment to NPP – Prof Frimpong-Boateng
57 mins -
National Cathedral: CHRAJ faults trustees for not recording minutes relating to GH₵2.6m loan advanced by JNS Talent
1 hour -
Photos: JoyNews National Dialogue on Clean Air and Elections
1 hour -
Key highlights from National Election Security Taskforce meeting with EC
1 hour -
EC confirms readiness for special voting exercise on December 2
1 hour -
Recall of Parliament: It’s not left to Minority to determine when to do gov’t business – Habib Iddrisu
2 hours -
Recall of Parliament: We didn’t trigger any constitutional provision – NPP
2 hours -
‘Dr Bawumia represents hope for a brighter and more prosperous Ghana’
2 hours -
Doctors say it’s fine to pee in the shower
2 hours -
Election: My real party is not on the ballot sheet – Prof. Frimpong-Boateng
2 hours -
Stephen Amoah pulls gun on youth who threatened him with toy guns
2 hours -
‘Liars won’t go to heaven’ – Mahama jabs Akufo-Addo on dumsor claims
2 hours