It was a stream of goals and surprises and a few early declarations to welcome the new Champions League league phase. With 18 matches already played, 69 of those goals already form a pretty obvious pattern.
The Sides That Hit Hardest
Paris Saint-Germain made the most noise, with six over Slovan Bratislava to be on top. Bayern Munich had a clean sheet, 5-0 against Bodø/Glimt. Barcelona had scored five goals against Feyenoord, and the show seemed inevitable when the rhythm started, as did the four-goal triumphs by Manchester United. They were held scoreless against Sabah, and debutants Como in a lively 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig. The early table’s sharp end was given by those results.
The Narrow Wins That Still Matter
There was not always a landslide in the victories. Manchester City shut out Porto on the back of two goals from Erling Haaland. Sporting and Stuttgart handled things 3-1, the latter courtesy of Ermedin Demirović’s hat-trick. Aston Villa, Real Betis, Lens, Dortmund and Liverpool all scraped three points in tight contests.
Real Madrid dominated Inter, Arsenal beat LASK 1-0 at the expense of Napoli, and AEK Athens got over. Same result, varying style – three points on the board.
The Sides Still Looking for Answers
Fenerbahçe and Roma were tied with PSV and Shakhtar for the points in draws. The remaining teams begin Matchday 2 with the hope of one of their first points. Heavy defeats leave scars, while narrow losses leave questions.
A single game never decides a campaign; however, the opening night has already given an indication of those that were ready to go and those that were still searching for a home run.
The league phase rewards consistency over months, not single results. But it is evident on the first shot that some clubs have “called the bluff,” others still have some “catch-up” effort to make, and the race is just getting under way.
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