The Etihad Stadium, Parc des Princes, Jan Breydelstadion, Celtic Park, Epet Arena and Stadio Renato Dall'Ara all hosted Champions League clashes on Wednesday night.
It was a real mixed-bag in terms of entertainment in these matches which included a six-goal clash but on the other hand, two goalless draws.
All 12 clubs involved made their debuts in the new look Champions League format in which 36 clubs compete in one league table. The top eight teams advance straight to the Round of 16, the next 16 teams will take place in the Round of 16 playoffs which means that the remaining 12 teams will be knocked out of the competition.
-
Man City 0-0 Inter Milan
It was the most highly anticipated game of the opening match week as the Premier League champions faced off against the Serie A champions. So it goes without saying that a goalless draw was quite a disappointment on paper.
However, it was anything but a bore-draw with plenty of chances for both teams to break the deadlock.
A game in which Inter looked to seek vengeance after the 2022/23 Champions League Final loss against Man City but it was not to be as the hosts had the better chances throughout the game, racking up an impressive 2.35 xG and 22 shots compared to Inter's 0.75 xG.
Phil Foden also came off the bench at half-time and appeared for the first time since the opening day of the Premier League season.
-
PSG 1-0 Girona
Another highly anticipated game but for different reasons was Spanish-side Girona travelling to the Parc des Princes for their first ever Champions League game after qualifying for the competition following a miraculous third-placed finish in LaLiga last season.
However, it ended in heartbreak for the Spanish side as shot-stopper Paulo Gazzaniga allowed a low cross to squirm through his legs into the back of his own net in the 90th minute.
However, it was probably the fair result as PSG dominated the game with 64% possession, 2.10 xG and 26 shots.
-
Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Jamie Gittens was the star of the show in this one despite only coming off the bench in the 68th minute. The 20-year old scored a quick brace to sink the Belgian outfit.
Gittens' fellow substitute Serhou Guirassy added a third goal from the penalty spot in the 95th minute despite the result already being beyond doubt.
The scoreline was harsh on Club Brugge as they accumulated more shots in the game than their counterparts and were very unlucky not to score with 1.30 xG.
-
Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava
The biggest scoreline of the day was in Scotland as Celtic ran riot at home as the hosts broke their drought of not scoring in their opening game of the Champions League since the 2006/07 season!
Brendan Rogers' team now sit second in the Champions League table and joked that “If the competition stops now we play Bayern Munich in the final.”
Celtic's record £11m signing Arne Engels was one of the standout performers racking up a goal from the spot and an assist for Liam Scales' opener.
-
Sparta Prague 3-0 Salzburg
It was a first Champions League appearance for the hosts since 2005, nearly 19 years, and they marked the occasion spectacularly by thumping Austrian side Salzburg, 3-0.
Despite waiting all those years to get back into the competition, they did not have to wait to see their first goal back as Kaan Kairinen netted inside two minutes for the home side.
Further goals from Victor Olatunji and Qazim Laci secured Sparta Prague's first Champions League victory since December 2003.
Another 0-0, but this one not nearly as entertaining as Man City vs Inter.
The best chance of the game came inside just four minutes in the form of a penalty for the away side, but Georgiy Sudakov had his effort saved by Lukasz Skorupski.
After the penalty, it seemed as if Shakhtar were happy to settle for a draw away from home, only attempting four shots from 52% possession.
