Tag: UEFA Champions League

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Liverpool down Real Madrid in Champions League; Bayern edge PSG

Alexis Mac Allister scored the only goal as Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Luis Diaz grabbed a brace as Bayern Munich sunk title-holders Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in the French capital.

Premier League leaders Arsenal won 3-0 at Slavia Prague as rising star Max Dowman came off the bench to become the youngest player in the competition’s history, at just 15 years and 308 days old.

Leaders Bayern and second-placed Arsenal remain the only teams with a perfect record in the competition — alongside Inter Milan, who play their fourth match on Wednesday against Kazakh newcomers Kairat Almaty.

At Anfield, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois produced a stellar performance to frustrate six-time champions Liverpool.

In a performance reminiscent of his match-defining display in the 2022 final against the same opposition — which the Spaniards won 1-0 — Courtois produced eight saves to keep back the hosts.

“He is a fantastic ‘keeper — we all know,” Mac Allister told Amazon Prime. “But today I think we were better and deserved to win.”

The Argentinian eventually broke Courtois’ resistance shortly after the hour with a header from a Dominik Szoboszlai free-kick in an encounter which saw former Liverpool hero Trent Alexander-Arnold return to his hometown amid a hail of boos when he emerged from the Madrid bench late on.

Arne Slot will be hoping the result marks a turning point for his side after they had come into the match with six defeats in their previous eight outings.

For previously unbeaten Madrid, it was first defeat in any competition since September’s 5-2 reversal at Atletico Madrid.

“It’s a tough blow to take because we came from a run of good games, but the important thing is to move forwards,” Real’s Fede Valverde told Movistar.

PSG welcomed Bayern to the Parc des Princes for a fixture which midfielder Vitinha had said would bring together “the two best teams in Europe”.

And it was the Bundesliga champions who emerged victorious as they made it 16 wins from 16 outings in all competitions this season.

“I know the Champions League winner is not decided now, otherwise PSG would not have won it last season,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said.

“But this was a very important three points.”

Summer signing Diaz claimed the headlines as he netted a brace before being sent off for a dangerous tackle on Achraf Hakimi, all in the opening 45 minutes.

Hakimi had to be helped from the field in tears, following recent Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele who came off after just 25 minutes.

Bayern took the lead inside five minutes and then overwhelmed PSG’s usually unflappable midfield and defence with their intense pressing game.

Diaz grabbed a second when he robbed Marquinhos of possession and slotted home after the half-hour.

His dismissal then changed the game as PSG fought back in the second period but Joao Neves’ 74th-minute header was not enough to stop the Ligue 1 champions falling to a first defeat in this year’s league phase.

Bayern, on the other hand, sit top with a perfect 12 points.

Arsenal lie just behind them after a Mikel Merino-inspired win in the Czech Republic earned them a fourth win from four.

The Spaniard netted twice in the second period to seal victory against Slavia Prague, after Bukayo Saka opened the scoring from 12 yards in the 32nd minute.

Another clean sheet meant Mikel Arteta’s side are still yet to concede in the competition this year.

“We are a very strong team, we are performing in an amazing way with a lot of clean sheets,” Merino said.

“But we know that this is just the beginning and we have to keep up this good work in the future to win big things.”

Elsewhere, Micky van de Ven scored a stunning solo effort as Europa League winners Tottenham won 4-0 at home to FC Copenhagen.

Atletico Madrid got back to winning ways following a heavy defeat to Arsenal last time out by seeing off Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise 3-1.

Serie A sides Napoli and Juventus both endured frustrating draws as the league champions played out a goalless stalemate at home to Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting Lisbon held Juventus 1-1 — the Old Lady’s third draw so far this campaign.

Monaco earned a first win, 1-0 at debutants Bodo/Glimt of Norway, and PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 at Olympiacos.

On Wednesday, Inter Milan will seek to rejoin Bayern and Arsenal atop the standings, while Manchester City host Borussia Dortmund and Athletic Bilbao travel to Newcastle’s St James’ Park. (JapanToday)

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Super Lig: Osimhen nets again as Galatasaray edge Göztepe 3–1

Victor Osimhen continued his fine run of form as Galatasaray came from behind to beat Göztepe 3–1 at the RAMS Park on Sunday.

Efkan Bekiroğlu shocked the hosts with an early opener after just six minutes.

Galatasaray has Osimhen to thank for a leveller in the 19th minute.

The Nigerian striker capitalised on a defensive error — his third league goal of the season.

His fine performance comes days after his brace earned Galatasaray a 3-1 win over Bodø/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League last Wednesday.

Galatasaray went on to take control in the second half through strikes from Gabriel Sara and Mauro Icardi, either side of Göztepe’s efforts, before the visitors ultimately fell short.

The victory keeps Galatasaray top of the Turkish Super Lig with 28 points, five clear of second-placed Trabzonspor.

Göztepe remain fifth on 16 points after suffering only their second defeat of the campaign. (Punch)

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Liverpool back on track while Real, Bayern and Chelsea win in Champions League

Hugo Ekitike scored against his old club as Liverpool got back on track with a 5-1 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday while Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich were among the night’s other winners.

The Anfield side came into their trip to Germany reeling after a run of four consecutive defeats which included a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray in their last Champions League outing.

They bounced back in style by coming from behind to hammer Eintracht, who suffered a second straight 5-1 defeat in Europe — having started their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win.

Rasmus Kristensen gave the hosts the lead but Ekitike broke away to equalise against the team he left in July in a £79 million ($105.5m) deal.

Virgil van Dijk headed the visitors in front at a corner on 39 minutes and Ibrahima Konate made it 3-1 before the interval in almost identical fashion.

Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai added further goals in the second half as Liverpool moved up to 10th in the 36-team league phase standings.

“I don’t know if it’s a statement but it is a win and something to build on,” Van Dijk told broadcaster TNT Sports.

Chelsea won by the same scoreline against Ajax at Stamford Bridge, in a match which featured an early red card and three first-half penalties.

Kenneth Taylor was sent off for the Dutch visitors before Marc Guiu and Moises Caicedo scored for the Premier League side.

Wout Weghorst pulled one back from the spot for Ajax but Enzo Fernandez and Estevao both converted penalties before half-time for Chelsea.

Tyrique George rounded off the scoring in the second half as for the first time in Champions League history three teenagers scored for the same team.

“We trust a lot of young players,” said Maresca after the goals for Guiu, Estevao and George. “That is the strategy of the club, but not only the ones that we buy. Also the ones from the academy.”

Chelsea have now won their last two European outings since beginning their campaign with a 3-1 defeat at Bayern.

Ajax, meanwhile, are bottom of the standings as one of only two teams without a point after three games — the other is Jose Mourinho’s Benfica.

Bayern are one of five teams with the maximum nine points as Harry Kane scored his 20th goal in 12 club appearances this season in a 4-0 cruise against Club Brugge at the Allianz Arena.

Lennart Karl, 17, got the opener before Kane, Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson also hit the target for the Bundesliga champions.

Madrid also have nine points following a hard-earned 1-0 victory against Juventus at the Santiago Bernabeu as England captain Kane’s compatriot Jude Bellingham scored for the first time this season.

The goal came just before the hour mark, with Bellingham converting the rebound after Vinicius hit the upright. Juventus have now gone seven games without a win.

“I’m very happy with the win, it was a very tough game with chances at both ends and we had to sweat for it, but it was an important win against a big team,” Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar.

Tottenham Hotspur became the only one of England’s six representatives to fail to win this midweek as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Monaco.

In Lisbon, Portuguese champions Sporting came from behind to defeat Marseille 2-1 in a game which hinged on a red card in first-half stoppage time.

Igor Paixao’s stunner put Marseille ahead, but Emerson Palmieri was dismissed for a second yellow for diving after a decision to award him a penalty was overturned.

Sporting used the extra man to equalise in the second half through Geny Catamo before Alisson Santos got their winner.

Nigeria superstar Victor Osimhen netted twice as Galatasaray beat Bodo/Glimt 3-1 in Istanbul, with Yunus Akgun scoring their other goal before Andreas Helmersen pulled one back.

Athletic Bilbao beat Qarabag of Azerbaijan 3-1 at San Mames, coming from behind after Leandro Andrade had given the visitors a first-minute lead. Gorka Guruzeta bagged a brace for the Basque side either side of a Robert Navarro goal.

Atalanta and Slavia Prague drew 0-0 in the night’s other game.

The next round of Champions League action in a fortnight will include clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern, and Liverpool and Real. (JapanToday)

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PSG hit seven, Barcelona, Arsenal run riot as Champions League rains goals

Paris Saint-Germain scored seven and both Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven hit six in big victories while Arsenal crushed Atletico Madrid 4-0 on a prolific night of Champions League action on Tuesday.

Erling Haaland was among the scorers in Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Villarreal as a total of 43 goals rained down across nine games.

However, it was champions PSG who stole the show with their 7-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.

Desire Doue scored twice in between goals by Willian Pacho and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for PSG in a first half which saw Alejandro Grimaldo miss a penalty and Aleix Garcia net from the spot for Leverkusen.

Both sides had a man sent off in the opening period, with Robert Andrich seeing red for Leverkusen and Illia Zabarnyi walking for the visitors.

Nuno Mendes got the French side’s fifth goal shortly after the break and Garcia pulled it back to 5-2.

Ousmane Dembele, on his return from injury and first appearance since winning the Ballon d’Or, got PSG’s sixth and Vitinha completed the scoring at the death.

“I am not yet at 100 percent. I wanted to play at the weekend and the coach told me to wait a bit, but I felt great,” Dembele told broadcaster Canal Plus.

It is the first time PSG have scored seven goals away from home in a Champions League game, and they are top of the standings after three outings in the league phase, with a maximum nine points and the best goal difference.

Inter Milan and Arsenal are the other teams with a 100 percent record after three outings, with the Italians easing to a 4-0 victory at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels.

Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martinez both netted late in the first half before Hakan Calhanoglu added a penalty soon after the restart and Pio Esposito completed the scoring.

Meanwhile Premier League leaders Arsenal hammered Atletico at the Emirates Stadium, as Mikel Arteta’s side made it three straight wins all with clean sheets in Europe this season.

All the goals came in the second half, with Gabriel putting them ahead and Gabriel Martinelli getting the second before Viktor Gyokeres struck twice to end a run of seven club appearances without finding the net.

“Hopefully it’s the start of some beautiful sequence now,” said Arteta of the Sweden striker.

Haaland put City ahead against Villarreal in Spain and Bernardo Silva got their second goal before half-time as Pep Guardiola’s team moved on to seven points from three outings.

Norway superstar Haaland kept up his remarkable record in front of goal this season and he has now found the net 15 times in 11 appearances for City in all competitions.

“I see that things are looking good, we are playing a little bit better day after day and that’s a good sign,” Guardiola told broadcaster Movistar.

Felix Nmecha hit a brace as Borussia Dortmund won 4-2 away to FC Copenhagen, with Ramy Bensebaini converting a penalty and Fabio Silva also scoring.

Waldemar Anton’s own goal had brought the Danes back level at one point in the first half, while Viktor Dadason got their other goal late on. They are yet to win in the league phase.

Beaten at home by PSG last time out, Barcelona bounced back to thump Olympiacos 6-1 at Montjuic as Fermin Lopez starred with a hat-trick.

Lamine Yamal got his name on the scoresheet with a penalty and Marcus Rashford scored twice, with Ayoub El Kaabi’s spot-kick scant consolation for the Greeks.

Newcastle United got their second straight win in the competition by easing to a 3-0 victory against Benfica at St James’ Park.

Anthony Gordon got the opener and Harvey Barnes emerged from the bench to score twice in the second half, leaving Jose Mourinho’s Benfica as the only team to have no points having played three games.

PSV claimed a stunning 6-2 home win against Italian champions Napoli, despite Scott McTominay giving the visitors the lead in the first half.

An Alessandro Buongiorno own goal restored parity and Ismael Saibari put PSV ahead before Dennis Man scored twice and both Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech also found the net.

McTominay pulled another one back for Napoli, who had Lorenzo Lucca sent off.

The night’s other game ended in a 0-0 draw between rank outsiders Kairat Almaty and Pafos of Cyprus in Kazakhstan. (JapanToday)

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PSG stuns Barcelona in Champions League; Man City held by Monaco

Title-holders Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Barcelona 2-1 with a last-minute goal in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Manchester City had to settle for a draw in Monaco despite Erling Haaland’s double.

Elsewhere there were comfortable wins for Arsenal and Newcastle United, as Napoli and Borussia Dortmund were among the other teams to claim victories on the second matchday of the league phase.

The meeting at Montjuic of the Spanish champions and the reigning French and European champions was one of the most eagerly anticipated of the opening stages of this season’s competition.

It lived up to its billing, despite Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele missing out injured for an understrength PSG, with Lamine Yamal showing flashes of his brilliance for the hosts.

Barcelona went ahead in the 19th minute as a well-worked move ended with Marcus Rashford setting up Ferran Torres to score.

Senny Mayulu equalised late in the first half for PSG, and Achraf Hakimi set up substitute Goncalo Ramos to net a 90th-minute winner as PSG made it two victories from two outings in this season’s Champions League.

“It was a great game between two really good sides,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told Canal Plus. “It shows the strength and mentality of our side that whoever is on the field we play like a real team.”

Haaland scored twice in the first half to move to 52 career Champions League goals from 50 appearances, but 2023 tournament winners City were held 2-2 in Monaco.

Jordan Teze’s stunning hit in between Haaland’s strikes kept Monaco in the game until they won a late penalty as Nico Gonzalez was penalised following a VAR review for a high boot on Eric Dier.

Dier got up to convert from the spot and give Monaco their first point in the competition, denying City a second win from as many outings.

“I don’t know if it was a penalty but it was given. So that’s that,” City coach Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports. “It is what it is. We have a point and we will take it.”

Arsenal maintained their 100 percent record with a 2-0 defeat of Olympiakos in London, with Gabriel Martinelli following in to score a 12th-minute opener after a Viktor Gyokeres attempt hit the post.

The Gunners sealed the points in stoppage time as substitute Bukayo Saka scored with a shot that squirmed under Greek goalkeeper Kostas Tzolakis.

“Winning in the Champions League is always very complicated. It is yet another clean sheet for the boys in the competition, which is remarkable,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.

Earlier, Newcastle got their campaign up and running by cruising to a 4-0 victory over Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels.

Nick Woltemade diverted a Sandro Tonali shot into the net for the opener, his third goal in four starts for the club.

Anthony Gordon then scored two penalties, either side of half-time, before substitute Harvey Barnes wrapped up the success late on.

Dortmund were also impressive winners, as the beaten 2024 finalists tore into Athletic Bilbao, winning 4-1.

Daniel Svensson put them ahead in the first half and Carney Chukwuemeka made it two soon after the interval.

Gorka Guruzeta got one back for Athletic, but Serhou Guirassy and Julian Brandt sealed a fine win for the German club.

In southern Italy, Rasmus Hojlund bagged a brace as Napoli claimed their maiden European victory this season, beating Sporting 2-1. Luis Suarez had equalised for the Portuguese champions at one point in the second half with a penalty.

Juventus, who drew 4-4 with Dortmund in a thriller in their opening game, played out a 2-2 stalemate with Villarreal in Spain.

Georges Mikautadze gave the hosts the lead, only for Federico Gatti to equalise with an overhead kick before Chico Conceicao gave the Italians the advantage.

But Renato Veiga, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus from Chelsea, headed in to earn Villarreal a draw.

Bayer Leverkusen and PSV Eindhoven drew 1-1 in Germany, with Christian Kofane giving the hosts the lead only for Ismael Saibari to equalise for the Dutch side.

Qarabag are the sensation of the competition so far, the club from Azerbaijan following a win over Benfica two weeks ago by beating FC Copenhagen 2-0 in Baku.Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai got their goals and Qarabag are one of six teams on six points, along with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, Inter Milan and Arsenal. (JapanToday)

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Liverpool lose to Galatasaray in Champions League; Chelsea beats Benfica

A Victor Osimhen penalty gave Galatasaray victory over Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday, while Chelsea edged out Jose Mourinho’s Benfica and Kylian Mbappe hit a hat-trick for Real Madrid in Kazakhstan.

Elsewhere in the second round of matches in the league phase of Europe’s elite club competition, Tottenham battled back to draw with Bodo/Glimt as Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Marseille and Inter Milan recorded big wins.

In Istanbul, Osimhen beat Alisson Becker from the spot in the 16th minute, giving Galatasaray a 1-0 win and condemning Liverpool to a second straight loss after their defeat by Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The English champions thought they had a chance to equalise late on when Ibrahima Konate went down and a penalty was given, but the referee overturned his decision on review.

Liverpool, who finished first in the league phase last season, also saw Alisson go off injured in the second half before the introductions off the bench of Mohamed Salah and Alexander Isak failed to have the desired impact.

“The margins were very small last season but then we were a lot of times on the right side of the score,” coach Arne Slot said.

“Today again the margins were really small, but for the second time in a row on the wrong side.”

Liverpool will now hope to bounce back on Saturday away to Chelsea, who themselves got back to winning ways with a 1-0 success against Benfica as the Portuguese giants’ new coach Mourinho came back to Stamford Bridge.

Richard Rios turned an Alejandro Garnacho cross into his own net for the only goal of the game in the 18th minute, with Benfica unable to recover as Mourinho returned to face the club he coached over two separate spells.

Chelsea had substitute Joao Pedro sent off in stoppage time but Enzo Maresca’s side were delighted to get the win after losing their opening European game of the campaign at Bayern.

“A defeat is always a defeat but this one can be a start for us. It was a stable performance,” Mourinho said of his team.

Spurs escaped Norway with a point in a 2-2 draw with Bodo/Glimt in a game played north of the Arctic Circle.

Kasper Hogh missed a penalty for the hosts before a brilliant second-half brace from Jens Petter Hauge had them two goals in front.

However, Micky van de Ven pulled one back on 68 minutes for last season’s Europa League winners, and Spurs then got a lucky 89th-minute equalizer when a Nikita Haikin save smashed into the stomach of Jostein Gundersen from close range and trickled over the line.

Record 15-time European champions Real made the long trip east to face Kairat Almaty and ran out 5-0 winners.

Mbappe opened the scoring from a first-half penalty and made it 2-0 soon after the break before firing in from the edge of the area to complete his hat-trick on 73 minutes, making it 60 career Champions League goals.

The Frenchman has now scored 13 goals in nine games in all competitions this season for Real, who also saw Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Diaz net towards the end.

Bayern also scored five, with Harry Kane netting twice in the first half in a 5-1 win away to Pafos in Cyprus. The England star now has 17 goals in nine games in all competitions this season for his club.

Raphael Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Michael Olise also found the net for Bayern, while Mislav Orsic scored for the hosts.

“I’m going into games with confidence, knowing I’ll get my chances. Scored a couple more goals today, I’m happy with that,” Kane said.

Atletico followed a 5-2 win over Real in the Madrid derby last weekend by thumping Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1.

Giacomo Raspadori, Robin Le Normand, Antoine Griezmann and Giuliano Simeone netted for Atletico before Julian Alvarez scored a late penalty. Griezmann’s goal was his 200th for the club. Jonathan Burkardt pulled one back for Eintracht.

Igor Paixao netted twice in the opening 12 minutes as Marseille hammered Ajax 4-0. Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were also on target.

Lautaro Martinez got a brace either side of a Denzel Dumfries goal as last season’s runners-up Inter eased to a 3-0 win over Slavia Prague at San Siro.

Mario Pasalic scored a late winner as Atalanta beat Club Brugge 2-1, after a Lazar Samardzic penalty had cancelled out a Christos Tzolis opener for the Belgians. (JapanToday)

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PSG cruises, Liverpool wins late yet again, Bayern and Inter also start well in Champions League


Title holder Paris Saint-Germain roared to victory in the Champions League on Wednesday, and Liverpool found yet another late winning goal in its stunning start to the season.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk soared to score with a header in the second minute of stoppage time to seal a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid when it seemed his team was going to waste a two-goal lead seized after just six minutes.

Bayern Munich and Inter Milan both won rematches of past finals — against Chelsea and Ajax, respectively — to start their eight-game league-phase programs, and newcomers Bodo/Glimt and Pafos impressed with hard-earned draws on the road.

PSG cruised to a 4-0 win at home over Atalanta and had the luxury of a penalty miss by Bradley Barcola not mattering much in the end.

“It’s a joy to see such a performance. I think our fans can be happy,” PSG coach Luis Enrique said.

Liverpool seemed to be sailing with early goals from Andy Robertson and a typically fine strike by Mohamed Salah but was pegged back by Marcos Llorente’s goals in first-half stoppage time and the 81st.

Llorente also scored twice at Anfield in 2020 when Atletico eliminated the then-defending champion in the round of 16.

Bayern held off Chelsea 3-1 with two goals from Harry Kane, whose England teammate Cole Palmer scored an impressive goal for the visitors. It was a very belated revenge for Bayern losing the 2012 final to Chelsea in its home stadium.

Inter got two powerful headed goals from Marcus Thuram in its 2-0 win at Ajax, which beat the Italians in the 1972 European Cup final.

Norway’s champion Bodo/Glimt had a second-half penalty kick saved and trailed by two goals late at Slavia Prague, before rallying to level at 2-2 in the 90th.

Pafos grinded out a 0-0 draw at Olympiakos after playing with 10 men from the 26th minute. Journeyman Brazilian midfielder Bruno Felipe was sent off for a second yellow-card foul.

Russian-owned Pafos is the first Cypriot team in the Champions League main phase since 2017, and Bodo/Glimt ended Norway’s 18-year absence.

The Ballon d’Or trophy is surely staying in Paris after the annual awards ceremony in the city on Monday.

PSG has campaigned for its currently injured striker Ousmane Dembélé to get the prize for his standout season, though full-backs Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi also would be worthy winners.

Both were attacking threats against Atalanta — which is adapting to life without inspirational coach Gian Piero Gasperini, now at Roma — and Mendes scored in the 51st to make the score 3-0.

The standout goal was Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s rising shot after a dancing run minutes before halftime.

Liverpool has won all four of its Premier League games this season with winning goals after the 80th minute, and twice in the last minute of stoppage time.

So when Atletico Madrid leveled late at Anfield, there was ample time for coach Arne Slot’s team to find the goal it needed. Dominik Szoboszlai swung in a corner from the right, and Virgil van Dijk wrestled away from his marker and steered a strong header back inside the near post.

Slot acknowledged “we should have made it easier for ourselves.”

The new kids on the Champions League block are fast learners.

Three of the four debutants — an unusually high number this season — have played so far, all on the road and all are unbeaten. Belgian champion Union Saint-Gilloise started it Tuesday winning 3-1 at PSV Eindhoven.

Bodo/Glimt and Pafos did not panic when events went against them Wednesday.

The champion of Norway trailed by two goals at Slavia Prague, having had Kasper Høgh’s 54th-minute penalty kick saved, before cutting the deficit in the 78th.

A stunning volley in the 90th by substitute Sondre Brunstad Fet rattled the crossbar and bounced down over the goalline to earn a point preserved by goalkeeper Nikita Haikin’s smart save deep in stoppage time.

Pafos lost both of its Brazilian veterans before halftime, with 38-year-old David Luiz lasting just 33 minutes before going off injured in his first start for the club.

The fourth debutant, Kairat Almaty, plays Thursday at Sporting Lisbon. That meant a 7,000-kilometer (4,350-mile) trip for players and fans from eastern Kazakhstan across four time zones to Portugal’s capital — one of the longest possible in European soccer.

The Champions League stretches into a third day just for the opening round which is completed Thursday with six more games, including 2023 winner Manchester City welcoming back Kevin De Bruyne with Napoli. Barcelona goes to Newcastle without the injured Lamine Yamal.

A stoppage-time comeback by Juventus to draw 4-4 with Borussia Dortmund was the standout game of the first six played Tuesday while Kylian Mbappé converted two penalties and 10-man Real Madrid came back to beat visiting Marseille 2-1. (JapanToday)

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Palmer stars as Chelsea stun PSG to win Club World Cup final

Cole Palmer scored two goals and made another as Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup on Sunday, beating the European champions 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium to win the first edition of FIFA’s new competition.

PSG were the favourites for a game attended by Donald Trump after coming to the United States fresh from winning the UEFA Champions League and having destroyed Real Madrid 4-0 in the semi-finals.

But having been three goals ahead midway through the first half in the semis, this time the roles were reversed as PSG found themselves 3-0 down by the break.

Palmer opened the scoring midway through the first half and struck again to make it two on the half-hour mark, before taking advantage of passive defending to set up Joao Pedro for the third on 43 minutes.

A bad day for PSG was summed up when Joao Neves was shown red following a VAR review four minutes from the end for pulling Marc Cucurella by the hair off the ball.

It was a scoreline that few could have predicted as Chelsea capped what has been a long but memorable season — they are the first ever winners of the 32-team Club World Cup having also won the UEFA Conference League and finished fourth in the Premier League.

They will also take away around $125 million in prize money, meaning the prospect of a drastically curtailed summer break before returning for next season will surely feel worth it.

For PSG, meanwhile, the financial rewards are similar but there will be genuine disappointment at falling short of adding this title to their Champions League triumph and French league and cup double.

Nevertheless, conquering Europe was always the main aim this season for Luis Enrique’s team, who now have exactly a month to digest this and take a holiday before returning to action in the UEFA Super Cup against Tottenham Hotspur.

There was a real sense of occasion at the MetLife Stadium, with the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and with President Trump in attendance along with First Lady Melania Trump in a crowd of 81,118.

There was even the first-ever half-time show at a FIFA tournament, adding a Super Bowl feel to a final played at the home of NFL sides the New York Giants and New York Jets.

As for the football, for the second time in six weeks PSG found themselves involved in a final that quickly turned into a one-sided affair.

The club claimed a historic 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the Champions League final, but here they were ripped apart by Chelsea on another hot afternoon.

Palmer almost put Chelsea ahead inside the opening 10 minutes, before PSG should have scored at the other end only for Desire Doue to try to pass to Achraf Hakimi rather than shoot inside the box, allowing Cucurella to block.

It was Chelsea who struck in the 22nd minute as Malo Gusto got the better of Nuno Mendes down the right before seeing his shot blocked by Lucas Beraldo. The ball came back to Gusto and he teed up Palmer to finish into the bottom-left corner.

Palmer has been the face of Chelsea on billboards in the United States during the tournament and he lived up to his star billing by scoring again on the half-hour. (Punch)

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Club World Cup: Inter Milan strike late to beat Urawa Reds 2-1

Valentin Carboni struck the winning goal in stoppage time as Inter Milan came from behind to beat Urawa Red Diamonds 2-1 on Saturday and knocked the Japanese team out of the Club World Cup.

Ryoma Watanabe got an early opening goal for Urawa Reds, who were backed by a noisy contingent of their supporters at Lumen Field in Seattle.

But captain Lautaro Martinez had scored Inter’s equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Monterrey of Mexico in their first match at the tournament, and he repeated the trick to level matters here with 12 minutes to go.

Carboni, the 20-year-old Argentine who had not made an appearance for Inter in more than two years, then appeared in the 92nd minute to give the Italians the victory.

The result leaves Cristian Chivu’s team in a good position to now go and qualify for the last 16, while a second defeat in as many matches means Urawa Reds are eliminated.

Winners of the Asian Champions League in 2023, Urawa Reds were aiming to bounce back from a 3-1 loss against River Plate in their opening game, and they went in front in the 11th minute.

Takuro Kaneko scored the goal with a good run down the right before his low cross was swept home first-time by Watanabe.

Martinez hit the crossbar from a header for Inter soon after, and it looked as if the UEFA Champions League runners-up might slip to a shock defeat when Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed the target from a good position in the second half.

But they got the leveller in the 78th minute when a Nicolo Barella corner from the left was deftly turned in by Martinez, who scored with an overhead kick as he fell back the way.

The stage was then set for Carboni, who had not played a competitive game since early October after suffering a serious knee injury while on loan at Marseille.

He was on hand to sidefoot into the net after a Petar Sucic shot hit teammate Francesco Esposito, and the ball broke to Carboni inside the area. (Punch)