PSG Dominates Slovan, Liverpool Rally Past Atletico in Champions League Openers
PSG Crushes Slovan Bratislava with Ferran Torres Hat-Trick
Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their Champions League defense with a commanding 6-1 victory over Slovan Bratislava. Ferran Torres stood out by scoring three goals, showcasing his sharp finishing at Parc des Princes.
The match began intensely as Ousmane Dembele scored twice within the first 22 minutes—first capitalizing on a rebound and then heading in a deflected cross. Shortly before halftime, Torres converted a cross from Dembele to put PSG ahead. He quickly followed that with a second goal early in the second half.
Torres completed his hat-trick in the 57th minute with a knee-shot that spun into the bottom corner. Despite Suleiman Camara's late goal for Slovan, Fabian Ruiz sealed the emphatic win by reacting swiftly to a poor clearance.
Torres Comments on the Season's Start
"It is the Champions League, we always play against tough teams, but we have to be focused first in Ligue 1 because we didn’t start in the right way," Torres said, referring to PSG’s domestic struggles so far.
Liverpool Overcomes Early Deficit to Beat Atletico Madrid
Liverpool followed up their Premier League win over Ipswich by rallying to a 2-1 win against Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Atletico took the lead in the 17th minute when Julian Alvarez, starting his first match of the season, assisted Marcos Llorente, who lobbed the ball over Liverpool’s goalkeeper Alisson. Llorente now boasts five goals in three visits to Anfield.
Five minutes before halftime, Dominik Szoboszlai equalized thanks to a clever backheel pass from Ronald Araujo. Then, just five minutes into the second half, Alexis Mac Allister fired a powerful left-footed shot from outside the box to put Liverpool ahead. Atletico could not respond further.
“I’ve loved it. The atmosphere has been incredible and I feel lucky, lucky to experience it,” said Liverpool’s new manager Andoni Iraola after his Champions League coaching debut.
Arsenal and Barcelona Also Impress in Their Openers
Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Despite several missed chances early on, Martin Odegaard broke the deadlock with a clever one-two and a precise finish with 15 minutes left.
Meanwhile, Barcelona displayed attacking prowess with a 5-1 thrashing of Feyenoord. Raphinha opened the scoring in the third minute and later added a second goal, bringing his season tally to eight. Karim Adeyemi also impressed with a stunning long-range strike.
Lamine Yamal scored from a free kick, while substitute Gabriel Jesus headed in his first goal for the club. Feyenoord managed a consolation through Sem Steijn.
Other Notable Results
- Stuttgart eased past Norwegian champions Viking 3-1, with Ermedin Demirovic scoring a first-half hat-trick.
- Sporting Lisbon, quarter-finalists last season, came from behind to beat Galatasaray 3-1.
Upcoming Challenges for PSG
PSG looks to continue their winning momentum with upcoming Champions League matches against Manchester City away and hosting Barcelona soon. They aim to join an elite group of clubs that have won three consecutive European Cups.
