European nights, endless drama: UEFA Champions League roundup

Goals, drama, and surprises – the 2024-25 Champions League campaign began in a thrilling manner this week with a mix of upsets, stunning saves and a flurry of goals. From Monaco's victory against 10-man Barcelona to Bayern's nine-goal onslaught, the continent's elite teams had a night to remember.

Ten-man Barcelona lose 2-1 to Monaco

Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday after suffering an early blow from defender Eric Garcia's dismissal.

Barcelona had a dreadful start at the Stade Louis II stadium when Garcia was shown a straight red card 11 minutes in for a foul on Monaco's Takumi Minamino, who was clear in front of goal after a misplaced pass from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The hosts grabbed the lead five minutes later when Maghnes Akliouche struck a low shot into the net, before Barcelona's Lamine Yamal equalised in the 28th minute by finishing from the edge of the penalty area.

It was the first Champions League goal for Yamal who became the second youngest scorer (17-years-old, 68 days) in the competition behind teammate Ansu Fati in 2019 (17-years-old, 40 days).

Monaco kept pushing and got their reward in the 71st minute when substitute George Ilenikhena fired past Ter Stegen to secure victory in their first main stage appearance in five years in Europe's elite club competition.

FC Barcelona's Inigo Martinez looks dejected after the match.Reuters

Record-breaking Bayern crush Dinamo Zagreb 9-2

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane scored four goals to lead his side to a 9-2 demolition of visitors Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday and a record for the most goals by one team in a Champions League match after a scintillating performance.

Bayern struck three times in the first half with Kane converting a 19th minute penalty before becoming the highest scoring English player in European Cup history with 33 goals, breaking Wayne Rooney's mark of 30.

Kane, who scored three goals against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on Saturday, also became the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a European Cup match.

The game had the second-biggest winning margin in Champions League history, with Liverpool and Real Madrid holding the record with 8-0 wins.

Borussia Dortmund's 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw in 2016 is the record for most goals overall in a Champions League match.

Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka celebrates scoring their ninth goal with Harry Kane and Serge Gnabry.Reuters

Raya wonder save earns Arsenal a point at Atalanta

Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya secured his side a hard-earned point with a sensational penalty save in a 0-0 draw away to Atalanta in their Champions League opener on Thursday.

Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat out Mateo Retegui's spot kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward's follow up header.

It was a gritty display by Mikel Arteta's side who soaked up home pressure inside a raucous Stadio di Bergamo and occasionally looked dangerous at the other end.

It was the first ever clash between the sides with Atalanta having qualified for the competition by finishing fourth in Serie A last season, while they also won the Europa League.

Arsenal face Paris St Germain at home in their second game but now all eyes are on Sunday's clash at Premier League champions Manchester City.

Arsenal's David Raya celebrates with William Saliba after saving a penalty from Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.Reuters

Inter Milan hold Man City to surprise 0-0 draw

Inter Milan escaped Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, exacting a small measure of revenge for their narrow loss to Pep Guardiola's side in the 2023 final.

Both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair. City were largely stalled by Inter's impressive discipline in defence, while Simone Inzaghi's Inter, who were dangerous on the break on a nervy night for both sides, were wayward with their finishing.

City's goal machine Erling Haaland, who would have become the fastest player in history to record 100 goals for a European club had he scored, will have to wait to achieve that milestone.

City fired 22 shots to Inter's 13, but only had one more shot on target than their visitors with five.

One negative on the night was a potential injury to City captain Kevin De Bruyne, who appeared to pick up a knock late in the first half and did not play in the second.

City, who edged Inter 1-0 to hoist the 2023 Champions League trophy in Istanbul as part of their treble, were eliminated by eventual winners Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of Europe's top competition last season, while Inter were ousted by Atletico Madrid in the round of 16.

Inter Milan's Yann Sommer with Manchester City's Ruben Dias, Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol and Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan after the match.Reuters

Here are all the results from Matchday 1

Tuesday, 17 September

Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa

Juventus 3-1 PSV Eindhoven

AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool

Bayern München 9-2 GNK Dinamo

Real Madrid 3-1 Stuttgart

Sporting CP 2-0 LOSC Lille

Wednesday, 18 September

Sparta Praha 3-0 Salzburg

Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar Donetsk

Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava

Club Brugge 0-3 Borussia Dortmund

Manchester City 0-0 Inter

Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 Girona

Thursday, 19 September

Feyenoord 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen

Crvena Zvezda 1-2 Benfica

Monaco 2-1 Barcelona

Atalanta 0-0 Arsenal

Atlético de Madrid 2-1 Leipzig

Brest 2-1 Sturm Graz