Liverpool left it late to collect a much needed 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League group stage clash Wednesday night at Anfield England, with Virgil Van Dijk the hero with a late header for the English Premier League champions.
Liverpool, with club-record signing Alexander Isak on debut, raced into a two-goal lead inside the first six minutes as Atletico struggled to get out of their own half on Merseyside. A Mohamed Salah free-kick flew in off Andy Robertson for a fortuitous fourth-minute opener, before the Egyptian forward collected Ryan Gravenberch's pass and slotted into the bottom corner.
Marcos Llorente, who scored twice in Atletico's famous last-16 win at Anfield five years ago, stabbed the ball beyond a diving Alisson Becker from the edge of the box.
Liverpool missed several chances to restore their advantage, including a glaring miss from Salah when he struck the post, and Llorente made them pay with a deflected late volley to draw Diego Simeone's men level before Van Dijk saved the day for the Reds.
Meanwhile, Chelsea could not manage the energy levels required to outdo Bayern Munich, losing 3-1 to the home side at the Allianz Arena. Back at the ground where they became European champions for the first time, there was the brief prospect of the team in blue pulling off another unlikely heist in Bavaria.
Yet while there was defiance after Bayern Munich went 2-0 up inside 27 minutes, Cole Palmer halving the deficit with typical nonchalance, the problems at the other end were too great for Chelsea to overcome. Kane added a third late on to end the Blue resistance and earn the home side three valuable points.
Paris Saint-Germain picked up where they left off following the club’s triumph last season as they opened their new Champions League campaign with an impressive 4-0 win against Atalanta at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
Marquinhos opened the scoring inside the first three minutes, and PSG followed that up with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Gonçalo Ramos, demonstrating the high pressing and fluid play that have become hallmarks of their game.
Bradley Barcola missed a penalty just before half-time, but it proved to be a footnote as Luis Enrique’s side underlined their status as defending champions after they overpowered Inter 5-0 in the final last season.
Inter began to banish those demons with victory in their opening game, Marcus Thuram powering home two headed goals as the Italian side won 2-0 away at Ajax.
Inter came into the fixture at the Johan Cruyff Arena on Wednesday after successive defeats in Serie A but proved too strong for their Dutch hosts with the France international taking centre stage.
Thuram stole in at the near post, attacking Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner and getting ahead of the Ajax defenders to turn in a powerful header three minutes before half-time to open the scoring.
His second goal came two minutes into the second half from another Calhanoglu's corner, but this time he was more central and climbed above the home defence to score easily.
A wasteful Olympiakos could manage only a 0-0 home draw against 10-man Pafos, who emerged as defensive heroes in their Champions League opener.
Pafos faced a big challenge from the 26th minute when Bruno was dismissed after the forward received a second booking for a foul on the hosts’ Lorenzo Pirola, forcing the Cypriot side to play with 10 men for the rest of the match.
Despite the advantage, Olympiakos struggled, with Ayoub El Kaabi coming close early in the second half with a header that drifted wide. Pafos produced a valiant defensive effort, several times blocking attempts as chances grew for the hosts.
Norway’s Bodø/Glimt pulled off a sensational comeback to draw 2-2 away at Slavia Prague in their first Champions League group game, with Sondre Brunstad Fet scoring the 90th-minute equalizer.
“It’s a boyhood dream come true, and to get a goal is absolutely crazy,” Fet said. “It was a great strike, and it’s certainly the goal I’ve been happiest and most emotional about scoring.”
There will be more matches tonight, Thursday 18 September 2025 in the Champions League. The next round of matches will be played on the week beginning 30 September 2025.
