London, September 18(HS):
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League campaign in style with a 4-0 demolition of Atalanta, while Liverpool once again left it late, sealing a dramatic 3-2 victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
At Anfield, goals by Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah had Liverpool cruising early, but Marcos Llorente’s brace pulled Atletico level before captain Virgil van Dijk rose high in stoppage time to head home the winner. It was the Reds’ fourth straight late victory this season, reinforcing their reputation as comeback specialists under new coach Arne Slot.
Elsewhere, Bayern Munich avenged their 2012 final defeat with a 3-1 victory over Chelsea, courtesy of a Harry Kane double. Inter Milan also impressed as Marcus Thuram netted two headed goals in a 2-0 win over Ajax, who beat the Italians in the 1972 European Cup final.
Debutants showed resilience on the road. Norway’s Bodo/Glimt rallied from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Slavia Prague, while Cypriot side Pafos, reduced to 10 men in the 26th minute, held Olympiakos to a valuable 0-0 draw. Both sides marked historic nights — Bodo/Glimt ending Norway’s 18-year Champions League absence and Pafos becoming Cyprus’ first entrant since 2017.
PSG head coach Luis Enrique was full of praise after a confident display that saw goals from Nuno Mendes and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia light up Paris. Even Bradley Barcola’s missed penalty could not spoil the evening as PSG declared themselves early favorites.
The group-stage drama will continue Thursday, with Manchester City hosting Napoli in Kevin De Bruyne’s return and Barcelona traveling to Newcastle without teenage star Lamine Yamal. Also in focus will be Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty, making their competition debut after a 7,000km journey to face Sporting Lisbon.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
