The opening night of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase brought a mix of record-breaking performances and thrilling comebacks, with Bayern München smashing nine goals past Dinamo Zagreb and Liverpool overturning an early deficit to win at AC Milan.
UCL Roundup
Bayern München 9-2 Dinamo Zagreb
Bayern München delivered a Champions League masterclass, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 at the Allianz Arena. Harry Kane was the star of the show, scoring four goals, including three penalties, to become the leading English goalscorer in the competition’s history with 33 goals, surpassing Wayne Rooney’s tally of 30.
Kane was supported by Michael Olise, who netted twice on his Champions League debut, while Raphaël Guerreiro added a stunner to cap off a dominant display. Dinamo briefly made it 3-2 with two quickfire goals, but Bayern stormed back with six second-half goals in a breathtaking attacking display.
Key stat: Kane is now the 20th player to score four or more goals in a single Champions League match.
AC Milan 1-3 Liverpool
Liverpool pulled off a superb comeback at the San Siro, recovering from Christian Pulisic’s early opener to beat AC Milan 3-1. Milan struck first through Pulisic in the third minute, but the lead lasted only 20 minutes as Ibrahima Konaté headed Liverpool level. Virgil van Dijk gave the Reds the lead just before half-time, heading in a Mohamed Salah corner.
Dominik Szoboszlai completed the victory in the second half, finishing off a swift counterattack to give Liverpool all three points and mark a memorable European debut for manager Arne Slot.
Key stat: Van Dijk’s goal was his first in the Champions League since April 2019.
Real Madrid 3-1 Stuttgart
Defending champions Real Madrid left it late to secure a 3-1 win over Stuttgart at the Santiago Bernabéu. After a goalless first half, Kylian Mbappé broke the deadlock early in the second period. Stuttgart equalized through Deniz Undav, but Real’s Antonio Rüdiger headed in from a Luka Modrić corner in the 83rd minute, and young forward Endrick sealed the victory with a stoppage-time strike.
Key stat: Endrick became Real Madrid’s youngest ever Champions League scorer at 18 years and 58 days.
Other Results:
- Juventus 3-1 PSV Eindhoven: Kenan Yıldız, 19, became Juventus’ youngest Champions League scorer as they eased past PSV.
- Aston Villa 3-0 Young Boys: Aston Villa’s first Champions League match in 41 years ended in a dominant win, with goals from Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey, and Amadou Onana.
- Sporting CP 2-0 Lille: Viktor Gyökeres and Zeno Debast netted as Sporting CP capitalized on Lille’s red card to secure three points.
