European heavyweights Arsenal, Barcelona, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Manchester City all won big on Tuesday as Matchday 2 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League first round kicked off.
Here are three immediate takeaways.
Gunners make short work of Paris Saint-Germain
There’s no question that the sexiest game on Tuesday’s nine-game docket was between star-studded PSG and Arsenal in London. And for the most part, the marquee contest lived up to the billing, with two of the continent’s most glamorous clubs delivering a spectacle worthy of Planet Fútbol’s most prestigious and important club competition. That was especially true for neutrals or fans of the home side.
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It took Arsenal just 20 minutes to edge ahead via Kai Havertz, and last year’s English Premier League runner-up doubled that advantage well before the halftime whistle sounded, with Bukayo Saka sparking Mikel Arteta’s squad to a well deserved 2-0 win — even though it’s hard to see how Saka’s free kick got past a sea of bodies and then visiting keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before settling into the far side of Donnarumma’s net.
While PSG couldn’t pull any closer, it didn’t play badly. Mainly they were inefficient. The Parisians forced just two saves by Gunners backstop David Raya despite out-shooting the hosts 10-6, and despite enjoying almost two-thirds of the possession, as Arsenal sat back and protected its lead.
Barça, Dortmund, Inter and Man City also cruise
Several of the tournament’s former champions also notched lopsided victories. In front of the Yellow Wall inside Dortmund’s cavernous Westfalenstadion, the hosts showed no mercy to Scottish titan Celtic, crushing the Hoops 7-1 behind Karim Adeyemi’s first-half hat trick and two more goals from striker Serhou Guirassy.
In Barcelona, Robert Lewandowski’s brace paced the Catalans in a 4-0 drubbing of Young Boys. The Swiss outfit’s misery was compounded by a late own goal. Last season’s losing finalists Inter Milan topped Red Star Belgrade by an identical score at the San Siro, where second-half substitute, World Cup-winner and reigning Serie A MVP Lautaro Martínez was among four different scorers.
And Erling Haaland’s torrid Champions League scoring spree continued as 2023 champs Manchester City trounced Slovan Bratislava in the Slovakian capital.
AC Milan was always going to have its hands full in Germany against Bundesliga champions Bayern Leverkusen. And Milan was still in good shape early in the second half, when Victor Boniface broke the stalemate with what later proved to be the game-winner:
Milan tried to claw its way back into the match but couldn’t find the equalizer despite pouring on the pressure late. U.S. national team star Christian Pulisic’s four-game goal streak (five including his strike for the USMNT versus New Zealand last month) came to an end in the process.
Pulisic wasn’t the only American in action on Tuesday. Central defender Auston Trusty went the distance for Celtic, while PSV Eindhoven trio Richie Ledezma, Ricardo Pepi and Malik Tillman all played (with Tillman standing and logging 90 minutes) in a 1-1 tie with Sporting Lisbon. Yunus Musah was an unused sub for AC Milan.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer reporter for FOX Sports. A former staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports, he has covered U.S. men’s and women’s national teams at FIFA World Cups on five continents. Follow him @ByDougMcIntyre.
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