Leicester opened its first Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory at Belgian champion Club Brugge on Wednesday, with Riyad Mahrez scoring twice.
The unlikely Premier League champion took its charmed form into Europe, with Marc Albrighton scoring an easy goal after just five minutes. The Brugge defense misjudged a long throw-in and the winger only had to steer the ball into an empty net.
A bad pass forced veteran Timmy Simons to bring Jamie Vardy down near the penalty box in the 28th minute and Mahrez curled the free kick home to make the rest of the match an easy stroll for Leicester. Mahrez scored his second goal from the penalty spot in the 61st minute, after Vardy had been floored by the goalkeeper on a breakaway.
The victory gave Leicester the lead in its group G after FC Porto and Copenhagen drew 1-1.
Aguero hat trick leads City to big win over Moenchengladbach
Sergio Aguero kept up his explosive start to the season by scoring a hat trick for Manchester City in a 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in their rescheduled Champions League match.
A 24-hour delay, after the original Group C fixture was postponed because of torrential rain, didn’t put City off its stride as coach Pep Guardiola earned his seventh straight victory to open his tenure at the English club.
Aguero has now scored nine goals in five games this season after tapping in the opening goal in the ninth minute, converting a penalty in the 28th and completing his hat trick by rounding the goalkeeper in a one-on-one chance in the 77th.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca, Aguero has now surpassed 300 career goals. In fact, his hat trick has left him with 302 as of Wednesday.
Aguero was replaced by Kelechi Iheanacho, who wrapped up the scoring in stoppage time with a powerful close-range strike.
Ronaldo, Morata save Madrid
Trailing until the 89th minute against Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid was reminded that becoming the first club to retain the trophy in the Champions League era won’t be an easy task.
The 11-time champions needed a late winner from substitute Alvaro Morata to prevail 2-1 in their opening game in the competition.
Playing against his former team, Cristiano Ronaldo was on the score sheet at Santiago Bernabeu stadium as he leveled with one minute left from a free kick before Morata’s winner in added time. But the Portugal star was unable to match Sergio Aguero, who netted a hat trick with Manchester City.
Borussia Dortmund, the 1997 champion, enjoyed a stroll in the park at Polish champion Legia Warsaw, scoring with six different players in a 6-0 rout.
It has been 20 years since any Polish team has qualified for the group phase of the Champions League. And some Legia Warsaw fans didn’t react well to the loss, using spray canisters to clash with security before the match was over.
Monaco takes revenge
Thrashed by Tottenham 4-1 at White Hart Lane last season in Europa League, Monaco took its revenge on Europe’s biggest club stage with a 2-1 win at Wembley.
The match was moved to England’s national stadium because of construction work at Spurs’ home ground and drew 85,011 fans, a club-record home attendance and a record for an English club.
The crowd did not impress the French league leaders as Monaco playmaker Bernardo Silva, who impressed throughout, opened the scoring after only 15 minutes before Thomas Lemar doubled the lead near the half-hour mark.
Spurs reduced the deficit through Toby Alderweireld’s header in the 45th minute but couldn’t make the most of lots of possession in the second half.
Bayer Leverkusen failed to hold onto a 2-0 lead in the group’s other game, letting CSKA Moscow come from behind and rescue a point in a 2-2 draw. All four goals were scored in the first half.
Leverkusen missed plenty of opportunities after racing to a two-goal lead in the space of 15 minutes with goals from Admir Mehmedi and Hakan Calhanoglu. The Russian champion responded with two goals in three minutes courtesy of Alan Dzagoev and Roman Eremenko.
Lyon opens in style, Juventus disappoints
Playing with a depleted side, Lyon relied on its homegrown players and the class of teenager Maxwel Cornet to open its Champions League campaign in style with a 3-0 defeat of Dinamo Zagreb.
Lacking five regular starters, including striker Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon dominated with a fine display of one-touch football. It quickly opened the scoring courtesy of Corentin Tolisso’s goal.
Jordan Ferri, who honed his skills at Lyon’s renowned academy with Tolisso, made it 2-0 four minutes into the second half from Cornet’s assist. The 19-year-old Cornet then turned from supplier to scorer after playing a slick one-two with Tolisso.
Dinamo players were unlucky in the closing stages of the game, hitting the bar twice.
Lyon tops the group after Juventus was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Europa League winner Sevilla in their opening match.
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