Barcelona annihilate Celtic – Champions League Roundup
The UEFA Champions League returned with a bang tonight as the group stages got under way. FC Barcelona recorded a massive win over Celtic as did Bayern Munich while Arsenal battled to earn a point against PSG. Here’s a full roundup of tonight’s action.
Group A
PSG 1-1 Arsenal
PSG got off to the dream start tonight when Edison Cavani fired the French side into the lead inside the opening minute. Arsenal were tested by the Ligue 1 side throughout the game but Alexis Sanches’ goal in the 78th minute rescued a point for the Gunners. PSG’s Marco Veratti and Arsenals Oliver Giroud were both sent off for second yellow cards during injury time spat late on.
Basel 1-1 Ludogorets Razgrad
Swiss champions Basel were dealt a hammer blow just before halftime when Jonathan Cafu fired Ludogrets ahead. However the home side showed great determination and were reward in the 80th minute when Renato Steffen leveled the game.
Group B
Benfica 1-1 Besiktas
It was a case of so close yet so far for Benfica tonight. The Portugueese side went ahead in the 12th minute through a Franco Cervi goal. All three points looked to be secured until Anderson Talisca scored from a free kick in the 93rd minutes to earn the Turkish side a point.
Dynamo Kyiv 1-2 SSC Napoli
Ukrainian side Dynamo Kyiv looked to make the most of home advantage tonight and took the lead in the 26th minute through Denys Garmash. Napoli rallied ten minutes from the break and Arkadiusz Milik strikes in the 36th and 45th minutes saw the Italian side take all three points.
Group C
FC Barcelona 7-0 Celtic
Fans at the Camp Nou were in seventh heaven this evening as FC Barcelona dismantled Celtic. Lionel Messi opened the scoring with a sensational strike in the third minute after beautiful linkup play with Neymar. Celtic were handed a lifeline in the 23rd minute when Marc Andre Ter Stegen brought down Moussa Dembele inside the penalty area. Dembele took the spot kick but Ter Stegen made amends for his earlier error and denied the Celic man. Messi made it 2-0 in the 27th minute and that was how it remained until the break. Neymar got in on the act five minutes after the restart when he curled home a stunning free kick. Andres Iniesta then smashed home a volley on the hour mark. Messi completed his hat trick less than a minute later. Luis Suarez found the net in the 75th minute and completed the scoring in the 88th minute.
Manchester City P-P Borussia Moenchengladbach
Manchester City’s game at home to Moenchengladbach was postponed due to heavy downpours. The game will be played tomorrow night.
Group D
Bayern Munich 5-0 FC Rostov
German champions Bayern kickstarted their Champions League campaign with a comfortable home win over their Russian visitors. Robert Lewandowski scored from the spot in the 28th minute and Thomas Mueller ensured the home side went in 2-0 up at the break. Joshua Kimmich fired home his first goal in the 53rd minute and with an hour gone the youngster was celebrating his second. Julian Bernat added a fifth late 90th minute.
PSV Eindhoven 0-1 Atletico Madrid
PSV and Atletico Madrid renewed their rivalry after the two sides battled in the last 16 stage last year. The Spanish side moved ahead through a stunning Saul Niguez strike in the 43rd minute. PSV were given a perfect opportunity to draw level before the break when Atletico conceded a penalty. However Jan Oblak denied Andres Guardado and Atletico held on to take all three points from the Netherlands.
