Bayern Munich made history as the first team to score nine goals in a modern Champions League match, thrashing Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 on Tuesday as the newly formatted competition got underway. Real Madrid, the reigning champions, and Liverpool also secured victories on an eventful opening night.
Harry Kane stole the show with four goals, including a hat-trick of penalties, as Bayern dismantled Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb at the Allianz Arena. Michael Olise, Raphael Guerreiro, Leroy Sane, and Leon Goretzka were also on the scoresheet for the German giants.
Despite a comfortable 3-0 lead at half-time, Bayern faced a brief scare when Dinamo struck twice in two minutes through Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara just after the interval. However, Bayern soon regained control, adding six more goals after the 57th minute.
Bayern’s nine-goal haul surpassed their previous record of eight, set in their 8-2 quarter-final demolition of Barcelona in 2020. The emphatic win marked an exciting start to the revamped Champions League, now featuring 36 teams in a single league instead of the traditional group stages.
In the new format, teams play eight matches against different opponents, with the top eight automatically advancing to the last 16. Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round to secure the remaining places, while the bottom 12 will be eliminated. UEFA introduced the changes to deter plans for a breakaway Super League while rejuvenating the competition.
Mbappe Scores as Real Madrid Overcome Stuttgart
Real Madrid faced a stern test from Stuttgart, eventually emerging 3-1 victors at the Santiago Bernabeu. Kylian Mbappe scored his first Champions League goal for the club early in the second half, but Stuttgart, in their first appearance since 2010, levelled through Deniz Undav.
Madrid reclaimed the lead with Antonio Rudiger’s header seven minutes from time, and young Brazilian Endrick sealed the win in stoppage time.
Liverpool Come from Behind to Beat Milan
Liverpool marked their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over seven-time champions AC Milan at the San Siro. Christian Pulisic’s early goal gave Milan the lead, but Liverpool responded with strikes from Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, and Dominik Szoboszlai to secure the three points.
Villa Return to Champions League in Style
Aston Villa made a triumphant return to Europe’s elite competition, securing a 3-0 victory over Swiss champions Young Boys in Bern, 41 years after their last appearance in the European Cup. Youri Tielemans and Jacob Ramsey netted in the first half, with Amadou Onana adding a third late on.
Villa boss Unai Emery dedicated the win to former club striker Gary Shaw, a member of Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning team, who passed away on Monday at the age of 63.
Elsewhere in the Champions League
Juventus secured a 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven in Turin, with Kenan Yildiz opening the scoring before Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez added further goals. Ismael Saibari pulled one back for PSV.
Portuguese champions Sporting triumphed 2-0 against Lille, with goals from Viktor Gyoekeres and Zeno Debast. Lille’s hopes were dashed when Angel Gomes was sent off.
The Champions League action continues on Wednesday, with a highly anticipated rematch of the 2023 final between Manchester City and Inter Milan.
