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The most respected cup competition in Europe, the UEFA Champions League, kicked off its latest edition with a mouth-watering set of group stage fixtures on matchday one. Held over September 6 and 7, the first gameweek presented us with plenty of interesting results and some jaw-dropping performances.
Napoli secured an emphatic 4-1 win over last season’s runners-up Liverpool. Defending champions Real Madrid beat Celtic 3-0 in Glasgow, Scotland. And Paris Saint-Germain bagged a 2-1 win over Juventus in what was arguably the most highly-anticipated match of the first Champions League gameweek.
Below, we will turn our attention to individual performances, focus on players who made a statement of intent on the first Champions League matchday of the season. Here are the top five players who stood out in GW 1:
#5 Erling Haaland — Manchester City vs Sevilla
Having scored 86 goals in 89 games for Borussia Dortmund, Erling Haaland famously sealed a big-money move to Manchester City earlier this summer. The Norwegian has since effortlessly settled down in Manchester, scoring goals left, right, and center (10 goals in 6 Premier League games).
Coach Pep Guardiola named Haaland in his starting XI in Manchester City’s Champions League opener against Sevilla on Tuesday. Haaland expectedly turned heads on his European debut for his new employers, netting a brace in a 4-0 win and reaching a milestone in the process.
His first goal came in the 20th minute, with Kevin De Bruyne brilliantly setting him up with a square pass across the box. In the 67th minute, Haaland doubled his tally, tucking the ball home after Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou pushed Phil Foden’s initial shot into his path.
Scoring the brace, Haaland touched the 25-goal milestone in the Champions League, becoming the youngest (22 years and 47 days) and quickest player (20 matches) ever to score as many.
#4 Piotr Zielinski — Napoli vs Liverpool
When 2021-22 Champions League finalists Liverpool traveled to Napoli on matchday 1, very few would have expected the hosts to run the visitors ragged. Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli, however, believed in their ability, and deservedly secured a 4-1 win on Wednesday night (September 7).
All Napoli players played their part in the win, but Piotr Zielinski was the unabashed star of the show.
He won a penalty in the fifth minute and convincingly put it away. Just past the half-hour mark, he put Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa clean through on goal following a clever one-two with him. Then, just two minutes into the second half, the midfielder applied a chipped finish past Liverpool keeper Alisson after seeing his initial effort blocked by the Brazilian. It was a clinical display of grit and quality by one of the most underrated players in Italy.
#3 Eden Hazard — Real Madrid vs Celtic
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti did not start Eden Hazard in his team’s Champions League opener against Celtic. He was brought on in the 30th minute after Karim Benzema was forced off with a knee injury. The Belgium international, who has slipped down the pecking order at Madrid, made the most of the rare opportunity, scoring a goal and claiming an assist in a 3-0 win.
On the hour mark, Hazard picked up a loose ball from Ferland Mendy, dashed into the Celtic box, and offloaded it to Luka Modric, who had space to run into. The Croat brilliantly brushed aside weak challenges from the Celtic defenders before dispatching an unstoppable right-footed effort past keeper Joe Hart.
Hazard himself got on the scoresheet in the 77th minute, tapping home from six yards out after Daniel Carvajal laid it on a plate for him.
The goal contributions aside, Hazard impressed with his pace, decision-making, and link-up play with teammates. It will be interesting to see if the performance wins him a place in Real Madrid’s XI in their next outing, against Mallorca on Sunday (September 11).
#2 Kylian Mbappe — Paris Saint-Germain vs Juventus
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe emerged as the difference maker against Juventus in the Parisians’ first Group H game of the season. The Frenchman scored a decisive brace to inspire the home team to a 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday night (September 6).
It took only five minutes for Mbappe to open his goalscoring account for this season’s Champions League campaign. In the fifth minute, teammate Neymar spotted his run on the left side of Juventus’ box and set him up with a clever lobbed ball over the head of the Bianconeri defense. Mbappe found the back of the net with a thunderous volley.
Seventeen minutes later, he doubled his tally, beating Juventus keeper Mattia Perin with a powerful shot from inside the box. His movement leading up to the goal and exchange with right-back Achraf Hakimi was also praiseworthy.
The goal took Mbappe’s Champions League goal tally to 35, making him the youngest player ever (23 years and 260 days) to reach that number.
#1 Robert Lewandowski — FC Barcelona vs Viktoria Plzen
Barcelona newboy Robert Lewandowski made his Champions League debut for the Catalonian outfit against Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday (September 7). He marked the occasion in the best possible manner, scoring an emphatic hat-trick to secure a 5-1 win for the home team at Camp Nou.
The Pole netted his first in the 34th minute, getting on the end of a Sergi Roberto cutback and dispatching an unstoppable strike past visiting keeper Jindrich Stanek. He doubled his tally three minutes into first-half stoppage time. Ousmane Dembele delivered an inch-perfect cross into the box, and Lewandowski was there to head it home.
The former Bayern Munich man completed his hat-trick (sixth in the competition) in the 67th minute, applying a sumptuous finish to Ferran Torres’ flicked pass. The hat-trick took his Champions League tally to 89 (107 games), making him the third-highest goalscorer in the competition’s history, surpassing Karim Benzema (86 goals). Only Cristiano Ronaldo (140) and Lionel Messi (125) have scored more goals in the competition than the Polish hitman.
