Paris Saint-Germain were grateful to a last-minute howler from goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga as they snatched a 1-0 win over European debutants Girona in their opening game of the new-look Champions League on Wednesday (Sep 18). PSG had over 60 percent possession and 24 attempts on goal but looked set to be left frustrated by their opponents at the Parc des Princes until a low Nuno Mendes cross squirmed under Gazzaniga and into the net in the 90th minute.
It was a harsh ending to their Champions League bow for Girona, who qualified for Europe for the first time in their history after a historic third-place finish in La Liga last season.
PSG missed chance after chance in the second half and looked set to draw another continental blank, just like in their semi-final defeat by Borussia Dortmund last season when they somehow failed to score in either leg. However, the late goal allowed Luis Enrique's team to continue their perfect start to the campaign as they aim to go further than last season's run to the semis and win European football's biggest prize for the first time.
"Girona defended very well and showed why last season they led LaLiga for so long. They are a better team than many in the second or third pot of seeds, even in the first pot," said Luis Enrique. "But we were much better in the second half. We got a bit of luck with the goal but I think we deserved the victory."
The Champions League has been radically changed by UEFA, with all clubs in the new league phase now playing eight matches against eight different opponents. The top eight will advance to the last 16, with clubs finishing from ninth to 24th in the standings going into a play-off round to decide the remaining last-16 spots.
PSG's next game will be away to Arsenal, while later opponents include Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, with Luis Enrique insisting his team have the toughest fixtures of any in the competition. Girona, meanwhile, will go on to a home clash against Feyenoord with reason to believe they can make an impact after a battling performance here.
Jamie Gittens scored two goals and Serhou Guirassy added a late penalty as Borussia Dortmund punished hosts Club Brugge for several wasted chances with a 3-0 win. Last year’s beaten finalists rode their luck but grabbed the lead when English winger Gittens, on as a second-half substitute, struck in the 76th minute. Gittens picked up the ball on the left-hand side of the box and his angled shot took two deflections before ending up in the far corner of the net.
The 20-year-old made sure of the three points with a superb solo effort, running at the Brugge defence again before firing a low drive into the net. Dortmund added a third in stoppage time when another substitute, Serhou Guirassy, converted the penalty after being brought down in the area by Brandon Mechele.
Brugge will feel aggrieved, having struck the crossbar at 0-0 through Hugo Vetlesen and seen a couple of penalty appeals waved away. The Belgian side were also wasteful in front of goal, especially in the first half when they spurned several excellent chances to take the lead, paying the price when Dortmund found their feet late on.
Earlier, Sparta Prague returned to the Champions League in style, beating Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 in their first game in Europe’s top club competition for 19 years. The Czech champions opened the scoring just two minutes in when Kaan Kairinen pounced on a loose ball after a great save by the Salzburg keeper, Janis Blaswich, to effortlessly slot home the rebound. Victor Olantuji doubled the lead in the 42nd minute, firing in from a tight angle after a long ball from captain Filip Panak. Olantuji then set up Qazim Laci to make it 3-0 after a blunder by the Austrian side’s defence in the 58th minute.
Bologna were held to a 0-0 draw by visitors Shakhtar Donetsk, who missed an early penalty, in a lacklustre contest. The hosts were playing their first European Cup game since 1964 and conceded a penalty just four minutes in when Stefan Posch clumsily brought down Eguinaldo.
Heorhiy Sudakov’s penalty was saved by Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski, though, and it proved to be the best chance of a cagey game played in torrential rain. Bologna’s best two chances came either side of the interval, with Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk denying Santiago Castro and Giovanni Fabbian.
The first round of games in the new “league phase” are being played across three days, with six matches – including Atalanta v Arsenal, Monaco v Barcelona and Atletico Madrid v Leipzig – taking place on Thursday evening.
