Champions League: Defending champions and Barça get off to a flying start; Liverpool and Arsenal prevail over a tenacious Atlético and Napoli

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions, and FC Barcelona, one of the top contenders to dethrone them, kicked off the 2026–2027 Champions League on Wednesday with resounding home victories against Slovan Bratislava (6–1) and Feyenoord (5–1), respectively. All of this took place during a slate of Wednesday matches on the first matchday, in which two English giants, Arsenal and Liverpool, came through tough matches in Naples (1-0) and against Atlético Madrid (2-1).

Both now occupy the top two spots in the standings of the single group of 36 teams based on their superior goal differential, with the team from the French capital leading the pack.

The champion is already in the lead

In the midst of a domestic crisis after losing the French Super Cup and earning only two points in the three Ligue 1 matchdays played so far, PSG returned to winning ways and did so in the best possible fashion, with a 6-1 rout of a toothless Slovan Bratislava.

The new idol at the Parc des Princes, the newly arrived Spanish forward Ferran Torres, stole the show with a hat trick (31', 47', 57'), after Ousmane Dembélé, who provided two assists to his fellow Valencian, had paved the way with a brace (17', 23'). The Slovaks scored a consolation goal in the 59th minute through Suleiman Camara, and PSG sealed the sixth and final goal in the closing minutes, courtesy of another Spaniard, Fabián Ruiz (88').

"We had plenty of chances and were very effective tonight, and that's important to start this competition off right," emphasized coach Luis Enrique.

A fearsome Barça

The lopsided victory in Paris prevented Barça from remaining atop the standings, but the Catalans can still savor a great debut, with a 5-1 win over the Dutch side Feyenoord at Camp Nou. Two goals by Raphinha (3', 59') and goals by Karim Adeyemi (22'), Lamine Yamal (77') and newcomer Gabriel Jesus (85') secured the victory for Barça against the Rotterdam side, for whom Sem Steijn (82') scored.

Barça remains unstoppable for now: they lead LaLiga with a perfect record of four wins. "We controlled the game, we dominated, and it's fantastic to see. That's our style and how we want to play," celebrated Barcelona coach Hansi Flick.

A festive day for English teams

For English soccer, Wednesday brought two reasons to celebrate, with Arsenal, the reigning runner-up, winning 1-0 in Naples and Liverpool winning 2-1 at home against Atlético Madrid.

Martin Odegaard was the one to break the deadlock in a match that was getting increasingly difficult for Arsenal at times, and the Norwegian decided the game with a goal in the 75th minute.

As for Liverpool, it was a comeback victory, as Atlético took the lead in the 17th minute with a goal by Marcos Llorente, before the Reds turned the game around thanks to the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai (40') and the Argentine Alexis Mac Allister (50').

"I loved it tonight. The atmosphere was incredible, and I feel lucky to be able to experience moments like this," said Liverpool's new coach, the Spaniard Andoni Iraola.

In Atlético's attack, Argentine Julián Álvarez started the match; he provided the assist for Llorente's goal and was very active, trying to put his recent frustrated departure from the Colchoneros behind him.

Demirovic shines against Viking, ties for scoring lead

In the other matches, Bosnian Ermedin Demirovic delivered a standout performance, scoring a hat trick in the first 32 minutes of the game to secure a victory for Stuttgart against the Norwegian side Viking (3-1) and is tied for the lead in the scoring standings alongside Ferran Torres.

Meanwhile, Sporting Lisbon defeated Galatasaray 3-1, with goals from Mozambican Geny Catamo, Colombian Luis Suárez (on a penalty kick), and Uruguayan Rodrigo Zalazar.

On Thursday, the first matchday of this Champions League concludes with six games, in which Bayern Munich and Manchester United face what should be manageable debuts against Norway's Bodo/Glimt and Azerbaijan's Sabah, respectively.