European football news has been rich this week with the return of the Champions League. After a long wait, RC Lens made a remarkable return to this competition by bringing back a precious point from their trip to Seville (1-1). For its part, Arsenal delivered a real show of force by inflicting a correction on PSV Eindhoven (4-0), while Bayern Munich got the better of Manchester United in a spectacular match (4-3).
French club Lens showed a combative and uninhibited state of mind during their match against Sevilla in Andalusia. Trailing quickly following a goal from Lucas Ocampos, the Lensois club quickly reacted thanks to a magnificent free kick from Angelo Fulgini. This encouraging performance gives confidence to the team before the next match against Arsenal.
For their part, Arsenal impressed during their return to the Champions League. Against PSV Eindhoven, the Gunners quickly took control of the match and scored three times in the first half thanks to Saka, Trossard and Jesus. In the second half, Odegaard sealed Arsenal’s victory with a fourth goal. This performance places them at the top of Group B and confirms the expectations placed on the London team.
Bayern Munich, for their part, delivered a spectacular match against Manchester United. In a repeat of the 1999 final, the Bavarians took the lead thanks to goals from Sané, Gnabry, Kane and Tel. But Manchester United showed their fighting spirit until the end by scoring three goals late in the match, including a double from Casemiro. Despite this comeback, Bayern Munich held on and ultimately won in this match full of twists and turns.
This first day of the Champions League was also marked by victories for Real Madrid and Naples. Real Madrid had to wait until the final minutes of their match against Union Berlin to win thanks to a goal from Jude Bellingham. As for Naples, they also had to wait until the end of the match to gain the upper hand over the Portuguese from Braga.
In short, this first day of the Champions League offered its share of surprises and great performances. RC Lens showed they were ready to take on the challenge against renowned teams, while Arsenal and Bayern Munich confirmed their ambitions in the competition. We will now have to closely follow the next matches to see how the teams will evolve in this exciting competition.