Barcelona beaten by Monaco after Eric Garcia red, Atletico beat RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen score four in first half
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ByEurosport
Updated 19/09/2024 at 22:04 GMT
Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal scored an excellent solo strike for Hansi Flick’s side, but it was not enough to prevent a 2-1 defeat at Monaco following Eric Garcia’s early red card after a Marc-Andre ter Stegen error. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid scored a late winner against RB Leipzig. Earlier in the day, Bayer Leverkusen scored four goals in the first half at Feyenoord.
George Ilenikhena of AS Monaco celebrates
Image credit: Getty Images
Barcelona lost 2-1 at Monaco in their Champions League opener after Eric Garcia was sent off early, while Atletico Madrid scored a late winner to beat RB Leipzig.
Barcelona were coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Girona at the weekend, but just as that result was marred by a red card for Ferran Torres, they were again reduced to 10 against Monaco when Garcia saw red after just 10 minutes.
The centre-back was put in an awful position by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s pass which allowed Takumi Minamino to rob him just outside the box, leading him to bring down the Japanese forward.
Maghnes Akliouche then opened the scoring with a fine solo effort on 16 minutes, but shortly afterwards Lamine Yamal scored a similarly excellent effort, shooting low from outside the box to level.
However, a defence-splitting low, long pass from Vanderson teed up 18-year-old Champions League debutant George Ilenikhena to beat Ter Stegen and put Monaco ahead with just under 20 minutes of normal time remaining.
ATLETICO SNATCH LATE WIN
In Madrid, in-demand striker Benjamin Sesko put RB Leipzig ahead after just four minutes against Atletico.
The 21-year-old Slovenian notched his first-ever Champions League goal as he led a breakaway before nodding in a rebound.
Antoine Griezmann scored a well-taken equaliser on 28 minutes, hooking a volley into the ground and past the keeper to finish off a flowing counter-attacking move.
Griezmann was then on hand at the death, with his cross setting up Jose Maria Gimenez to head home a dramatic late winner.
LEVERKUSEN HIT FOUR IN FIRST HALF
Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen scored four times in a stunning first half as they won 4-0 against Feyenoord in their opening Champions League tie.
Xabi Alonso’s side made history with their first-ever Bundesliga title last season, going unbeaten in the process.
They travelled to Rotterdam for their first match in the Champions League’s new format, and star forward Florian Wirtz opened the scoring with an accurate, low shot from the edge of the box after just five minutes.
Leverkusen have already suffered one loss in the Bundesliga this season, but it was business as usual on their return to Europe as Alejandro Grimaldo finished off a typically smart passing move to double the lead after 30 minutes.
It took just six more minutes for Leverkusen to go 3-0 up as Wirtz clipped in a cross at the back post for his brace.
Timon Wellenreuther then put through his own net just before the end of the first half to leave the Dutch side well adrift.
With the result almost guaranteed, neither side were able to add to the scoreline in the remaining 45 after the restart.
In the other early kick-off, Crvena Zvezda and Benfica met in Serbia with Benfica coming away with a 2-1 win.
Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu put the away side ahead with a close-range finish at the far post after nine minutes, and just before the half-hour mark, Orkun Kokcu scored with an outstanding free-kick to double the advantage.
Milson pulled one back on 86 minutes to give Benfica a nervy few minutes, but they ultimately came away with three points.
Over in France, two of the competitions’ minnows met as Sturm Graz travelled to Brest, and Hugo Magnetti scored the home side’s first ever Champions League goal with a shot from outside the box that passed through a crowd to sneak in.
The Austrians equalised just before the end of the first half, when Brest’s Edminson Fernandes was unlucky to turn a cross into his own net.
Abdallah Sima then put Brest back in front as he battled for a bouncing ball, firing the ball into the bottom corner.
Graz's chase for an equaliser came in vain, and they were dealt a further blow by Dmitri Lavalee's second yellow card on 88 minutes.
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