Champions League round-up: Jamie Gittens helps Dortmund see off Club Brugge, own goal gifts Paris St-Germain late win
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Updated 18/09/2024 at 23:06 GMT
English starlet Jamie Gittens was on target for Borussia Dortmund as they beat Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League. The German outfit won 3-0 in Belgium. Elsewhere, Paris St-Germain made a sluggish start to their quest for a first European Cup, eventually beating Girona 1-0 courtesy of a Paulo Gazzaniga own-goal, while Sparta Prague hammered RB Leipzig.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens celebrates scoring his team's second goal during the UEFA Champions League's 1st round day 1 football match between Club Brugge KV and Borussia Dortmund at the Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges on September 18, 2024.
Image credit: Getty Images
Jamie Gittens' profile across Europe continues to rise, as he starred for Borussia Dortmund in their UEFA Champions League win over Club Brugge.
The 20-year-old England U21 international netted a second half brace, bagging his first goal just ten minutes after coming off the bench, to secure a 3-0 win in Germany.
It means he has already netted four times across all competitions this season.
Dortmund, who lost in the final to Real Madrid last season, had previously struggled to break down their stubborn opponents.
But after replacing former Manchester United man Marcel Sabitzer, Gittens received the ball in the area, cut inside and netted with a deflected shot.
He then put the game to bed as the clock ran down, displaying some quick feet before unleashing a clinical effort that found the far corner.
Serhou Guirassy completed the victory with a 95th minute penalty as the German side made an ideal start to the competition, especially as they have further games to come against Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The same can be said for Paris St-Germain though, although they left it late to finally see off Girona.
The French club have made no secret of their desire to finally lift a European trophy.
But the 2023/24 semi-finalists put in an unconvincing performance in their first Champions League outing in the post-Kylian Mbappe era.
Luis Enrique's side had over 60% of the possession, and created nearly 30 shooting opportunities across the course of the 90 minutes.
But it took until injury time in the second half to finally break the deadlock, when goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga dropped a clanger, allowing a Nuno Mendes cross to wriggle under his body and into the back of the net.
Their next match in the competition is away to Arsenal on Tuesday, October 1.
Sparta hit the ground running
In the early kick-offs, Sparta Prague got their UEFA Champions League campaign underway with their biggest win in the competition this century.
The Czech club breezed to a 3-0 victory over Red Bull Salzburg thanks to goals from Kaan Kairinen, Victor Olatunji and Qazim Laci.
The former took just two minutes to open the scoring, with further strikes added in the 42nd and 58th minutes.
It is the first time Sparta have won a group or league stage game by more than a two-goal margin since hammering Dutch outfit Willem II 4-0 in 1999.
The result leaves them behind only Bayern Munich on goal difference at this early juncture in the competition.
Given it is 18 years since Lars Friis' side got past the qualifying rounds for the competition, supporters could barely have dreamed of a more emphatic result on their return to Europe's premier club tournament.
Salzburg, managed by ex-Liverpool assistant boss Pepijn Lijnders, would have hoped for a better introduction.
However, they have now suffered back-to-back defeats across all competitions, following a loss to Rapid Vienna in the league at the weekend.
Elsewhere, Champions League rookies Bologna did not find things quite as easy in their match against Shakhtar Donetsk, with the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw.
The Italian club last played in the European Cup in 1964, when they were beaten over two legs by Anderlecht in the preliminary round.
There was therefore plenty of excitement at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, as Vincenzo Italiano's side welcomed their Italian visitors.
However, they failed to convert any of their 17 shots on goal, of which just four were on target.
At the other end, things could have been very different, but Heorhiy Sudakov missed a penalty in the fourth minute.
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