The Champions League is back, with a new format, more games and lots more goals. There were 28 scored across just six matches, with blistering Bayern Munich scoring almost a third of that total. In fact, in Champions League history, only one more night (in October 2014) has seen a higher goals-per-game ratio than the 4.
7 per game we saw on Tuesday. Advertisement Tuesday’s action was about much more than goals though, with Real Madrid and Liverpool kicking off their campaigns with identical scorelines but very different victories, plus a Champions League legend even popped up to announce his new TV show. Here are the highlights.
.. On the opening Champions League night we got our first look at the reigning champions and they looked.
.. shaky.
Real Madrid may arguably have the most imposing front line in European football – Kylian Mbappe , Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo , backed up by Jude Bellingham – but it was Stuttgart who were playing carefree, incisive, attacking football for much of this entertaining match. The scoreline suggests a relatively comfortable 3-1 victory but with just seven minutes left on the clock Madrid were probably lucky to be level at 1-1, with the enterprising German visitors having created a host of chances, particularly in the early stages when they hit the bar and spurned two one-on-one opportunities. Thibaut Courtois needed to be on top form and basically he bailed Madrid out along with, well, a superstar striker, an old bloke and a child.
Mbappe was .