Everyone was anticipating a solid start to the 2021-2022 Champions League season after a spectacular summer transfer window 2021. The first round of Europe's most prestigious club tournament kicked off right after the international break. There was some concern about players' stability because all of the key footballers had just returned from an international break. A number of exciting matches were witnessed in the Champions League 2021-2022 first round. There were a few surprises and a lot of goals scored in the first round as well. The results of the first round of the Champions League are discussed in this article.
First-round Results: Champions League 2021-2022
The results of the first round for each group of the current Champions League season are given below.
Group A
Results: Man City 6-3 Leipzig, Club Brugge 1-1 PSG
Last season's finalist Manchester City faced RB Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, while star-studded PSG met Club Brugge away from home. Manchester City defeated Leipzig 6-3 in a goal-fest encounter, putting Pep Guardiola's side atop the Group A points table. Leipzig's Nkunku scored a hat-trick. On the other hand, PSG drew with Club Brugge despite grabbing an early lead thanks to Andrea Herrera.
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Group B
Results: Atletico Madrid 0-0 Porto, Liverpool 3-2 Milan
Atletico Madrid and FC Porto played to a 0-0 tie at the Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. French striker Antoine Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid in the second half but was booed by the crowd. Liverpool came out on top against AC Milan in a 3-2 thriller at Anfield.
Group C
Results: Besiktas 1-2 Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP 1-5 Ajax
In Group C, Borussia Dortmund defeated Besiktas 2-1 due to a first-half injury-time goal by young sensation Erling Haaland. Four-time champion Ajax destroyed Sporting CP in Portugal. The home team was thrashed 5-1. Haller scored four goals for Ajax in this encounter.
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Group D
Results: Sheriff 2-0 Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter Milan 0-1 Real Madrid
Sheriff defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 at home, while Real Madrid defeated Italian Serie A Champion Inter Milan thanks to a late equalizer by Rodrygo. Sheriif are in the first place due to a superior goal difference.
Group E
Results: Dynamo Kyiv 0-0 Benfica, FC Barcelona 0-3 Bayern Munich
In Ukraine, Dynamo Kyiv were held to a 0-0 draw with Benfica in a tense match played in front of a packed stadium. FC Bayern Munich beat Barcelona 3-0 at Camp Nou in the other group encounter. Bayern had little problem defeating Barcelona in a thoroughly one-sided encounter.
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Group F
Results: Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United, Villareal 2-2 Atalanta
Manchester United had an early lead over Young Boys thanks to Portuguese sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, but the home side began to dominate after Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off in the 35th minute for a bad tackle. In the second half, Young Boys equalized twice to secure a historic win over Manchester United. On the other hand, yellow submarine Villareal drew 2-2 with the Italian team, Atalanta, in front of a home crowd.
Group G
Results: Sevilla 1-1 Salzburg, LOSC 0-0 Wolfsburg
The host Sevilla failed to seal a victory over a comparatively weaker opposition Salzburg in group G. They had to settle for a 1-1 draw with the champion of the Austrian football league. German team Wolfsburg drew 0-0 with Ligue 1 champion Lille in the other match of the group.
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Group H
Results: Malmo 0-3 Juventus, Chelsea 1-0 Zenit Saint Petersburg
Despite a poor start to the season, Massimiliano Allegri's Juventus came out on top (3-0) against Sweden’s Malmo FF. This victory will undoubtedly boost their confidence to play well in Serie A. On the other hand, Chelsea defeated Zenit Saint Petersburg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge courtesy to a goal from their mercury summer signing Romelu Lukaku in the 69th minute.
Bottom Line
Each team tried to display their strength in the first round of the UEFA Champions League 2021-2022 season. As predicted, the majority of the big clubs won their matches and placed first in the group. However, some big teams surprisingly lost or drew. Teams that did not achieve their goals will strive to improve to the next round. The Champions League's second round of the group stage will be staged on September 28 and 29.