Liverpool FC’s crisis continued on matchday 1 of the Champions League. On the other hand, FC Barcelona and Ajax Amsterdam celebrated clear victories.
At 1: 4 (0: 3) at SSC Naples, the team of coach Jürgen Klopp conceded on Wednesday (September 7th, 2022). Group A a bitter defeat. Piotr Zielinski gave the Italians an early lead (5th). Liverpool became more active going forward in the course of the first half, but showed themselves surprisingly vulnerable defensively, as they did last time in the Premier League. Frank Anguissa (31st) and Giovannie Simeone (44th) made it 3-0 for Napoli before the break.
Zielinski again increased the score to 4-0 shortly after the restart (47th). Luis Diaz struck back for the guests shortly afterwards with a nice shot from the left-hand corner into the right corner (49′). But there was nothing more that Liverpool could do that evening.
Also Ajax in goal mood
In the second game of Group A, Ajax Amsterdam continued their winning streak in the Champions League. After five successes in the Eredivisie, the team of former Hoffenheim coach Alfred Schreuder started with a 4-0 (3-0) win over the Glasgow Rangers in the group stage of the premier class.
Edson Alvarez (17th minute), Steven Berghuis (32nd) and Mohammed Kudus (34th) gave the 1995 Champions League winner a clear lead before the break. Steven Bergwijn (80th) followed suit in the closing stages.
Three pack by Lewandowski
Also in Group C FC Barcelona played themselves into a goal frenzy. Robert Lewandowski (34th, 45th, 67th) scored three goals in the 5-1 win against Viktoria Pilsen. Franck Kessie took the lead 1-0 (13′). Ferran Torres set the final point (71st). Jan Sykora managed to score the goal to make it 1-2 (44th). Overall, however, the Czech champions were overwhelmed against the Barca offensive.
In Leverkusen Group B Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win against FC Porto only became turbulent in injury time. At first, Mario Hermoso was first a hero and then a tragic figure. First he let Madrid celebrate with a deflected shot to make it 1-0 in injury time (90+2). A little later, Hermoso conceded a penalty with a handball in his own penalty area, which Mateus Uribe converted to make it 1-1 (90+6), before Antoine Griezmann scored the winning goal in the eleventh minute of added time after a corner kick (90+11). . In an intense game, Porto’s Mehdi Taremie was also sent off for a swallow (81′).
Tottenham Hotspur, outnumbered, secured a 2-0 home win over Olympique Marseille in a late double from Richarlison (76′, 80′). Group D.