As expected, the big teams in Europe turned up with outstanding performance in their first outing of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
Manchester United thrashed Basel 3-0 in a commanding way as they bossed the game from start despite losing their Captain Paul Pogba to an early injury.
Chelsea outclassed Qarabeg with a 6-0 win in a game that new signing Zappacosta shone like a million stars.
Mesmerizing Messi scored a brace and gave an assist to help Barcelona with 3-0 victory over Juventus.
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MANCHESTER UNITED 3-0 BASEL
Manchester United thrashed Basel 3-0 as Marcus Rashford, Lukaku score on Champions League debut as hosts coast.
Fellaini, a replacement for the injured Paul Pogba, gave United a 35th-minute lead at a drizzly Old Trafford and teed up Marcus Rashford for the hosts’ third goal after Romelu Lukaku had struck early in the second period.
It was United’s first Champions League game since December 2015, with Jose Mourinho’s side having engineered a return to the competition by winning the Europa League last season.
It was United’s first Champions League game since December 2015, with Jose Mourinho’s side having engineered a return to the competition by winning the Europa League last season.
Marouane Fellaini35'
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Romelu Lukaku53'
Marcus Rashford84'
They are marking the 50th anniversary of their first European Cup triumph of 1968 this season at Old Trafford and if you were expecting a re-conquering of the competition to commemorate the achievements of Sir Matt Busby’s great side then Jose Mourinho was on hand to douse any optimism.
Back in the competition following their second season’s absence of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, this was United looking comfortably superior against low-ranking opposition, while elsewhere the big guns of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and even Chelsea were racking up big victories. Asked what that might mean for the competition, Mourinho said that for those others the group stage was just “a warm-up”, although pointedly he said not for his new team of Europa League qualifiers.
“I think for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern are just warming up,” Mourinho said. “In February when us English teams are trying to survive after the winter period, they’re fresh and ready. For them this is just the warm up, we’re in the second level and that level is, ‘Let’s qualify, let’s get points for the knockout phase and if we do that, let’s enjoy playing against the big guys’”.
BARCELONA 3-0 JUVENTUS
Lionel Messi summoned another mesmerising performance as Barcelona breezed to a 3-0 win over Juventus in their UEFA Champions League Group D opener at the Nou Camp.
Messi scored twice and set up his side's second for Ivan Rakitic as Ernesto Valverde's men capitalised on some dismal defending by the visitors to claim some degree of revenge for last season's quarter-final loss.
Juventus had the majority of the early chances but their opportunities came to nothing and, from the moment Messi swept home the opener on the stroke of half-time, the outcome never seemed in doubt.
Marcus Rashford84'
They are marking the 50th anniversary of their first European Cup triumph of 1968 this season at Old Trafford and if you were expecting a re-conquering of the competition to commemorate the achievements of Sir Matt Busby’s great side then Jose Mourinho was on hand to douse any optimism.
Back in the competition following their second season’s absence of the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, this was United looking comfortably superior against low-ranking opposition, while elsewhere the big guns of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and even Chelsea were racking up big victories. Asked what that might mean for the competition, Mourinho said that for those others the group stage was just “a warm-up”, although pointedly he said not for his new team of Europa League qualifiers.
“I think for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern are just warming up,” Mourinho said. “In February when us English teams are trying to survive after the winter period, they’re fresh and ready. For them this is just the warm up, we’re in the second level and that level is, ‘Let’s qualify, let’s get points for the knockout phase and if we do that, let’s enjoy playing against the big guys’”.
BARCELONA 3-0 JUVENTUS
Lionel Messi summoned another mesmerising performance as Barcelona breezed to a 3-0 win over Juventus in their UEFA Champions League Group D opener at the Nou Camp.
Messi scored twice and set up his side's second for Ivan Rakitic as Ernesto Valverde's men capitalised on some dismal defending by the visitors to claim some degree of revenge for last season's quarter-final loss.
Juventus had the majority of the early chances but their opportunities came to nothing and, from the moment Messi swept home the opener on the stroke of half-time, the outcome never seemed in doubt.
CHELSEA 6-0 QARABAG
Chelsea announced their return to the Champions League with a ruthless display to crush Qarabag.
New boy Davide Zappacosta produced the pick of the Premier League champions’ six goals, capping a 70-yard sprint with a cross-shot which embarrassed keeper Ibrahim Semic on 30 minutes.
Pedro had earlier given Chelsea a fifth-minute lead with a fine strike from the edge of the box.
Cesar Azpilicueta headed in a third ten minutes after the break.
Tiemoue Bakayoko stroked home the fourth with 19 minutes left while Michy Batshuayi weighed in with late strikes on 76 and 82 minutes.
Antonio Conte had made five changes to the side victorious at Leicester last Saturday with Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata, David Luiz, Victor Moses and Bakayoko dropped to the bench.
The win leaves Chelsea top of Group C with Atletico Madrid, their opponents on September 27, held at Roma.
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