One of the most spectacular goals in the history of the Champions League lit up an otherwise pedestrian 1-1 draw between Barcelona and Roma in Rome.
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Luis Suarez got the reigning holders up and running before Roma got back on level terms, and the hosts will feel their defensive efforts were worthy of a point.
But never mind the result, the game will be remain long in the memory thanks to a truly outrageous strike from Roma right-back Alessandro Florenzi.
Great point for Roma. Florenzi, DDR, Nainggolan, Manolas, Rudiger…a long list of impressive, dedicated performances.
— Sam Tighe (@stighefootball) September 16, 2015
The phrase ‘long range’ does not even begin to do justice to Florenzi’s moment of magic, which came out of nowhere after he advanced into Barca territory down the right flank.
Suddenly and without warning, just five yards inside the visiting team’s half and no more than a yard from the touchline, he let fly with a missile of a shot which caught the bewildered Marc Andre ter Stegen just a few yards off his line and crashed in via the inside of the left upright.
A Thomas Muller brace and a Mario Goetze snap shot lifted Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win over Olympiakos in their Champions League Group F opener as tensions boiled over on the terraces.
Muller’s first was a long range fluke in the 52nd minute and a nervy Bayern had been watching the clock before a late Gotze shot and Muller penalty in time added on clinched the three points.
Muller’s opener will cause great debate after his miss-hit cross bamboozled Olympiakos keeper Roberto, who raced desperately back to his line and had to watch in horror as the ball hit the top corner.
The match was marred though by clashes between riot-trained police and Bayern fans before kickoff resulting in at least one injured spectator.
Bayern fans were seen throwing broken plastic seats and plastic bottles at Olympiakos supporters forcing the police to use their batons to bring order.
Arsenal had striker Olivier Giroud sent off as they slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat in their Champions League Group F opener at Dinamo Zagreb.
The France forward missed a couple of early chances before collecting two needless cautions in the first half. Dinamo took the lead against the run of play with an own-goal from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the ball bounced back off him past goalkeeper David Ospina, who had saved Josip Pivaric’s shot.
After Giroud’s dismissal on 40 minutes, Dinamo doubled their lead through a powerful header by Junior Fernandes. Despite a late goal from substitute Theo Walcott, Arsenal were left to reflect on another frustrating European away performance.
Diego Costa scored his first Champions League goal for Chelsea as the beleaguered Premier League champions claimed a much-needed fillip by thrashing Maccabi Tel Aviv at Stamford Bridge.
1 – Diego Costa has scored his first Champions League goal since scoring for Atletico Madrid against Chelsea in April 2014. Relief.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 16, 2015
Willian, Oscar, with a penalty, Costa – on as a substitute after being omitted as one of six changes following the loss at Everton – and Cesc Fabregas scored as the Blues opened Group G with a 4-0 victory.
Two stunning strikes from Brazil international Hulk guided Zenit St Petersburg to a 3-2 win at Valencia despite a spirited fightback by the Spanish side.
Hulk thumped home two powerful efforts to give the Russians a 2-0 half-time lead before Joao Cancelo and Andre Gomes hauled Valencia level after the break.
However, the home side’s good work was undone when Axel Witsel struck the winner moments later to give Andres Villas Boas’ men the perfect start in Group H.
Zenit lead Gent and Lyon by two points after the Belgians salvaged a point with nine men in a 1-1 draw in the other match in the group.
France defender Christophe Jallet had headed the visitors in front against opponents already down to 10 men after Brecht Dejaegere’s first-half red card.
Danijel Milicevic’s 86th-minute strike saw them draw level, prior to a dramatic ending in which Alexandre Lacazette missed a penalty for which Thomas Foket was dismissed.
Meanwhile, Hakan Calhanoglu scored a brace either side of Javier Hernandez’s first goal for Bayer Leverkusen as the German side made a winning start in Champions League Group E by seeing off BATE Borisov 4-1 at home.
“I am happy to score my first goal for #Bayer04, but the victory is the most important!” #Chicharito
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) September 16, 2015
Leverkusen took the lead in the fourth minute through a delightful Admir Mehmedi effort, only for their Belarusian opponents to draw level nine minutes later via Nemanja Milunovic’s deflected header.
An even bigger deflection saw the hosts go back in front two minutes into the second half when Calhanoglu’s shot diverted in off Dzyanis Palyakow.
Hernandez, signed last month from Manchester United, then wrapped things up in the 59th minute, marking his first Leverkusen start with a tidy rightfooted finish, before Calhanoglu converted a 75th-minute penalty.
Midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskiy had a Champions League debut to remember for Dynamo Kiev, firing in late to salvage a 2-2 home draw for Dynamo Kiev against Porto.
Striker Vincent Aboubakar’s brace had looked to have set up Dragoes for a Group E triumph, following Oleh Gusev’s 20th-minute tap-in at the far post.
They were denied late on, Buyalskiy running onto Serhiy Rybalka’s mis-hit drive and firing past Iker Casillas in the last minute.
