Shortly after making a splash in the European Championship, two of the most exciting young players showed their skills on the big stage of club soccer.
However, their experiences were different.
Teenager Lamine Yamal scored for Barcelona, but his team lost 2-1 to Monaco, marking the end of Barcelona’s perfect season start. In contrast, Florian Wirtz scored his first Champions League goal just five minutes into his debut, helping Bayer Leverkusen to a 4-0 victory over Feyenoord.
“I was really looking forward to this game for the last few days, and that’s how I approached it. I didn’t expect to score two goals, but I took my chances,” Wirtz said. “Now I can build on that and aim to take my chances in every match.”
Leverkusen had a fantastic season, winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup, with their only loss being in the Europa League final in May.
In other matches, Atalanta had a penalty saved in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal at home. Atlético Madrid won 2-1 against Leipzig, and Benfica beat Red Star Belgrade 2-1, while Brest celebrated its first European match with a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz.
This was the third night of the new Champions League format, which replaces the old group stage. Now, 36 teams each face eight different opponents until January, with a single league table deciding which teams move on to the knockout rounds.
