Munich (Germany), Sep 18
Harry Kane scored twice to guide Bayern Munich to a 3-1 victory over Chelsea in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, while defending champions Paris St Germain began their campaign in style with a 4-0 rout of Atalanta at the Parc des Princes.
At the Allianz Arena, Bayern struck first in the 20th minute when Trevoh Chalobah, under pressure from Dayot Upamecano, turned the ball into his own net. Seven minutes later, Kane doubled the lead from the penalty spot after being brought down in the box. But Chelsea, unbeaten in the Premier League until now, struck back almost immediately. Cole Palmer, making his first start after returning from a groin injury, initiated and finished a slick move to make it 2-1.
The hosts grew stronger after the interval, with goalkeeper Robert Sanchez twice denying them -- first stopping a Kane shot in the 57th minute and then brilliantly pushing away Michael Olise's effort. Kane eventually broke through again, coolly finishing low in the 63rd to seal the result and bring his Champions League tally to 21 goals. The England captain is now one of only three players -- alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar -- to have scored 20+ goals for two different clubs in the competition.
"Amazing result, top performance against a really good side," Kane said. "We stayed calm and did very well in the second half. We made it difficult for them to press. Then they got tired and the spaces started opening up. It was a tough, physical game. We're delighted with the result."
Chelsea thought they had a late consolation when Andrey Santos slipped Palmer through in the 90th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside. "I thought we played well," Palmer reflected. "The three goals we conceded were our own fault. We had chances... We deserved better than what we got."
At 39, Bayern keeper Manuel Neuer became the club's oldest Champions League player, but had little to do as the Germans marked their 22nd consecutive win in a group-stage opener.
Meanwhile in Paris, PSG wasted no time asserting their dominance. Captain Marquinhos pressed high and finished a move he himself started in the third minute, before goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and substitute Goncalo Ramos sealed a commanding 4-0 win. Bradley Barcola missed a penalty before halftime, but it mattered little as Luis Enrique's side looked every bit the reigning champions.
"There was a lot of pressure in the first minutes but we created many chances, we prepared the match well and produced a very good performance," Enrique said.
PSG now turn their attention to Barcelona at the Camp Nou on October 1, while Atalanta will host Club Brugge the same day.
- IANS
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