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Champions League group stage: Lionel Messi held in first start for PSG by Club Brugge
The UEFA Champions League group stage rolled on Wednesday, with a double-dip of action in two match windows.
Groups C and D started things off early, with Borussia Dortmund knocking off Beşiktaş in Group C and Sheriff Tiraspol earning a historic win in their UCL debut against Shakhtar Donetsk in Group D.
The later window featured a treasure trove of mouthwatering matchups, too, as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé all started for Paris St. Germain for the first time since Messi's move to the club.
Despite all of that attacking prowess, Messi's Champions League debut with the Parisian super-club was spoiled by a valiant effort from Club Brugge in Belgium.
With goals galore, including a nine-goal bonanza in Manchester, the slate of games Wednesday certainly matched the high drama from Tuesday.
Here are the best moments from Wednesday's group play in the Champions League!
Beşiktaş 1, Borussia Dortmund 2
The hosts nearly got on the board in the sixth minute, but Dortmund's keeper made a swift save to keep the score 0-0. Instead, it was Dortmund's latest teenage sensation, Jude Bellingham, who the visitors on the board first in Turkey after a darting run into the box.
Then, just before halftime, Erling Haaland added to his blossoming account with his 21st goal of his Champions League career in just the 17th appearance in the competition for the 21-year-old.
Dortmund seemed to be cruising to a 2-0 victory, but Miralem Pjanic put a free-kick into the box on a platter for defender Francisco Montero, who headed home in stoppage time to cut the final score to 2-1.
Sheriff Tiraspol 2, Shakhtar Donetsk 0
How about this for a debut in the Champions League?
Sheriff took an early lead against Shakhtar with a brilliant volley from Adama Traore.
Not a bad finish for your first goal in the group stage of the competition! And the hosts weren't done there.
Left back Cristiano provided another assist to help Sheriff double their lead in the second half, with Momo Yansane delivering the end product in the 62nd minute.
Club Brugge 1, Paris St. Germain 1
The moment every PSG fan — and any neutral fan, really — had been waiting for since Messi signed for PSG over the summer finally happened Wednesday.
Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, a veritable murderer's row of attacking talent, were all named to the starting lineup for the first time.
Despite all of that firepower up front, it was Ander Herrera who got on the board first for PSG against Club Brugge, although, Mbappé did get the assist after pinging a cross into the box.
The scoring floodgates for PSG didn't open after that 15th-minute goal, however. Brugge went on to answer back about 10 minutes later through their captain, Hans Vanaken.
Meanwhile, Messi came within inches of scoring his first goal for his new club in the 30th minute, but his curled shot rattled off the corner of the woodwork, keeping the score at 1-1 as the game went to halftime.
Mbappé looked a bit worse for wear as the teams went into the tunnel, but he toughed it out to start the second half. Unfortunately, by the 51st minute, the PSG superstar couldn't carry on and had to come off due to injury.
The hosts buckled down and turned away PSG's advances to keep the score 1-1, and set the home crowd into a frenzy when the final whistle blew and Brugge had secured an unlikely point with a tie.
Liverpool took an early lead in the ninth minute following a nifty one-two from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah. TAA played the ball to Salah then continued his run into the box for his teammate to return the ball.
The Liverpool left-back's shot took a big deflection before settling into the back of the net, but he likely won't be bothered with that detail.
Salah had a chance to add a goal of his own from the penalty spot in the 14th minute, but Milan's Mike Maignan came up with a huge double-save to keep the score 1-0.
It was just the second time Salah has ever missed from the spot as a Red and his first miss since October 2017, per ESPN FC.
After sleepwalking the majority of the first half, Milan's offense finally woke up before the break. They registered their first shot on target in the 42nd minute of the game, which resulted in a goal. Then, two minutes later, the visitors kissed the back of Liverpool's net again to take a 2-1 lead at halftime.
Salah got his redemption in the second half, poking home a looped pass from Divock Origi to knot the game up at 2-2.
In the 69th minute, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson delivered a cannoned volley to give the Reds the lead at Anfield, which would hold for the duration.
Manchester City 6, RB Leipzig 3
The goals were flying in Manchester on Wednesday, with Nathan Ake getting things started off for Manchester City off of a corner kick in the 16th minute.
An own goal in the 28th minute doubled City's lead, but RB Leipzig answered through Christopher Nkunku to get on the board. Then, Riyad Mahrez converted a penalty in first-half stoppage time to restore City's two-goal lead prior to the break.
Nkunku shipped another in the 51st minute, but City got another quick response from big-money signing Jack Grealish, who was making his Champions League debut, to make it 4-2.
Nkunku got his hat trick in the 73rd minute to bring RB Leipzig back to within a goal, but — yep, you guessed it — City fired right back in the 75th minute.
A 79th-minute red card really put Leipzig in a bind, and City substitute Gabriel Jesus added another to the goal-fest in the 85th minute to give City the 6-3 advantage, which held until the final whistle.
Real Madrid's clash with Inter Milan seemed destined to wind up a goalless draw, but Rodrygo had other ideas, popping up in the 89th minute for a critical winner.
One man stole the show for Ajax against Sporting CP: striker Sebastian Haller.
With a whopping four goals in his first Champions League game, Haller joined some elite company alongside Marco van Basten as the only two players to tally four goals in their debut in the competition.
Other scores:
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