Bayern Munich and Liverpool both kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaigns with thrilling victories on Wednesday, with Harry Kane and Virgil van Dijk emerging as the heroes for their respective clubs.
In Munich, Bayern secured a commanding 3–1 win over Chelsea. The hosts took an early lead in the 20th minute after Trevoh Chalobah scored an unfortunate own goal. England captain Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s advantage from the penalty spot in the 27th minute. Chelsea briefly rallied when Cole Palmer pulled one back just two minutes later, but Kane sealed the victory with a clinical low finish in the 63rd minute. Palmer thought he had scored again in the 90th minute, but the goal was ruled out for offside .
Kane, who has now scored 10 goals in six appearances for Bayern this season, received high praise from pundits and teammates alike. Jamie Carragher hailed him as “one of the greatest goal scorers the game has ever seen” . The win extended Bayern’s unbeaten run across all competitions, while Chelsea tasted defeat for the first time this season .
Meanwhile, at Anfield, Liverpool edged out Atlético Madrid in a five-goal thriller. The Reds flew out of the blocks, with Andy Robertson scoring in the 4th minute after a Mohamed Salah free-kick deflected off him into the net. Salah doubled the lead just two minutes later, dribbling past three defenders before firing into the far corner.
Atlético fought back, with Marcos Llorente pulling one back before halftime and then equalizing in the 81st minute with a deflected effort. Just as the match seemed destined for a draw, Virgil van Dijk rose highest to power home a header from a corner in stoppage time, securing a dramatic 3–2 win for Liverpool.
Both Bayern and Liverpool will look to build on these results in their next Champions League fixtures.
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