Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen made a bold statement in their Champions League opener on Thursday, beating Feyenoord 4-0 in Rotterdam.
Xabi Alonso's side, who made history by winning the Bundesliga title unbeaten last season, proved their worth with four goals in the first half.
Florian Wirtz opened the scoring with a precise shot from the edge of the area after five minutes.
Alejandro Grimaldo doubled the lead with a smart finish in the 30th minute, followed by Wirtz's second goal six minutes later.
Timon Wellenreuther's own goal just before half-time sealed Feyenoord's fate.
Leverkusen's Victor Boniface, who made his Champions League debut, took to social media to express his pride:
“I went from paying 30 naira to watch the Champions League match at night at 323 Army Barracks in Akure to playing my first Champions League match. I am proud of this moment.”
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Barcelona suffered a 2-1 defeat in Monaco, despite winning 4-1 against Girona in La Liga last weekend.
Eric Garcia's early red card proved costly as Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena scored for Monaco.
In the Spanish capital, Atlético de Madrid secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over RB Leipzig, thanks to José María Giménez's late header from Antoine Griezmann's cross.
Benjamin Sesko had put Leipzig ahead, but it was Diego Simeone's men who had the last laugh.
In Serbia, it was not a good game for Peter Olayinka and his teammates as Benfica beat Crvena Zvezda 2-1, with goals from Muhammed Kerem Akturkoglu and Orkun Kokcu.
Milson's late goal made for a tense finale, but Benfica held on to claim victory.
Also on Thursday, Arsenal picked up a valuable point in Italy, drawing 0-0 with last season's Europa League champions Atalanta.
The Gunners' fourth clean sheet in five competitive games this season was a testament to their solid defence, which rarely looked troubled during the match.
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However, Thomas Partey's momentary lapse in judgement almost cost him dearly as he brought down Ederson inside the area and conceded a penalty.
Fortunately, David Raya came to the rescue, spectacularly saving Matias Retegui's penalty and heading in the rebound to preserve Arsenal's clean sheet.