Paulo Gazzaniga’s late howler gifted Paris Saint-Germain victory over Girona while Jamie Gittens led Borussia Dortmund past Club Brugge
After relentless PSG pressure, Nuno Mendes’s low ball across the goal looked comfortable for Gazzaniga, but he let it slip through his grasp and into the net in stoppage time, for an own goal that earned the hosts a victory that was deserved on the balance of play.Girona’s defence effectively neutralised PSG’s attack in the first half but the French champions began to dominate in the second half.
With the visitors seemingly happy to play for a draw, Randal Kolo Muani narrowly missed with a shot before Gazzaniga saved Achraf Hakimi’s close-range half-volley with his legs. Luis Enrique’s side registered 26 shots to Girona’s three, but looked set to be frustrated until Gazzaniga’s late gift.Last year’s beaten finalists rode their luck but grabbed the lead when English winger Gittens, on as a second-half substitute, struck in the 76th minute.
The 20-year-old made sure of the three points with a superb solo effort, running at the Brugge defence again before firing a low drive into the net. Dortmund added a third in stoppage time when another substitute, Serhou Guirassy, converted the penalty after being brought down in the area by Brandon Mechele.Brugge will feel aggrieved, having struck the crossbar at 0-0 through Hugo Vetlesen and seen a couple of penalty appeals waved away.
Victor Olantuji doubled the lead in the 42nd minute, firing in from a tight angle after a long ball from captain Filip Panak. Olantuji then set up Qazim Laci to make it 3-0 after a blunder by the Austrian side’s defence in the 58th minute.Victor Olatunji scored one and set up another as Sparta Prague ended their long wait for a Champions League victory., who missed an early penalty, in a lacklustre contest.
The first round of games in the new “league phase” are being played across three days, with six matches – including Atalanta v Arsenal, Monaco v Barcelona and Atlético Madrid v Leipzig – taking place on Thursday evening.
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