Girona captain Cristhian Stuani deserves more than anyone to be in the team for the side's first-ever Champions League game on Wednesday against Paris Saint-Germain, head coach Michel said.

Michel promised the 37-year-old striker that he would give him the captain's armband when they play in the Champions League after he grabbed an injury-time winner against Real Betis in March.

Girona, who had never qualified for Europe's top club competition in their 94-year history, finally secured a place in the Champions League by finishing third in the LaLiga standings last season.

"Stuani deserves to be in the starting eleven. He has been wearing this shirt for many years. He deserves it more than anyone," Sanchez told reporters on Tuesday.

"The reality is that last year we did things spectacularly. We have arrived at a place that we deserve. We are excited, motivated.

"It's a dream and you have to enjoy it. The growth of this club is demonstrated by moments like this. We have to give our version and enjoy ourselves."

Stuani will be aged 37 years and 342 days on the day of this game and would be the second-oldest outfield debutant in Champions League history, behind Anastasios Mitropoulos (40 years, 109 days) who made a brief substitute appearance for Olympiakos against Rosenborg in December 1997.

Uruguay international Stuani said it would be a dream come true to play in the competition with the club he joined in 2017.

"It is a pride and an honour to be part of all this. It's very special. Not only because of what it means for Girona to play in the Champions League," Stuani said.

"I'm lucky and it's a privilege to be able to enjoy a game like this. It's a dream day and I'm going to achieve it with the club of my life."

The last Spanish side to debut in the competition was Malaga back in the 2012-13 campaign, while each of the last three debuting Spanish sides have gone on to make the knockout stages (Villarreal in 2005-06, Sevilla in 2007-08 and Malaga in 2012-13).

However, only one of the last 28 teams travelling away to PSG for the first time in the Champions League have come away with a victory (D8 L19), with Manchester United winning 3-1 in March 2019.

Real Madrid started their Champions League title defence with a hard-fought 3-1 home win over Stuttgart on Tuesday, with late goals from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick guiding them to victory.

Last season's Bundesliga runners-up Stuttgart were arguably the better side for long periods at a sold-out Santiago Bernabeu stadium, threatening a huge upset of the 15-time European champions.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a string of critical saves to keep Madrid level, keeping out Jamie Leweling and Angelo Stiller before half-time.

Dani Carvajal also diverted a Deniz Undav shot against his own crossbar as Los Blancos rode their luck, but Kylian Mbappe drew first blood shortly after the restart, finishing from close range after Rodrygo led a quick counterattack.

Stuttgart refused to go away, though, and they looked like clinching a famous result when Undav equalised in the 68th minute, heading Leweling's cross home when totally unmarked at the far post.

However, yet another Madrid late show in Europe saw them snatch all three points, Rudiger heading Luka Modric's corner home in the 83rd minute.

Carlo Ancelotti's side then made sure of the result in stoppage time, Endrick catching Alexander Nubel out from range to score his first Champions League goal.

Data Debrief: Blancos draw on blend of youth and experience

Two players at opposite ends of the age spectrum helped Madrid get over the line after an energetic Stuttgart side threatened to make major headlines at the Bernabeu.

Modric came off the bench with Los Blancos toiling at 1-1, quickly teeing up Rudiger's go-ahead goal with an expertly taken corner-kick.

At the age of 39 years and eight days, he is the third-oldest player to record an assist in the Champions League, after Ryan Giggs (39 years, 363 days in 2013 for Manchester United versus Bayer Leverkusen) and Amadeo Carboni (39 years, 176 days in 2004 for Valencia against Werder Bremen).

Endrick, meanwhile, became the youngest South American to net on his Champions League debut, at the age of 18 years and 58 days.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic should control his emotions when he does not score, Bianconeri head coach Thiago Motta said after they beat PSV 3-1 in their Champions League opener.

Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie put Juve 2-0 up at the break and Vlahovic set up Nico Gonzalez for the third strike, but the striker failed to find the net himself on Tuesday.

Vlahovic was visibly upset when he missed two chances towards the end of the game as the 24-year-old remained goalless in a third consecutive game across all competitions.

"Dusan always shows up in ideal conditions to train and play. I am happy with his work," Motta told Sky Sport.

"He didn't score and it's true that the striker always wants to score, it is also right that he has this ambition, but he must manage the emotional side.

"It happens to a striker not to score but he must think that on the pitch there are other things to do and that the goal will come. We also have other strikers, the important thing is that he participates in the team game."

Vlahovic attempted four shots but only found the target with one of those, despite accumulating an individual expected goals (xG) tally of 0.71, just shy of scorers Gonzalez (0.73) and McKennie (0.86).

This victory may never have been in doubt, though, considering Juventus have never lost their opening game of a Champions League campaign played at home, now winning seven and drawing three.

Motta, who was appointed in June after the club parted ways with Massimiliano Allegri, was still pleased with the win but believes his team can get better after his debut as a coach in Europe.

"Today I liked the concreteness," he said. "We can improve in many other things to make things difficult for our opponents.

"The goal we conceded is the thing that worries me the least. We can do better in terms of quality. We are going on the right path.

"We started the competition well with a win and now we shall continue like this."

Juve, who remain unbeaten in all competitions so far this season, next face Napoli and Genoa in Serie A before they travel to RB Leipzig in the Champions League on October 2.

Everton's miserable start to the new season continued as they were knocked out of the EFL Cup by Southampton, who experienced spot-kick joy after their penalty pain against Manchester United.

Sean Dyche's Toffees have lost their past two Premier League matches despite leading 2-0 in each, and they let slip another lead on Tuesday.

Abdoulaye Doucoure's opener was cancelled out by Saints' Taylor Harwood-Bellis, with a 1-1 draw taking the third-round tie to penalties at Goodison Park.

Southampton, like Everton, are pointless in the league after Cameron Archer's spot-kick miss in their latest defeat at home to United on Saturday proved costly.

But this time Saints succeeded from 12 yards, advancing after a 6-5 shoot-out win, with Ashley Young the only man to fail from the spot when Alex McCarthy saved the final kick.

That was one of three shoot-outs among Tuesday's cup matches, with Preston North End remarkably winning a marathon contest against Fulham.

Following another 1-1 draw, Preston were 16-15 victors on penalties as Timothy Castagne blazed the decisive effort over the crossbar after 17 attempts apiece.

Stoke City and Fleetwood Town also drew 1-1, before the Potters triumphed.

Elsewhere, Eberechi Eze netted the winner against former club Queens Park Rangers, with Eddie Nketiah also on target for the first time for Crystal Palace in a 2-1 victory.

Brentford came from behind to beat Leyton Orient 3-1, while Sheffield United defeated former boss Steve Bruce and Blackpool 1-0.

Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.

The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.

Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.

Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.

Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds

With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.

It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).

Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.

Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).

Liverpool celebrated their return to the Champions League with a 3-1 victory over AC Milan at San Siro on Tuesday, overcoming a shaky start for a comfortable triumph.

The Reds got off to an awful start when Christian Pulisic finished Milan's deadly counter-attack in the third minute, aided by Liverpool's disorganised defending on their return to the competition after a year's absence.

Arne Slot's side turned things around, however, as Ibrahima Konate equalised in the 23rd minute when he leapt high above a crowd of defenders to head in Trent Alexander-Arnold's free kick.

Virgil van Dijk put Liverpool ahead after nodding home Kostas Tsimikas' corner prior to the break before Dominik Szoboszlai sealed victory in the 67th minute, slotting into the far corner from Cody Gakpo's cross after Milan gave up possession.

Slot's first Champions League game at the helm of Liverpool ended in deserved victory, and it was a terrific response from his team after their shock 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.

Data Debrief: Defensive delight for Reds

With Konate and Van Dijk both on target, Liverpool had two defenders score in the same Champions League game for the first time.

It marked a fitting way for Van Dijk to celebrate a landmark appearance, becoming just the third Dutch player to score on his 50th outing in the competition, after Ruud van Nistelrooy and Roy Makaay (both in 2005).

Alexander-Arnold's assist for Liverpool's equaliser was also his 80th for the Reds. Since his debut in October 2016, only Kevin De Bruyne (146) and team-mate Mohamed Salah (90) have provided more in all competitions among Premier League players.

Those defensive performances at the other end of the pitch helped Liverpool to a fifth win in their last six away games against Italian sides in all competitions (L1), having won just three of their first 14 such visits (D3 L8).

Harry Kane produced a remarkable four-goal haul to make English history as Bayern Munich demolished visitors Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 in their record-breaking Champions League opener.

Kane, who scored a hat-trick in their Bundesliga win over Holstein Kiel on Saturday, converted a 19th-minute penalty before goals from Raphael Guerreiro and Michael Olise in the first half on Tuesday.

Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara led a fightback early in the second half, with Dinamo hoping to find a way back, but Bayern responded through goals from Kane and Olise.

Kane netted his third and fourth with penalties shortly after, helping him onto 33 strikes in the competition and comfortably past Wayne Rooney's 30-goal record among English players in the Champions League.

Leroy Sane added another in the 85th before fellow substitute Leon Goretzka headed in the hosts' record-breaking ninth finish, the most by one team in a single match since the Champions League was introduced.

Data Debrief: Penalty perfection for Kane

Deadly finisher Kane accumulated 3.76 expected goals (xG) of Bayern's total 6.27 tally for the match, with the 31-year-old finding the target with six of his eight attempts in what proved to be a total domination.

Kane is the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a European Cup/Champions League match, and the first Englishman to score four in a match in the competition since Alan Smith for Arsenal against FK Austria Wien in 1991.

There was history elsewhere, however, as Thomas Muller appeared in his 152nd Champions League match for Bayern, breaking Xavi's record for the most matches with one club in the competition (151 for Barcelona).

Vincent Kompany will be looking forward to the rest of this European term, too, after Bayern started a 21st straight campaign in the competition with victory, with their last such defeat coming against Deportivo de La Coruna back in 2002-03.

The Miami Dolphins will place quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on injured reserve, multiple media outlets reported Tuesday.

The move ensures that Tagovailoa will be out at least until Week 8, with Skylar Thompson slated to start Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

On Monday, the Dolphins signed Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad, giving them a possible alternative to Thompson in the coming weeks.

Tagovailoa’s latest concussion came during Thursday’s 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Tagovailoa scrambled for a first down in the second half before colliding with Bills safety Damar Hamlin.

The impact left Tagovailoa dazed on the ground as he appeared to undergo a fencing response – the stiffening of limbs after a traumatic brain injury – before he was helped off the field.

Tagovailoa had two previously diagnosed concussions in the 2022 season, including one which required him to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

The 2023 Pro Bowler’s third head injury sparked an outpouring of concern from the football world, with some calling for Tagovailoa to retire.

Miami’s players and coaches were visibly shaken up by Tagovailoa’s most recent concussion, but last year’s passing yards leader has yet to speak publicly since the injury.  

NFL Network reported Sunday that Tagovailoa has no plans to retire.

“As far as Tua's career is concerned, I think it's an utmost priority of mine for Tua to speak onto his career,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel told reporters this week.

“I think as far as I'm concerned, I'm just worried about the human being and where that's at day to day. I'll let Tua be the champion of his own career and speak on that.”

While there is no firm timeline for Tagovailoa’s return, his placement on IR ensures that the earliest he could be back is Oct. 27 against the Arizona Cardinals.

While Miami’s (1-1) play-off hopes took a sizeable hit with Tagovailoa’s injury, the upcoming schedule appears manageable with games against the Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts.

Marcus Rashford was on target again with a double as Manchester United demolished third-tier Barnsley 7-0 at Old Trafford in the EFL Cup third round.

Rashford had scored his first goal since mid-March in Saturday's Premier League victory at Southampton, after which Erik ten Hag predicted more would follow.

And the United manager was quickly proven right as Rashford grabbed the first and fifth goals on Tuesday, helping to fire the Red Devils into the last 16 of the EFL Cup.

Rashford, who netted in United's final victory over Newcastle United in this competition two seasons ago, appeared full of confidence after 16 minutes as he brought down Alejandro Garnacho's crossfield pass, skipped past Marc Roberts and blasted into the top corner.

The exiled England international was not alone among United's under-fire forwards in enjoying a productive game in front of goal either, with Antony getting his first of the season by winning and converting a penalty.

It was three on the stroke of half-time as Garnacho prodded in after Rashford was tackled in the area, and the excellent Argentina winger scored again shortly after the restart.

Rashford raced onto another Garnacho pass and finished coolly just before the hour mark, before Christian Eriksen added a late brace of his own.

Data Debrief: He shoots, he scores

It was hard to foresee Rashford's three-goal week prior to the Southampton match – primarily because the United number 10 was not shooting, let alone scoring.

Rashford appeared in United's first three Premier League matches of the season without even attempting a shot, but Barnsley's goal was subjected to target practice on Tuesday as his confidence returned.

Those two Rashford goals came from six attempts, including five from inside the box as he thrived in a central striking role after so often toiling on the left wing.

Harry Kane stretched to further record-breaking ground by surpassing Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in Champions League history.

Bayern Munich forward Kane opened the scoring against Dinamo Zagreb with a penalty at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday.

That moved the England captain level with former Manchester United star Rooney on 30 Champions League strikes, the joint-most by any player from their country.

Kane later eased past Rooney's mark in the second half, powering home his 31st strike in the competition to take the outright English record.

Kane netted eight times in UEFA's top club competition last season, his most in a single edition, and has got off to a blistering start in the revamped 2024-25 format.

His second finish of the game helped Bayern to a 4-2 lead before Michael Olise's second goal extended the hosts' advantage further shortly after.

Unai Emery makes life "so easy" for his players, according to the Aston Villa manager's Europa League-winning goalkeeper.

Beto played for Sevilla as they won three consecutive Europa Leagues under Emery, featuring in the first two title runs, including starring in a penalty shoot-out triumph against Benfica in the 2014 final.

And despite going on to endure slightly more testing spells in charge of Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, Emery has continued to deliver on the European stage.

He guided Villarreal to another Europa League win, before returning Villa to European football and then the Champions League. Villa beat Young Boys 3-0 in their league phase opener on Tuesday.

Emery's success comes as no surprise to former Portugal international Beto, who explained the brilliance of his old boss while speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal.

"Unai has many things that make him different," Beto told Stats Perform. "The passion that he has for football makes him different.

"The way that he studies every detail, not only in the opponent but in his team. He knows every player. He knows how to get the best out of each player in his team.

"For us, it was amazing, he knew what was going to happen in the 45th minute of the game. This is going to happen.

"If the picture is this one, we will act this way. If the game is like in another way, we're going to act this way.

"So, he had everything planned; every scenario, every situation he had planned. And for us, the players, we had all the information, we had everything. We just had to be ourselves and put our talent at the service of the team.

"And for us, it was so easy to play being coached by Unai. He was an amazing person.

"He respects football. And I think it's one of the secrets of Unai, he respects football. He gives everything for football.

"So, not only in Sevilla, I know he had some bad moments in Arsenal, but he came back in Villarreal. He won another Europa League in Villarreal.

"He brought back Aston Villa to the top. I have too much credit for Unai because I love him, respect him and he will be forever one of my best coaches and my best friends."

Trinidad and Tobago’s men’s hockey team are still basking in their successful qualification for next year’s Pan American (PanAm) Cup in Uruguay after they topped the recently-concluded Pan American Men’s Hockey Challenge in Peru.

The Calypso stickmen hammered the hosts 6-0 in a lopsided final in which captain Jordan Vieira secured a hat-trick, while the tournament’s top scorer Teague Marcano had a brace. Nicholas Grant got the other goal.

An elated Tarell Singh said winning the title and, by extension, qualifying for the PanAm Cup was a just reward for their hard work over the past week and leading up to the competition.

“Qualifying feels great because the Pan American Cup is where we should be competing,” Singh beamed.

“We have the quality to compete amongst the top teams in the Pan American region. The reason we went unbeaten in this tournament is because we came to make a statement, and we also worked for each other and kept trying to push positivity amongst the team,” he added as he reflected.

In the showpieces contest, Vieira handed Trinidad and Tobago a 1-0 lead at the half-time interval before they later asserted their authority on the encounter.

Vieira scored twice in the third quarter, while Grant also got his name on the scoresheet to make it 4-0, before Marcano fired in the last two to cap a solid performance for the Twin Island Republic, who ended the tournament as the only unbeaten team.

They tallied 60 goals in the process, 27 of which came from Marcano’s stick, while they only conceded a mere two goals across seven games.

Trinidad and Tobago will now be hoping to build on those performances leading up to and at the PanAm Cup scheduled for July 24 to August 3 in Montevideo.

The Calypso men will be hoping to replicate or even surpass the third-place finish in 2013, which remains the country’s best showing at the PanAm Cup.

Borussia Dortmund are determined to replicate the heroics of their remarkable Champions League campaign last season, head coach Nuri Sahin said ahead of Wednesday's opener at Club Brugge.

The 36-year-old Sahin will lead Dortmund in Europe's elite club competition for the first time when the Bundesliga side visit Bruges.

Dortmund announced Sahin, their former assistant coach, in June as their new manager to replace Edin Terzic, who led the German club to the Champions League final last term.

Terzic's men subsequently lost to LaLiga giants Real Madrid 2-0 in the Wembley showpiece, though Sahin is desperate for another deep run in Europe.

"After two or three matchdays, you will see how it's going," Sahin told reporters on Tuesday. "As a finalist last year, we're self-confident.

"Dortmund are a name in Europe. We want to live up to that and go through. We want to play a good role in all competitions."

Dortmund may be concerned given only one of the last five losing Champions League finalists have then started their next campaign with a win (D2 L2), a 6-3 win for Manchester City against RB Leipzig in 2021-22.

They are in different hands under Sahin, a German-born former Turkey international, who played 274 matches for Dortmund.

He won the Bundesliga in the 2010-11 season and was a Champions League runner-up with them in the 2012-13 campaign when they were managed by Jurgen Klopp.

Sahin now feels ready to take charge on the biggest stage, having started his debut Bundesliga season as a manager with seven points in three matches.

"I'm delighted to be a coach in the Champions League. This is special. I'm really looking forward to my first game on this stage," Sahin said.

However, he expects a tough outing against Brugge, who have won four of their seven matches in the Belgian Pro League.

"Since we've known that we're playing against them, we've watched very many matches. The team has a clear philosophy of play and principles, a good team," Sahin added.

Juventus beat PSV 3-1 on their return to the Champions League on Tuesday, aided by by two quickfire goals from Kenan Yildiz and Weston McKennie in the first half.

The Bianconeri were playing their first match in Europe's elite club competition since 2022-23, when they suffered a humiliating group-stage exit before failing to qualify for the next edition.

Thiago Motta has enjoyed a decent start to life in Turin, though, and that continued on Tuesday as Juve eased past their Eredivisie opponents.

Yildiz gave Juve the lead after 21 minutes with a stunning curling shot from just inside the box, leaving goalkeeper Joel Drommel helpless as the ball crashed off the inside of the post and in.

McKennie doubled their advantage six minutes later, netting inside the right-hand post from close range and winger Nicolas Gonzalez made it 3-0 with a back-post finish after the break.

Ismael Saibari pulled a goal back for PSV in stoppage time, but it was a thoroughly deserved victory for Juve, who are next in European action at RB Leipzig on October 2.

Data Debrief: Big night for Juve's young guns

Motta has been charged with overseeing a new era at the Allianz Stadium, and the average age of Juve's starting lineup on Tuesday was the youngest in their Champions League history (25 years and 149 days).

Yildiz led the charge for this new-look Bianconeri outfit, becoming their youngest-ever Champions League scorer with his stunning strike from the corner of the box.

At the age of 19 years and 136 days, he is also the youngest Turkish player to net in the competition.

Juventus also maintained their record of never losing their first Champions League game under a new coach (seven wins, three draws) – the best record of any club to have had 10 or more managers in the competition. 

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