Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya secured his side a hard-earned point with a sensational double save from a penalty as they drew 0-0 at Atalanta in the Champions League on Thursday.

Spaniard Raya dived low to his right to beat away Mateo Retegui's spot-kick in the 51st minute then sprang across his goal to claw away the forward's follow-up header.

That was the most dramatic moment of an otherwise tepid affair in Bergamo, as Mikel Arteta's team produced a gritty away performance against the Europa League holders.

The closest Arsenal came to scoring was a first-half free-kick by Bukayo Saka that was saved well by Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, while Gabriel Martinelli blasted over the crossbar to cap a rare Gunners attack after the break. 

La Dea, meanwhile, went close to taking all three points when Juan Cuadrado sent a curling effort narrowly wide of the far corner with 67 minutes on the clock.

Arsenal's next Champions League fixture is a heavyweight clash with Paris Saint-Germain on October 1, while Atalanta go to Shakhtar Donetsk the following day.

Data Debrief: Raya heroics key for Arsenal

In a game where Arsenal struggled going forwards, only generating six attempts at goal worth 0.79 expected goals (xG), the Gunners needed Raya to come up trumps.

He became just the fourth Arsenal goalkeeper to save a penalty in the Champions League, after Richard Wright, Jens Lehmann and Lukasz Fabianski (twice).

Including shoot-outs, he has now kept out four of the last eight penalties he has faced in all competitions, having conceded each of the previous 19 he faced.

Monaco made a memorable return to the Champions League, beating 10-man Barcelona 2-1 on Thursday.

Barcelona made a dreadful start at the Stade Louis II Stadium, with Eric Garcia shown a straight red card just 10 minutes in for a foul on Takumi Minamino, who was in on goal after a misplaced pass from Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The hosts took advantage six minutes later when Maghnes Akliouche struck a low shot into the net, giving Ter Stegen no chance.

However, Barcelona went into half-time on level terms after Lamine Yamal cut inside to drill a low shot into the bottom-left corner in the 28th minute.

Monaco kept pushing in the second half though, and got their reward in the 71st minute. Substitute George Ilenikhena fired past Ter Stegen to secure victory in their first Champions League appearance in five years.

Data Debrief: The kids are all right

Monaco were on the longest winless streak by a French side in European Cup/Champions League history (14 games) coming into this match, but have snapped that streak in superb style here.

Ilenikhena came off the bench and, in the process, snatched a little slice of history, becoming the youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer for Monaco (18 years and 34 days), breaking the previous record set by Kylian Mbappe in 2017 (18y and 63d).

Meanwhile, Yamal has become the second-youngest goalscorer in Champions League history at 17y and 68d, second only to Barcelona team-mate Ansu Fati (17y 40d). It is also the first time that Yamal has scored in two consecutive games for Barcelona.

An early goal from winger Kerem Akturkoglu and a superb free-kick by his fellow Turkey international Orkun Kokcu earned Benfica a 2-1 Champions League victory at Red Star Belgrade on Thursday.

Akturkoglu opened the scoring for the Portuguese side in the ninth minute, converting a cross from close range at the back post.

His compatriot Kokcu then doubled their advantage just before the half-hour mark with a meticulously placed free-kick from 25 yards out, picking out the top-right corner.

Red Star reduced the deficit when Felicio Milson was played through and scored from close range four minutes from time, but they were unable to find an equaliser at the death.

Data Debrief: Turkish first for Benfica

Goals from Akturkoglu and Kokcu ensured this was the first time two Turkish players had ever scored for a non-Turkish club in a Champions League match.

Kokcu, meanwhile, is on his way to earning a reputation as a dead-ball specialist. 

Since the beginning of the 2021-22 season, no player has scored more direct free-kick goals in major European competitions than Kokcu's two, with this his first in the Champions League.

Bayer Leverkusen opened their Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Thursday, scoring all four of their goals by half-time.

Xabi Alonso's men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last term, blew their hosts away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip. 

Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.

Another of last season's stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.

Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke of half-time, Timon Wellenreuther diverting the ball into his own net in a failed attempt to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's header.

Feyenoord were never likely to respond from there, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.

Bayer's resounding victory takes them third in the young Champions League standings, with Milan their next opponents in the competition on October 1.

Data Debrief: Wirtz makes the step up

Wirtz was named Bundesliga Player of the Season as Leverkusen romped to the title last term, and he made the step up to Europe's premier club competition look easy on Thursday.

At the age of 21 years and 139 days, he became the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut.

Since the beginning of the 2020-21 season, meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes (28) is the only midfielder that has been directly involved in more goals in major European competitions than Wirtz (26 – 14 goals, 12 assists).  

Viktor Gyokeres should focus on continuing to shine for Primeira Liga leaders Sporting CP and not be tempted by a move away, according to former Portugal defender Jorge Andrade.

The Sweden striker has been a revelation since his move from Coventry City in 2023, topping the league's scoring charts with 29 goals last season as the Lions won the Primeira Liga title.

Gyokeres has netted 12 times already for club and country this term, including in his last eight outings after scoring on his Champions League debut in Tuesday's 2-0 win against Lille.

Liverpool and Arsenal are reportedly keen on landing the 26-year-old's signature, though Andrade – speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal – believes Gyokeres should stay put.

"Viktor has already been to England and played in the Championship. That makes you wonder if he should come back to the Premier League so quickly," Andrade, speaking at the Thinking Football Summit organised by Liga Portugal, told Stats Perform.

"He is adapting very well to the Portuguese league. He can play in the Champions League with Sporting. He can be the biggest star of a great club like Sporting. You will have to wait [for him to return to England].

"The values are high, but he's a player who values those values. He's a very strong player, he makes a difference in the club he's at.

"He's already in Sweden's national team. He is one of the key players in that team that has been down a lot since [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic left.

"But I think he is a great player, and he will not think about the Premier League immediately.

"I'm sure that in the future, if Sporting is successful, he can still go to that great league."

Michel has urged his team to be proud of their Champions League debut, despite a heartbreaking late defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

The visitors neutralised PSG's attack for much of the game, only for Paulo Gazzaniga, who had made a number of good saves, to let Nuno Mendes' tame delivery slip through his hands and into the back of the net.

The goalkeeper's own goal was the first in the 90th minute of a Champions League game since November 2022 (Porto's Ivan Marcano vs Atletico Madrid), while it was the first-ever such goal that proved to be the winner.

Despite the defeat, the Girona head coach praised his team's effort and the performance of his goalkeeper up until the goal.

"Now in the dressing room, people are a little bit down," Michel told reporters. "I told them that we have to be proud of the game we played.

"PSG subdued us, Gazzaniga made some good saves. There were two or three that could have been goals.

"We have to recognise that their victory is deserved but we are proud of the way we work.

"Let's see if we get another chance to come to Paris next year."

The Spaniard admitted his players were nervous in their first taste of Europe's elite club competition, but he was satisfied with their game as they faced a top-level team.

"At the start of the game, we were very nervous, you could see that. But as the first half went on, we found personality, commitment, attitude," he added.

"In the second half, we were tired. PSG pressed us more, we were continually defending a lot. We passed our first experience in the Champions League.

"We competed against a great team where the pressure can stiffen you and the team gave a good performance."

Girona face Feyenoord in their second league-phase fixture.

Luis Enrique compared Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League opener to childbirth as he admitted he did not enjoy watching their tense late win over Girona.

PSG secured victory after Girona's goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga, who had thwarted numerous efforts from the French champions, made a calamitous error in the final minutes.

Nuno Mendes' tame, low delivery into the box slipped through the goalkeeper's grasp and into the back of the net, snatching PSG all three points in a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

Though winning in fortuitous circumstances, PSG have now only lost one of their 37 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W29 D7) since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and Luis Enrique acknowledged the tough nature of this victory.

"I think we were superior, but Girona played us in circles and made us dizzy," Luis Enrique told Movistar Plus.

"At half-time, we said that if we didn't press, we were going to suffer. We had to win, and it was very difficult.

"It was very difficult. I told [Girona manager] Michel that this was worse than giving birth, with all due respect."

Under the new Champions League format, teams play eight matches against eight different opponents, with the top eight sides in the 36-team league automatically advancing to the last 16, and the next 16 playing a further knockout round.

Luis Enrique observed that the format creates uncertainty about the significance of results.

"Winning a match or any title is difficult, but we don't know the dimensions of this competition with this format," he added.

"We are going to have to play matches against teams that have easier schedules than ours. How many points are we going to need? There are many unknowns that need to be cleared up."

Despite the victory, PSG suffered a setback as striker Marco Asensio limped off just before half-time. However, Luis Enrique was confident in the strength of his squad.

"He felt a twinge. Marco had started the season well. This is professional football, and we have a very good squad."

PSG will next play Reims away in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Borussia Dortmund rode their luck in their Champions League opener, but Nuri Sahin believes they deserved the three points against Club Brugge.

Dortmund won 3-0, with all of their goals coming in the final 14 minutes after their hosts had spurned several chances.

Brugge were the better side for much of the contest, but Jamie Gittens' brace and a penalty from Serhou Guirassy, who netted for the first time in a Dortmund shirt, sealed the win for the visitors. 

In the process, Gittens became the second-youngest player to score two or more goals as a substitute in a Champions League game, older than only Monaco's David Trezeguet.

And Sahin hailed his side's resilience for pushing them to victory.

"It was important to start with an away win against a tough opponent," Sahin said. "It was a good, attacking match from both teams.

"In the end, with the changes we had, I think we deserved to win."

However, Dortmund captain Emre Can admitted: "It wasn't a top performance but we took the win."

Midfielder Julian Brandt praised substitutes Gittens and Guirassy for their impact off the bench, which turned the contest in the team's favour.

"It was tough in the first half. We ran a lot," Brandt told DAZN. "It was a lot of work and a lot of attrition.

"At the end, you could see that the spaces were getting bigger. It's a good thing that the bench scores the goals.

"Once again, the substitutes decided the game."

Meanwhile, Brugge goalkeeper Simon Mignolet rued his side's profligacy in front of goal when the score was level at 0-0.

"That's the Champions League," he said. "Our performance was very good. If we score the first ourselves, the scenario is ideal. But they did that, and then you get an exaggerated scoreline.

"The difference is the squad depth of Dortmund. What they have on the bench... after a gruelling match, it is not easy against someone [like Gittens] who comes fresh from the bench.

"We can be very satisfied with our match. The football was very good and we created chances. We just have to seize our moments. Then we could even win." 

Simone Inzaghi lamented Inter's missed opportunities but was broadly satisfied with their 0-0 draw at Manchester City on matchday one in the Champions League.

Inter produced an impressive performance at the Etihad Stadium, holding the team that beat them in the 2023 Champions League final to seal a memorable treble.

Matteo Darmian and Henrikh Mkhitaryan had huge chances to put the Nerazzurri ahead in the second half, though they were also fortunate to see Ilkay Gundogan miss two golden opportunities for City.

After becoming just the second coach to oversee a clean sheet in an away Champions League game versus Guardiola's City, Inzaghi heaped praise on his players.

"The players did really well, we knew the quality of our opponents, but we worked well and could have hurt them more in some situations," he told Amazon Prime Video Italia.

"In the final third we need to show skill and technique, which we do have in the squad.

"Against these sides like Manchester City and Real Madrid, you always seem like you might be able to score a goal, but then they manage to rescue it."

Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, meanwhile, said Inter were determined not to be intimidated by City following their defeat in the 2022-23 showpiece game.

"We wanted to show that we are not scared to play here. We play football the way they do, with sacrifice we showed that we can also play football," Calhanoglu said.

"We enjoyed ourselves against a very strong team and could also have won, but with the right courage and spirit of sacrifice, we proved that we can compete against anyone."

Inter will now turn their focus to the Derby della Madonnina against Milan in Serie A on Sunday.

"It will be a derby, we all know what that means for the club and our fans," Inzaghi said. "They never stopped singing tonight in Manchester. 

"We will stay here overnight, fly back tomorrow and try to prepare the match in just a few days."

Pep Guardiola was proud of Manchester City's performance despite their failure to find a breakthrough in their goalless draw with Inter, declaring: "We are a fantastic team".

In a repeat of the 2023 Champions League final, City were unable to find a way past a resolute Nerazzurri defence at the Etihad Stadium.

Ilkay Gundogan missed two huge chances at the death for the hosts, but Inter themselves went close to snatching three points through Henrikh Mkhitaryan.  

Erling Haaland, meanwhile, was limited to the fewest touches of all 22 starters (14) as his bid to reach 100 goals for City was foiled.

Despite City failing to score for just the second time in 42 home Champions League games under him (also versus Sporting CP in 2022), Guardiola refused to criticise his men.

Asked what he liked about their display by TNT Sports, Guardiola said: "Everything, absolutely everything. We played so good, I love my team, we are a fantastic team.

"Against a team who are masters of defending, we did so, so well. We conceded one or one and a half chances, and you cannot expect to create 20 chances when a team defends so deep.

"When you lose easy balls, it's a counterattack, it's impossible to stop it. We had to be more precise. You cannot always control it.

"We had not a lot [of chances], but they were so clear. It's also the start of the season, these players will get better with a little bit more time."

Guardiola was also asked for an update on the condition of Kevin De Bruyne, who was withdrawn at half-time just four days out from a huge Premier League matchup against Arsenal, but he was unable to provide one.

Defender Ruben Dias was also pleased with most aspects of City's performance, saying: "A very intense game against a very strong opponent.

"We knew what was coming, they're a top team as well, they're used to winning, and we knew we were not going to have an easy job. 

"In the end, I think the team had a great performance, we were very close to scoring."

Another huge chance for Inter to snatch victory saw defender Matteo Darmian inexplicably attempt to find Nicolo Barella with a backheel when he had a clean sight of Ederson's goal in the second half.

Asked about that moment after the game, Nerazzurri boss Simone Inzaghi said: "I asked him, 'what were you playing at?', and he said he could hear Barella behind him."

City's next Champions League game is at Slovan Bratislava on October 1, while Inter host Crvena zvezda on the same day.

Mikel Arteta confirmed Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard will be out "for a while" after suffering a significant ankle injury while playing for Norway.

The 25-year-old hobbled off during his country's Nations League 2-1 win over Austria in Oslo on September 9 and returned to London on crutches.

Odegaard missed Sunday's 1-0 derby victory against Tottenham and Arteta revealed the bad news on the midfielder ahead of Arsenal's opening Champions League game away to Atalanta.

"The scans showed that he's got some damage especially on one of the ligaments in the ankle," the Arsenal manager said on Wednesday.

"It's something quite significant so we're going to lose him for a while."

Arteta, whose side are second in the league and two points behind Manchester City, said he hoped it would not be months "but let's see".

Odegaard has become a key player for Arsenal, missing only a handful of games over the last three seasons, and a lengthy absence will come as a huge blow.

"He's our captain. He's been one of the biggest and best players in our team," continued Arteta.

"Our identity is very linked to how he plays and behaves. It's a big test for the team to see how able we are to show a different face."

Norway coach Stale Solbakken told VG newspaper he had been fully updated about the injury and was "preparing for a life without Martin".

"We have to take it week by week and day by day. Some types of damage go faster and some go slower," he said.

Manchester City's bid for a second Champions League crown got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a goalless draw by Inter in a repeat of the 2023 final.

Both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair at the Etihad Stadium, with Inter defending resolutely before threatening to hit Pep Guardiola's hosts on the break on numerous occasions.

City's goal machine Erling Haaland was hoping to become the fastest player in history to score 100 goals for a European club, but he saw a header held by Yann Sommer early on before rolling another effort narrowly wide of the post.

Marcus Thuram flashed a first-time shot over the crossbar as Simone Inzaghi's men fired a warning shot of their own, while another Sommer save prevented Phil Foden from capping a delightful City move with a goal.

Inter's clearest opening came in the 53rd minute, but former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian inexplicably tried to find a team-mate with a backheel when presented with a clear sight of Ederson's goal.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan had City fans breathing a huge sigh of relief when he missed another golden late opportunity, sending a wild effort spinning over the crossbar from 10 yards out.

But the last chances went City's way, Ilkay Gundogan eliciting huge groans from the home fans with two misses from short-range headers in the dying seconds.

Data Debrief: Inter make a statement

City are always favourites on their own turf, but Inter were expected to put up a fight on Wednesday and they did precisely that, marking themselves out as potential challengers for the European crown.

It was just the second time City had failed to find the net in 42 home Champions League matches under Guardiola, with the other being a goalless draw with Sporting CP in 2022.

Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi and Yann Bisseck impressed in the heart of defence, limiting Haaland to the fewest touches (14) of any starter on either team.

The Nerazzurri also offered a threat going forward, with their 10 first-half attempts making them the first Champions League visitors to reach double figures at the Etihad since Monaco in February 2017 (also 10). 

Jamie Gittens scored twice as Borussia Dortmund opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 victory away at Club Brugge.

Serhou Guirassy added a late penalty for last season's finalists, who netted three times in the final quarter of an hour at Jan Breydelstadion.

Brugge carried the greater attacking threat for most of the contest, going closest to scoring when Hugo Vetlesen rattled the crossbar, but they were made to pay for their profligacy.

Gittens entered the action as a 68th-minute substitute and broke the deadlock eight minutes later - albeit in fortuitous circumstances - with his shot taking two deflections before nestling in the top-left corner.

The 20-year-old doubled his and Dortmund's tally with four minutes remaining, cutting inside before firing past Simon Mignolet in the Brugge goal.

Guirassy added further gloss to the scoreline from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, slotting home from 12 yards after he was fouled by Brandon Mechele.

Data Debrief: Super sub Gittens stars in historic win

Keeping Brugge at bay, Dortmund became the first team in Champions League history to play a single opponent five times without conceding a goal.

Gittens got the ball rolling at the other end. At 20 years and 41 days old, he is the second-youngest player to score two or more goals as a substitute in a Champions League game, older than only Monaco's David Trezeguet, who was just 34 days younger when he struck against K. Lierse SK in October 1997.

Guirassy completed the victory from the spot, meaning Dortmund have now converted each of their last six Champions League penalties, last failing from 12 yards against Barcelona in September 2019 through Marco Reus.

Jamie Gittens scored twice as Borussia Dortmund opened their Champions League campaign with a 3-0 victory away at Club Brugge.

Serhou Guirassy added a late penalty for last season's finalists, who netted three times in the final quarter of an hour at Jan Breydelstadion.

Brugge carried the greater attacking threat for most of the contest, going closest to scoring when Hugo Vetlesen rattled the crossbar, but they were made to pay for their profligacy.

Gittens entered the action as a 68th-minute substitute and broke the deadlock eight minutes later—albeit in fortuitous circumstances—with his shot taking two deflections before nestling in the top-left corner.

The 20-year-old doubled his and Dortmund's tally with four minutes remaining, cutting inside before firing past Simon Mignolet in the Brugge goal.

Guirassy added further gloss to the scoreline from the penalty spot deep into stoppage time, slotting home from 12 yards after he was fouled by Brandon Mechele.

Data Debrief: Super sub Gittens stars in historic win

Keeping Brugge at bay, Dortmund became the first team in Champions League history to play a single opponent five times without conceding a goal.

Gittens got the ball rolling at the other end. At 20 years and 41 days old, he is the second-youngest player to score two or more goals as a substitute in a Champions League game, older than only Monaco's David Trezeguet, who was just 34 days younger when he struck against K. Lierse SK in October 1997.

Guirassy completed the victory from the spot, meaning Dortmund have now converted each of their last six Champions League penalties, last failing from 12 yards against Barcelona in September 2019 through Marco Reus.

Paris Saint-Germain sneaked to a 1-0 home victory over Champions League debutants Girona on Wednesday after Paulo Gazzaniga's costly late blunder.

Nuno Mendes' harmless low delivery across goal slipped through visiting goalkeeper Gazzaniga's grasp in the 90th minute to hand the hosts an opening victory at Parc des Princes.

Girona's defence effectively neutralised PSG's attack in the first half, causing mounting frustration for the hosts before Michel's side began to waste time, drawing boos from the Parc des Princes crowd.

Randal Kolo Muani and Achraf Hakimi had late chances, but both missed from close range before Gazzinga inexplicably allowed Mendes' tame cross to squirm through his hands.

Data Debrief: PSG's fortress continues unbroken

Though winning in fortuitous circumstances, PSG have now only lost one of their 37 home games in the group stage of the Champions League (W29 D7) since the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

Parc des Princes remains the Ligue 1 champions' fortress, with only one of the last 29 teams (D8 L20) travelling away to PSG for the first time in the competition winning (Manchester United, 3-1 in March 2019).

Luis Enrique has Gazzaniga to thank, however, with Girona's own goal the first in the 90th minute of a Champions League game since November 2022, since Porto's Ivan Marcano against Atletico Madrid.

It was the first ever 90th-minute own goal in the competition that proved to be the winner but, concerningly, PSG have now attempted 71 shot attempts since one of their own players scored in Europe.