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Paris, September 19
Angel Di Maria was hailed as “exceptional” after scoring twice against his former club as Paris Saint-Germain shrugged off the absences of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe and thrashed Real Madrid 3-0 on Wednesday to get off to a perfect start in the Champions League.
Di Maria beat Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at his near post to put PSG ahead in the 14th minute at the Parc des Princes, but it was his second goal just after the half-hour that really lit up this encounter. The Argentine gave Courtois no chance with a left-footed shot from 20 yards out that arrowed into the corner. Thomas Meunier added the gloss at the death but it was Di Maria who had cleared the way, stepping into the gap left by the injured Mbappe and Edinson Cavani as well as suspended Neymar.
Man City sink Shakhtar
Kharkiv (Ukraine): Pep Guardiola insisted he never doubted Manchester City could cope with their defensive injury crisis as his side made a flying start to the Champions League campaign with a 3-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk.
City coach Guardiola was forced to deploy Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho at centre-back after losing Aymeric Laporte and John Stones to injuries lately.
But Fernandinho slotted in comfortably at the back as City easily subdued Shakhtar with first-half goals from Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan.
Gabriel Jesus netted City’s third goal in the closing stages to ensure they made the long flight home with three points stowed away.
Bayern see off Red Star
Munich: Robert Lewandowski scored as Bayern Munich eased to a 3-0 win over Red Star Belgrade in their opening match. Kingsley Coman gave Bayern a first-half lead, while Lewandowski poked home 10 minutes from time for his ninth goal in six matches before Thomas Mueller added a stunning late third.
Bayern visit last season’s runners-up Tottenham, who blew a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Olympiakos, in their second Group B game in two weeks’ time.
Atletico fight back
Madrid: Hector Herrera grabbed a dramatic point on his Atletico Madrid debut with a late header that saw his side come back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in their opener against Juventus.
Herrera came off the bench to crash home Kieran Tripper’s last-minute corner and complete the comeback after Juve had gone ahead through Juan Cuadrado’s superb strike seconds after the break and a bullet header from Blaise Matuidi on 65 minutes. “This side is known for how it always fights to the end,” said Herrera. — AFP