Robert Lewandowski scored thrice in Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Viktoria Plzen – his first treble in Barca colours. Elsewhere, Leroy Sane starred in Bayern Munich’s comfortable 2-0 win over Serie A side Inter Milan.
Franck Kessie started off Barcelona’s 5-1 rout of the Czech side with a headed goal in the 13th minute – his first for his new club. Ferran Torres finished it in the 71st with a volleyed strike from close range for the hosts. But, in between the two goals, Lewandowski stole the show with his first treble for Barcelona. The Pole already recording his eighth goal in five games for the Blaugrana.
The striker scored the first of his three in the 34th minute, collecting a pass from Sergi Roberto and curling it beyond the Plzen custodian Jindřich Stanek in the far corner. His second came shortly after Jan Sykora had pulled one back for the visitors – a diving header from an Ousmane Dembele cross. Finally, in the 67th minute, the 34-year-old forward hit a first-time shot from outside the box following a lay-off by Torres and watched it sail past Stanek precisely in the corner.
In the other Group C game, Leroy Sane starred with a goal and an assist for Bayern Munich in their 2-0 win over Inter Milan. The German international scored in the 25th minute, bringing down a long pass from Joshua Kimmich with expert control and putting it past Andre Onana, the Inter custodian for the day.
Six minutes past the hour, Sane ran in behind the Nerazzurri defence at the back post before cutting a cross across the six-yard box, where a scuffed clearance from Danilo D’Ambrosio resulted in an own goal and, consequently, a comfortable win for the Bavarians.
In Group D, two late, near-identical goals from Richarlison helped Tottenham Hotspur beat ten-men Marseille, who had Chancel Mbemba sent off for scything down Son Heung-Min as the last man in defence.
The Braziian headed in his first in the 76th minute from an Ivan Perisic cross from the left. Five minutes later, from an almost identical position, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg lifted the ball in, and Richarlison, again, met it with his head in the centre of the box to put Spurs two ahead – a lead which they would hold on to until the end.
Tottenham’s win only put them second in the group. Sporting Club took the early lead by thrashing Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0.