Last year’s finalists Manchester City beat RB Leipzig 6-3 in their opening group game of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League. Elsewhere, PSG were held by Club Brugge, despite boasting the attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappe.
Nathan Ake gave City the lead in the 16th minute, as he rose highest to head in a corner. The Citizens went two goals up in the 28th minute when Nordi Mukiele accidentally headed a Kevin De Bruyne cross past his own goalkeeper.
Nkunku scored the first of his three goals in the 42nd minute to half the deficit, but it didn’t stay that way for long, as Riyad Mahrez restored City’s lead from the spot in first-half stoppage time.
Nkunku scored with his head in the 51st minute to make it 3-2. Once again, City weren’t to be held back for long, and Jack Grealish restored their two-goal advantage five minutes later with his second goal for his new team.
Nkunku completed his hattrick in the 73rd minute, taking the ball from his teammate in his stride before firing past Ederson. City hit back again almost instantly through Joao Cancelo, who scored from distance.
Leipzig’s attempts at another comeback were thwarted when former Manchester City player Angelino was sent off for a second bookable offense. The Premier League champions took advantage of the situation and scored their sixth late on – Gabriel Jesus, the scorer.
In the other Group A game, a Lionel Messi-led Paris Saint-Germain were held by Club Brugge. Messi anchored the attack with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr providing support, creating a truly frightening attacking trident.
Mbappe provided the assist for the game’s opening goal; the Frenchman dummied his way past Clinton Mata before setting up Ander Herrera for a close-range finish. Brugge, however, hit back through Hans Vanaken, who found himself in space inside the PSG box before smashing the ball into the net.
The Belgian side had better chances before the interval. First, Vanaken drew a superb stop from Keylor Navas from a free kick before the custodian turned away Charles De Ketelaere’s curled effort from inside the box. PSG, for all their star power, were the second-best team in terms of creating clear-cut opportunities. A draw is all they could get out of their opening game.
