Highlights: Champions League: Man City Draws Inter, PSG Edges Girona 1-0

Manchester City had a slow start to their Champions League campaign, drawing 0-0 with Inter Milan on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain secured a last-minute victory over tournament newcomers Girona. Despite winning all four of their Premier League matches this season, City couldn’t break down Italian champions Inter, in a rematch of the 2023 final that City had previously won.

City’s performance was hindered by the loss of Kevin De Bruyne to injury at half-time. Phil Foden had their best chance but shot straight at Inter’s goalkeeper, Yann Sommer, while Erling Haaland was kept quiet as he chased his 100th goal for City. City defender Ruben Dias admitted to TNT Sports, “It was a very intense game against a strong opponent… they are used to winning, so we knew it wouldn’t be easy.”

Inter nearly claimed victory when Henrikh Mkhitaryan missed a golden opportunity 15 minutes from time. The result means City remain unbeaten in their last 24 Champions League matches, just one game short of Manchester United’s record set between 2007 and 2009. This was also only the second time in 42 home Champions League matches under Pep Guardiola that City failed to score. Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu commented, “Our plan was to show that we’re not afraid to play here.”

In Paris, PSG faced Girona, who are making their debut in the competition. It appeared the French side would settle for a draw until a last-minute error from Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga allowed Nuno Mendes’ cross to slip through his hands, giving PSG a 1-0 win. Mendes told Canal Plus, “It was a tough game, they’re a team that plays well with the ball… I was surprised by the goal.”

Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, were propelled to a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge thanks to English winger Jamie Gittens, who came off the bench to score twice. Serhou Guirassy added a stoppage-time penalty for Dortmund, marking his first goal for the club since joining from Stuttgart.

Celtic opened their campaign with a commanding 5-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in Glasgow, marking the first time they’ve won their opening Champions League game in 13 attempts. Liam Scales’ header set the tone, followed by goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Adam Idah. Celtic captain Callum McGregor praised the team’s performance, telling TNT Sports, “It’s a fantastic night… this is the next level for the group in terms of growth and development.”

Elsewhere, Bologna played to a goalless draw at home against Shakhtar Donetsk, with goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski saving an early penalty. Sparta Prague achieved their first Champions League win since 2003, defeating Red Bull Salzburg 3-0 with goals from Kaan Kairinen, Victor Olatunji, and Qazim Laci.