Even at the earliest junctures of the season, the UEFA Champions League is a showcase for the world's best players on its very best days. Tuesday was no exception, this time providing a platform for a batch of players that usually play supporting roles to their headline-stealing teammates. Paris Saint-Germain once again earned the distinction of being the Champions League's headliners, outdoing Barcelona in a 4-2 win that was the latest in a string of instant classics between two of Europe's most entertaining teams.
The back-to-back champions surged to victory while relying on a wide range of talent, though they were hardly the only ones to showcase their depth. Liverpool's 4-3 win over Villarreal came courtesy of 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha, while Manchester City called upon Phil Foden in a 5-1 win over AEK Athens. Depth will naturally be a theme of the Champions League campaign as it progresses, long seasons in store for title contenders and the teams destined for early exits.
Tuesday's games offered an early glimpse at how several teams might fare down the stretch if things go according to plan – and who might throw a wrench in their plans, should the knockout phase draw put any of these teams on a collision course. Bodo/Glimt, after all, would like a word when it comes to the cute underdog narrative. Here's what we learned from Tuesday's Champions League action.
Credit to the new Champions League format: it always forces questions early in the season with high-profile matchups and these days, one question in particular: Paris Saint-Germain can't possibly keep this up, right? It was a reasonable query – Barcelona seemed as well-positioned as any to challenge the back-to-back European champions, who saw both Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia exit the game with injuries. PSG took the lead twice, only for Barcelona to eventually find an equalizer.
Things were hardly straightforward for the Parisians but by the final whistle, they had an answer to the week's most pressing question: they can, in fact, keep this up. As Dembele and Kvaratskhelia exited the pitch, a series of teammates filled in the gaps and in a variety of ways. There was Desire Doue, who scored the game's first goal and bolstered his argument as PSG's most entertaining forward with an assist on PSG's second.
Then there was the midfield trio of Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves, who did the one thing that seemed most challenging – shutting down a Barcelona midfield designed to let Lamine Yamal shine. They could not keep the teen sensation at bay entirely but that was hardly a reason to stress, since each member of the trio tallied a goal contribution. Vitinha and Ruiz bagged the game's final goals, ones that finally put things out of reach for Barcelona, Vitinha's strike among the most impressive on a day of bangers.
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