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Alexis Sanchez suffered an adductor injury in Wednesday's 2-2 Champions League draw with Borussia Monchengladbach, Inter confirmed. 

Sanchez, making just his second start of the season, was replaced by Lautaro Martinez at half-time after a disappointing opening 45 minutes in the Group B opener.

"Alexis Sanchez came off at half-time during tonight's match after experiencing a problem with his right adductor muscle," the club said on Twitter after the game.

No player completed fewer than his 11 passes during the first half, while the former Manchester United man lost possession eight times and won just one of his nine duels. 

Inter were indebted to a 90th-minute equaliser from Romelu Lukaku – his second goal of the game – to salvage a point against Bundesliga visitors Gladbach on matchday one.

Inter head coach Conte refused to be too hard on his players and said the loss of full-back Achraf Hakimi due to a positive coronavirus test shortly before the game had a significant impact on his side's preparations. 

"We have to concentrate on doing our best on the pitch," Conte told Sky Sport Italia. "That's all we have to do. It wasn't easy today to receive the news at 5pm that Hakimi was positive. 

"Up until this morning, he was training with us. He was meant to start, so we'd prepared all the tactical situations.

"I told the lads to face every situation with heads held high. It wasn't easy on a psychological level, but the lads showed they are good men as well as good players.

"Tonight we did well against a team with a great deal of potential, one that has technical quality as well as physicality.

"I don't remember a Samir Handanovic save, whereas we had the chances to win the game. I have nothing to reproach the lads for.

"Inevitably, we can improve in some situations where there are errors and we have to work on whittling those down."

Lukaku cut a frustrated figure despite his late equaliser and said Inter need to show more resilience after their winless run was extended to three games in all competitions.

The Belgian star has now scored in each of his last nine European fixtures across the Champions League and Europa League (11), extending the longest-ever such run by a player for Inter.

"This is not a good result in my view, because we can do better," he said. "We must keep working and be stronger mentally because it's not an easy moment for us and we have to keep believing in our quality. 

"Now we need to be stronger, above all mentally, and do better in defence, as we conceded two goals due to our errors. We made so many mistakes and wasted chances up front too, so if we don't take those we are made to pay at this level."

Zinedine Zidane believes he can arrest Real Madrid's slump and restore order amid growing pressure after the club's shock Champions League loss to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Madrid suffered back-to-back home defeats under head coach Zidane for the first time following Wednesday's 3-2 loss against visiting Shakhtar in their Group B opener, having been stunned 1-0 by newly promoted Cadiz in La Liga at the weekend.

Shakhtar led 3-0 at half-time as Madrid conceded three first-half goals in a Champions League match for the first time in 15 years, before Los Blancos rallied through Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior goals in the second 45 minutes - but it was not enough.

Pressure is mounting on Zidane ahead of Saturday's El Clasico showdown against Barcelona after Madrid tasted a third consecutive Champions League defeat for the first time since 1986, but the under-fire boss remains convinced he is the right man for the job in the Spanish capital.

"I see myself capable of fixing this, that's what I'm going to try," Zidane, whose Madrid were eliminated in the Champions League last 16 in 2019-20, said in his post-match interview. "The players are going to try, too. We are going to look for the solution and we're going to find it. Now we have to prepare for Saturday's game [away to Barcelona]."

Out-of-favour forward Luka Jovic – who lasted 59 minutes before being replaced by Vinicius – spearheaded Madrid's attack with Karim Benzema on the bench, while Eder Militao partnered Raphael Varane in the absence of superstar captain Sergio Ramos.

Shakhtar were missing 10 first-team players due to coronavirus but the Ukrainian visitors blew Madrid away in the first half at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, where strikes from Mateus Tete and Manor Solomon sandwiched a Varane own goal.

"It's a bad feeling [that we have after this result], of course," Zidane said after Madrid lost their opening Champions League game at home for the first time ever.

"It ended up being a mix of everything. We made a mistake leading up to the first goal and afterwards the truth is that we were missing a bit of confidence, a bit of action, a bit of everything in the first half.

"I am happy for the players who reacted and changed in the second half, because they don't deserve such things. It was a bad game, a bad night. I'm the coach, I'm the one who needs to find a solution, and I'm not going to find it tonight."

He added: "I am responsible and since the first half was negative, I have not done something right.

"The first goal changed everything and [ultimately] cost us, but this [Champions League campaign] has just begun and we are not going to give up."

Pep Guardiola hopes he can convince Eric Garcia to stay at Manchester City after handing the Spain international a start in Wednesday's Champions League victory over Porto.

The 19-year-old is in the final year of his contract and has made it clear that he wants to leave the club and join Barcelona, who tried to sign him during the last transfer window.

Barca made Garcia their priority transfer target but the two clubs could not reach a deal on the final day of the transfer window.

The Spanish giants will make a renewed bid for the defender when the transfer window reopens in January, but Guardiola has not given up all hope that he will remain at the Etihad Stadium.

"I know he wanted to leave but he's going to stay and maybe we can seduce him in this year to extend the contract with us," Guardiola said after the 3-1 victory.

"He's a guy who is so stable in many many things and we are so happy."

With Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte injured, Garcia was still something of a surprise starter against the Portuguese champions.

John Stones was left on the bench and only came on for the final few minutes when Fernandinho hobbled off with a knee injury.

Ake was left out after suffering what Guardiola described as "niggles in the groin" on the morning of the match. The City boss decided to leave him out of the squad to rest and recover full fitness.

Laporte, meanwhile, is expected to return to training on Thursday but will face a race to be fit for Saturday's trip to West Ham.

Ruben Dias started his third consecutive game since his £62m ($79m) transfer from Porto's big rivals Benfica.

The Portuguese international was at fault for the opening goal when he gave the ball away with a sloppy pass which was punished by Luis Diaz. However, Guardiola was happy with his defence despite conceding the game's first goal for the first time this season.

“We knew how tough it would be because Porto and Benfica are the best teams in Portugal,” he added.

“They have the winning mentality, they have to win every game.

“I was surprised they played so defensively with five at the back, we had to be patient but in the second half we didn’t concede counter-attacks, we didn’t concede set-pieces, we didn’t allow them to run.

“We did the perfect performance against a really good team. It is nice to win games while suffering.”

Chelsea midfielder Jorginho believes Petr Cech still has what it takes to succeed after the goalkeeper was a shock inclusion in the Blues' 25-man Premier League roster.

The 38-year-old, who has been serving as a technical and performance advisor following his retirement in 2019, was the fourth goalkeeper named in Frank Lampard's squad.

Chelsea said Cech was included as "emergency goalkeeper cover" and added: "This is a precautionary step due to the unprecedented conditions currently caused by the Covid-19 crisis. He takes up a position as a non-contract player." 

However Jorginho believes that the former Czech Republic international could still do a job if called upon after seeing Cech in training with the club in recent weeks.

“I think he can help a lot you know," Jorginho told the Mirror. "He is a legend and he has so much experience so I really think he could help so much in the dressing room and if he has to play he could still do it.

“It would be a pleasure for me to play with him because I have only ever played with him on Playstation!"

Although Cech has only been included as a precaution, Blues head coach Lampard also said he thinks the shot-stopper could still shine at Stamford Bridge.

"Petr has been training with the goalkeepers for a little while now. He has been training a lot of days with them which is valuable for experience [for the other goalkeepers] and that he is passing on that quality to them," the manager explained following Tuesday's 0-0 Champions League draw with Sevilla.

"We had that space in the squad and we know this year, it looks like no other because of Covid and isolation so it was a very easy one. Pete still does his day job and he is there if we need him," Lampard added.

“He is fit, very fit. He is still relatively young. He finished playing when he possibly could have carried on. He has taken on his role at Chelsea very well and he has been very helpful to me and we work closely together. He trains fairly regularly and he is fit." 

Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp admitted his team didn't play "sunshine football" as they battled to a 1-0 win in their Champions League opener against Ajax.

A first-half own goal from Nicolas Tagliafico was enough for the Reds to secure all three points in Wednesday's match at Amsterdam ArenA in their first match without injured centre-half Virgil van Dijk.

It wasn't smooth sailing for the Premier League champions as they squandered several chances throughout match, while Fabinho was required to make a goal-line clearance and Ajax playmaker Davy Klaasen struck the post.

Klopp acknowledged Liverpool could put in a much better performance but revealed he was just happy to get three points to start their European campaign.

"It was good enough to win the game," Klopp told BT Sport. "That's what you need. I think both teams could play better football.

"At moments it was wild. The pitch was deep and muddy. Three days ago it looked completely different and in training yesterday it looked different.

"We did not take our chances which was a shame. Ajax had a big one which hit the post. When you're 1-0 up, these things can happen, but overall I'm happy with the game. It was not sunshine football but we wanted three points and we got it."

With Van Dijk likely to miss the entire season with a knee injury and Joel Matip also absent, holding midfielder Fabinho deputised in central defence alongside Joe Gomez.

The Brazilian international acrobatically cleared Dusan Tadic's lob off the line in the first half, with goalkeeper Adrian stranded.

Klopp wasn't sure why Fabinho was forced to make the crucial intervention, but spoke of his team's fighting qualities, singling out captain Jordan Henderson, teenage defender Rhys Williams and fringe duo Xherdan Shaqiri and Takumi Minamino.

"I don't know how [Fabinho's clearance] happened in the beginning," Klopp revealed. "That's a good example of how the boys did today. It was not perfect but they fought brilliantly.

"I really liked the fresh legs up front. Jordan Henderson, the medical staff told me no 90 minutes but he did well. Rhys Williams played non-league football last year and now he has some Champions League football so what a moment for him. Some nice stories, three points.

"Xherdan Shaqiri was lively and Takumi Minamino was unbelievable. He is like a machine. It helps when you can make five changes."

Pep Guardiola fears the worst for Fernandinho after the Brazilian star suffered an injury in Wednesday's Champions League opener.

Manchester City beat Porto 3-1 on Wednesday at the Etihad, kickstarting their group stage on a positive note.

It wasn't all positive, though, as Fernandinho, who entered the game as a substitute in the 84th minute, went off with a leg injury before the end.

City are already without Kevin de Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Nathan Ake, Benjamin Mendy and Aymeric Laporte, with Fernandinho now joining the club's growing injury list

The midfielder was replaced by John Stones for the final moments of Wednesday's win and, speaking after the game, Guardiola says it appears Fernandinho may be out of action for quite a while.

"Bad news, in the place he was injured [before]," he told the BBC. "He will be out a long time. It's happened."

He added in his post-match press conference: "Bad news, his leg will be, I think four to six weeks out, yes it is a big blow for us with these amount of games and no people there, but it is what it is."

Goals from Sergio Aguero, Ilkay Gundogan and new boy Ferran Torres led the way for City, who also sealed a 1-0 win over Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.

Aside from the Fernandinho injury, Guardiola was largely pleased with how things went on Wednesday as City took care of business against Porto ahead of next week's clash with Marseille in their second group stage game.

 "The last 10-15 minutes of the first half and the start of the second we played well," he told BT Sport. "This is a good start for us and the next step we go to France to get the second one.

"At set pieces they were strong. By the second half we didn't concede anything set pieces or counter attacks so we controlled the game.

"Here, the Champions League is an opportunity to play five substitutions and the ones that came on made an incredible contribution. We had decided before the goal [to substitute Gundogan] but he scored an incredible goal.

"Teams that set up with lots back you have to wait for your moment. We adjusted a little something at the end of the first half. We spoke about being patient, we had to be patient and at the right moment attack them, so we let them run."

Antoine Griezmann has slammed racist remarks made about Ansu Fati in the Spanish press following their 5-1 win in the Champions League against Ferencvaros on Tuesday. 

The 17-year-old attacker enjoyed a fine performance at Camp Nou as he scored the club's second before teeing up Philippe Coutinho for Barca's third goal just after half-time. 

Despite Fati's great showing, the Spain international was subjected to racist reporting from ABC, a Spanish newspaper outlet. 

"Ansu was close to scoring with a kick of a pure striker, perfectly turning his body. Ansu when running has something similar to a gazelle, he looks like a young and black street seller, the one you could see running in the Paseo de Gracia shouting "water, water" when the policemen arrive," the report read.

"Postcards of a jungle in the heart of the city. Now it doesn't happen anymore because of Ada Colau [Mayor of Barcelona], the delinquents are the policemen and not the street sellers, who don't need to run away quickly anymore. It is true that without tourists, their business goes down." 

The shocking remarks were seen by Griezmann, who was quick to shame the outlet on social media and leap to the defence of his young team-mate. 

"Ansu is an exceptional boy who deserves respect just like all other human beings," Griezmann posted on Twitter. "No to racism and no to bad manners." 

After breaking though at Camp Nou last season, Fati has enjoyed a stellar start to the 2020-21 campaign and is currently Barcelona's leading goalscorer in all competitions. 

Despite his fine form and quick rise to stardom, the teenager has kept his feet firmly on the ground and was quick to praise his team-mates after another strong showing on Tuesday. 

"Thanks to all my team-mates, they make things easy for me," he told Movistar post-match. "Messi is still Messi. He can score in any action. We are very happy to have him here with us and I continue to learn from him."

Barcelona next face rivals Real Madrid in La Liga action on Saturday with both clubs going into the season's first El Clasico on the back of shock league losses at the hands of Getafe and Cadiz respectively.

Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has said his side are currently "struggling" despite their 3-1 win over Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday. 

Luis Diaz gave Porto an early lead at the Etihad Stadium before Sergio Aguero levelled from the spot in both teams' Group C opener. 

Gundogan would prove to be the match-winner on the night, as the German's expertly taken free-kick gave City the lead in the 65th minute before Ferran Torres wrapped up the match eight minutes later.

Though the victory over the Portuguese side was City's second in a row after they defeated Arsenal 1-0 on Saturday, Gundogan admitted that he believes City are currently in rough shape.

Key figures Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte are out injured, while Fernandinho appears set to miss some time after going off late in the match against Porto.

Gundogan, meanwhile is only just returning to the City team after missing the beginning of the season due to testing positive for Covid-19. 

"If I'm being honest we are struggling at the moment," Gundogan said on BT Sport after Wednesday's game.

"Fernandinho went off at the end, we have players playing in different positions. I am not 100 per cent there because I had Covid, we are not all at the same moment.

"That is the challenge for this season, it's not going to end for a while. It's not going to be difficult for Pep to pick an XI because players are going to be tired."

With the season starting a month later than usual due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams will have to cope with a more condensed schedule than usual. 

Speaking this weekend, Bernardo Silva predicted that this season’s Premier League champions will need fewer points than in recent campaigns, with more teams than usual in the hunt for top spot.

“In the last few seasons, we saw that to become champions you needed to reach close to 100 points, I think the situation this season is going to be different,” Silva said.

“Because a lot of players didn't have any rest during the summer, I think the competition is going to be more balanced."

Mesut Ozil still has the full backing of Arsenal's players despite the playmaker missing out on the Gunners' 25-man Premier League squad, according to Ainsley Maitland-Niles.

Ozil, who was not included in Arsenal's Europa League squad, has also failed to secure a place in Mikel Arteta's squad for the top-flight campaign.

The 32-year-old has not featured for Arsenal at all since March 7, despite having played in every game between Arteta's appointment in December and then.

Ex-Real Madrid man Ozil, who did not agree to take a salary cut amid the coronavirus pandemic, believed his performances had been improving, an opinion which is supported by the fact that he created more chances per 90 minutes than any other Arsenal player last term.

Arteta said on Wednesday that Ozil did not do enough to force his way in, despite being given every opportunity to impress.

England international Maitland-Niles, meanwhile, insisted Ozil still has the full support of his team-mates despite the ongoing situation, with the playmaker's contract up at the end of the season.

"The club's behind Mesut, we're a team, that's always going to be the case until Mesut decides to make his decision and what he wants to do," Maitland-Niles told a news conference ahead of Thursday's clash with Rapid Vienna.

"Ultimately, we're focused on the game for now. Then when we get back to the training ground we can talk about if he wants to go by as a team.

"We're focused on the game as of now. And when we do finish the game and the three points are secured, then we can focus on going back to the training ground and solving the situation as a team."

On the decision to omit Ozil, Maitland-Niles added: "That's something you're gonna have to ask the club. Us as players, we haven't really thought about it much. We've literally been on the go the whole day. We've had our training session and took our flight here, so we haven't had much time to sit down and process anything as a team."

Maitland-Niles was the subject of intense transfer speculation throughout the summer, with Wolves submitting an offer in excess of £20 million ($26m) for the Arsenal academy product, but he says Arteta was the key figure in him deciding to stay.

“There was a lot of speculation going around, but I chose to stay at the club I love,” he said. “I am happy with my decision and I am sure the manager is happy that I stayed as well.

“It was about the manager having faith in me and him letting me know what’s going on and the situation. He did that and everything was fine in the end."

Ainsley Maitland-Niles says Mikel Arteta convinced him to stay at Arsenal after making him realise he was not yet showing his full potential.

The 23-year-old was the subject of intense transfer speculation throughout the summer, with Wolves submitting an offer in excess of £20 million ($26m) for the Arsenal academy product.

Arteta was always adamant he wanted Maitland-Niles to stay, however, and pointed to the fact that he started him in both the FA Cup semi-final and final as an example of his faith in the youngster - but that did not stop the speculation and for a time it looked like a move to Wolves was a real possibility.

Ultimately Maitland-Niles opted to resist the advances of the Midlands outfit, however, and says it was a chat with his manager that convinced him to stay put.

“There was a lot of speculation going around, but I chose to stay at the club I love,” he said. “I am happy with my decision and I am sure the manager is happy that I stayed as well.

“It was about the manager having faith in me and him letting me know what’s going on and the situation. He did that and everything was fine in the end.

“He just installed a lot of confidence in me that I had in myself, but maybe I didn’t know how to bring out. He has helped me do that. We work well as a team together and he knows how to get the best out of me, and now I am learning to get the best out of myself more regularly now. I can only thank him along the way and carry on the run of form we have had.”

Soon after Arteta arrived at Arsenal in December, he publicly challenged Maitland-Niles to show him he was worth a place in the team.

Having started the first few games under the Spaniard, he soon found game time hard to come by and was told by Arteta he needed to "put his head down and work hard" to force his way back into the picture.

That led to suggestions the pair had fallen out, something Maitland-Niles insists was not the case.

“There was never a rocky relationship between us,” he said ahead of Arsenal’s Europa League meeting with Rapid Vienna on Thursday night. “It was just he demanded more from me than I was demanding from myself. He told me that and I had to work to do to get back into the team. That’s as simple as it was.

“The manager can always see different things than a player can see because he is looking at it from a different angle. He has got different feelings, different emotions to what I feel at the time. It is a good job that I did listen. It is all paying off now.”

Maitland-Niles’ form in recent months has seen him rewarded with a place in the England squad, with Gareth Southgate handing the Arsenal star his first start against Denmark earlier this month.

“The game time I get I really enjoy it,” he said. “Obviously it is coming with more pressure right now because I am on a bigger stage.

“I am still happy to play my way in and keep working hard, try to show the manager I am the best man for the job. That is what I am going to keep trying to do.”

Players of Nigeria's women's national team have expressed their disappointment after the deaths of several unarmed protesters after violent incidents with the country's soldiers on Tuesday.

Africa’s most populous nation has been plagued by protests for the last two weeks as citizens took to the streets to call for an end to police brutality, especially by the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).

However, a 24-hour curfew was effected in the country’s commercial capital Lagos in an attempt to keep their residents indoors, but events turned tragic when soldiers attacked protesters at Lekki.

Following horrific images of unarmed protesters' deaths, the players, including Ngozi Okobi, have taken to social media to appeal against the Nigerian government.

"Nigeria government why? What have we done to deserve all this?," Okobi wrote on her Instagram page.

"God please intervein, these people are killing the leaders of tomorrow and the future of Nigeria."

Nigeria and Avaldsnes striker Rasheedat Ajibade also weighed in as she prayed for God's intervention.

"My heart bleeds right now, Oh Lord arise and fight for your children, Lord pls heal our land," she wrote.

Elsewhere on the same issue, Nigeria and Eskilstuna United midfielder Halimatu Ayinde also let out her displeasure.

"End this wickedness now, we asked for nothing but for good governance, why killing the leaders of tomorrow?" she asked.

On her own part, Nigeria and AS Roma defender Osinachi Ohale also shared her unreserved disgust over the incidents in Lagos.

"Nigerian government stop killing your people, stop killing my brothers and sisters, stop killing our youths," she voiced out.

"Nigerian government you have done us more harm than good we deserve better."

Substitute Ferran Torres was among the scorers as Manchester City earned a 3-1 comeback win against Porto in Wednesday's Champions League opener after Luis Diaz's impressive solo strike.

City were eliminated at the quarter-final stage for the third year running last season and their latest attempt at winning the competition got off to a somewhat shaky start at the Etihad Stadium.

Diaz profited from some poor defending to race through and open the scoring but the Portuguese champions were pegged back after Pepe gave away a penalty from which Sergio Aguero converted, ending his longest goalscoring drought of 231 days.

Ilkay Gundogan scored a set-piece of his own with a dipping free-kick and close-season signing Torres netted five minutes after being brought off the bench as City turned the game on its head to make a winning start to their Group C campaign.

Porto had failed to score in their previous seven away encounters with English clubs in Europe but had to wait just 14 minutes for that drought to end.

Diaz embarked on an impressive solo run that saw him carry the ball from 45 yards out, evade a number of half-hearted challenges and drill a precise shot past Ederson.

City were given a chance to hit back six minutes later, however, as Pepe clattered into Raheem Sterling moments after Gundogan struck the outside of the post.

The penalty was awarded after a lengthy VAR check for a possible Gundogan foul on Agustin Marchesin, who got a hand to Aguero's spot-kick but could not keep it out.

Mateus Uribe fired over following a poor pass from Ederson and Kyle Walker hooked the ball off the line to spare Ruben Dias' blushes as Porto ended the first half on top.

The visitors dropped off slightly after the break and were undone in the 65th minute by Gundogan's set-piece brilliance, the Germany midfielder lifting the ball up and over the wall after being fouled by Fabio Vieira.

The game was put out of Porto's reach when Torres played a one-two with fellow substitute Phil Foden and crashed past Marchesin.

Following a scuffle between Sterling and Pepe, who had a running battle throughout, Rodri went close to adding a fourth late on as Marchesin pushed his 30-yarder onto the post.

What does it mean? Tenth time lucky for City?

City are competing in UEFA's flagship competition for a 10th successive season and are the favourites of some, despite only making it as far as the semi-finals on one occasion.

Questions remain of their defence on this first-half showing against Porto, but Guardiola will take pride from the way his players dug in and got the job done, even if it came at the cost of one of his most combative and experienced players, Fernandinho, being added to a considerable injury list during stoppage time.

Guardiola's men, who had 69 per cent of the ball and managed six shots on target, sit level on three points with Olympiakos - late 1-0 winners over Marseille - after the first set of Group C games.

Diaz dazzles

City were all over the place at the back throughout the first half, not least for Diaz's impressive opening goal as the winger got away from Dias, Eric Garcia and Joao Cancelo.

Diaz lasted 55 minutes on his first appearance in the competition, managing more key passes (two) and winning more duels (12) than any player on the field in that time.

Pepe punished

Pepe barged straight into Sterling inside the box - the fifth penalty he has conceded in the competition, which is more than any other player since data was first collected in 2003.

After a lengthy wait, Aguero stepped up and squeezed in the spot-kick for his 35th Champions League goal - only Didier Droba (36 for Chelsea) has managed more for an English side.

What's next?

City return to Premier League action on Saturday with a trip to West Ham, while Porto host Gil Vicente in the Primeira Liga on the same day.

Liverpool got their Champions League campaign off to a successful start as they earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over Ajax in Amsterdam.

Nicolas Tagliafico's first-half own goal was the difference between the sides in an end-to-end Group D game short on midfield control at Johan Cruyff Arena.

Starting life without injured talismanic centre-back Virgil van Dijk in the Dutch capital, the visitors could have done without the early mix-up between Adrian and Joe Gomez that suggested their defensive organisation is set to suffer.

Davy Klaassen struck the post but that was as close as Ajax came to salvaging a point.

Hearts had been in Liverpool mouths again when Adrian's attempt to launch the ball forward was closed down, leading to a headed chance for Lisandro Martinez that needed saving.

Another well-worked Ajax move then ended in Quincy Promes being picked out at close range, but he somehow failed to beat Adrian when a goal looked certain.

But, as is so often the case, the visitors capitalised on that let-off ruthlessly, going straight up the other end to force a Tagliafico own goal from a horribly miscued Sadio Mane shot that followed a sublime turn in the box.

The hosts responded well to that setback, and would have been level at the break had Fabinho not acrobatically cleared Dusan Tadic's lobbed attempt off the line with Adrian stranded.

That late scare and a general lack of control in the middle throughout prompted Jurgen Klopp to make a half-time change, with youngster Curtis Jones making way for captain Jordan Henderson.

But the substitution looked to have made little difference when Ajax danced their way through the Liverpool midfield before teeing up Klaassen to strike the post with a thunderous effort just over a minute after the restart.

With attempts to shore things up failing, Klopp instead opted to switch things up in attack, calling Diogo Jota, Takumi Minamino and Xherdan Shaqiri from the bench to replace his starting front three.

However, those changes only served to largely disrupt the flow of the game rather than add any thrust for the visitors, not that they would have minded.

Consequently, both sides struggled to create much during a scrappy finish to the game that ensured Liverpool took all three points.

What does it mean? Promising start for Reds

On paper, trips to Ajax and Atalanta looked like the toughest tests Liverpool would face as they plotted a route out of Group D.

To have got one of those fixtures out of the way with three points on the board represents an excellent start for Klopp's men, despite their failure to hit the heights in terms of performance.

Gomez shines in Van Dijk's absence

With Van Dijk likely out for the season following knee surgery, Liverpool desperately need his younger partner to step up and take on responsibility.

Gomez certainly looked ready to do that here as he won five aerial duels, made 10 clearances and regained possession on 11 separate occasions.

Jones struggles on European debut

Making his first appearance in the Champions League, Jones would have hoped to show more before being brought off at half-time.

The talented teenager had an 89 per cent passing accuracy, but struggled on the other side of the ball, making no tackles or interceptions and winning just 50 per cent of his duels.

Key Opta facts

- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven away trips against Dutch opponents, keeping a clean sheet in five of those encounters (winning four, drawing three).

- Ajax have won only one of their previous seven games against English opponents in European competition (D2 L4). That victory came in a Champions League semi-final first leg win over Tottenham in 2018-19.

- Tagliafico is the first Ajax player to score an own goal in the Champions League since Vurnon Anita against Real Madrid in September 2010.

- At 34 years and 291 days, James Milner became the third-oldest player to appear for Liverpool in the European Cup or Champions League, after Gary McAllister (37y 84d) and Ian Callaghan (35y 353d). In contrast, Jones was fifth-youngest Champions League outfield player to start for Liverpool (19y 265d).

What's next?

Liverpool turn their attentions back to the Premier League with an Anfield clash against Sheffield United on Saturday, while Ajax travel to VVV Venlo.

Idrissa Gueye will be out for several weeks having suffered a hamstring injury in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-1 Champions League home defeat to Manchester United on Tuesday.

The 31-year-old, who was handed a starter’s role by manager Thomas Tuchel, could only last for 45 minutes after being replaced at half-time by Italian striker Moise Kean, who is on loan from Everton.

At the end of 90 minutes, the Red Devils left Parc des Princes with all three points thanks to goals from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford.

The French team’s only goal was scored by Anthony Martial as he headed the ball into his own net while trying to clear Neymar’s corner kick.

The nature of the injury was announced by RMC and confirmed by Goal, albeit, PSG would be hoping the injury doesn't keep the Senegal international out of action for a substantial period.

With this development, Gueye joins the likes of Juan Bernat, Thilo Kehrer (adductors), Marco Verratti (thigh), Leandro Paredes (thigh) and Mauro Icardi (knee) on the injury list. For German defender Thilo Kehrer, he is due to return to the squad soon.

This is the fifth time the former Diambars, Lille, and Aston Villa man will be suffering from a hamstring injury his professional career that has spanned over 13 years.

Having joined the French team from Goodison Park last summer in a deal reported to be around £30 million, he expressed his wish to remain with the Parisians for a long time to come.

 “I am very happy with my adventure, everything is going well and my family is happy to live in Paris," Gueye told Canal+ Afrique as reported by TuttoMercato.

"I have no reason to leave, here I am happy and I hope to stay at PSG for a long time.”

He will miss Saturday’s French elite division encounter against Dijon as well as Group H’s Champions League fixture against Istanbul Basaksehir four days later.

Holders Bayern Munich began their Champions League defence with a stylish 4-0 Group A victory over Atletico Madrid thanks to an eye-catching display from Kingsley Coman.

Coman scored the decisive goal when Bayern beat Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 to claim their sixth European crown in Lisbon in August.

The France winger was prominent for Bayern again on Wednesday with the opening goal and a fine assist for Leon Goretzka in the first half against a sluggish Atletico.

Corentin Tolisso added a third after the break with a long-range strike before Coman put the gloss on the result with a brilliant individual goal.

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard hopes to get Joe Aribo up to speed ahead of their Europa League Group D clash against Standard Liege on Thursday.

The 24-year-old midfielder has been out of action since August 12 when he suffered an ankle sprain against St. Johnstone.

The Nigeria international, however, made a return for the Ibrox Stadium outfit on Saturday in their victory over Celtic, making a cameo appearance in the encounter.

Despite his return from injury, Gerrard believes Aribo is not fully back to fitness and the club will do all it takes to help him.

“The squad is in a really good place at the moment. We still need to get Roofe and Aribo up to full speed,” Gerrard said in a pre-match conference.

“Everyone is fit and available and is only Katic not with us at the moment. I am excited to work with a full group of players.”

Aribo has been delivering impressive performances for the Ibrox Stadium outfit since teaming up with the club in the summer of 2019.

The midfielder scored nine goals across all competitions amid other dazzling displays in his debut campaign, helping Rangers finish second in the Scottish Premiership.

The Super Eagles star was rewarded for his eye-catching showings, winning the club’s Young Player of the 2019-20 season.

Aribo has scored one goal in four appearances for Rangers in the current campaign and will hope to add to the effort against Standard Liege.

The 24-year-old has become a key member of the Nigeria national team since he made his debut for the side against Ukraine in 2019.

Aribo’s injury problems forced him out of the Super Eagles games against African Champions Algeria and Tunisia this month.

Barring any injury, he would be expected to play a part when the West Africans take on Sierra Leone in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying game in November.

Luka Modric is confident Real Madrid will recover from a dreadful week after they suffered a second straight home defeat ahead of Saturday's Clasico at Barcelona.

La Liga champions Madrid will head to Camp Nou at a low ebb after their 1-0 reverse at the hands of Cadiz was followed by a 3-2 loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.

Zinedine Zidane's side were three goals down at half-time, before a sublime Modric strike sought to launch a comeback.

Vinicius Junior got another back, yet the Brazil winger was then in an offside position in front of the Shakhtar goalkeeper when Federico Valverde scored a stoppage-time equaliser that was waved off as a result.

Sergio Ramos was not involved and Karim Benzema started from the bench as Zidane turned one eye towards Barca, but Modric recognised Madrid were not good enough against a Ukrainian outfit missing 10 first-team players due to coronavirus.

"In the first half, we were not up to the competition," Modric said. "In the second, we tried to improve and we improved, but it was not enough to try to draw or win the game.

"We have to improve - this is obvious. We lacked confidence today in everything we did in the first half. But we have to continue.

"The next game is coming quickly and there is no time to complain. We have to do better in the next games.

"Zidane told us that we have to press more and better than in the first half, that we are together. I think that in the second half we have done it and we have scored two goals.

"It is a tough defeat but there is still a lot to do. I'm sure we'll improve.

"They scored the first goal and we lowered our heads and lost confidence. In general we are not happy but we are sure to go better.

"For the next game, we have to be together, trust in ourselves and in our quality. We have not forgotten how to play football.

"El Clasico is always a different game and we are sure we can be up to the task."