Sports
2024-2025 UEFA Champions League Kicks Off With Thrilling Action
By Benjamin Abioye
The 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League has begun with an exciting first matchday, highlighting some teams that have made strong starts while others are facing early difficulties.
Bayern München leads the table after a dominant performance, boasting an impressive +7 goal difference and three points. This powerful start suggests they could make a deep run in the tournament.
In a surprising turn, Celtic follows closely with a +4 goal difference, marking them as a team to watch this season. Leverkusen, another Bundesliga team, shares the same goal difference as Celtic and has shown promising attacking ability.
Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund have also made bright starts, each with a +3 goal difference, solidifying their positions early in the competition.
Other notable teams like Sparta Praha, Liverpool, and Juventus have performed well, keeping them in the mix for the knockout stage after the first round.
Real Madrid and Sporting CP have also begun their campaigns positively, each with a +2 goal difference. Madrid, a favorite in the tournament, is expected to go far, while Sporting CP’s strong start keeps them in contention.
Several heavyweights, including Atlético Madrid, Benfica, Brest, Monaco, and Paris Saint-Germain, have secured wins with a modest +1 goal difference, indicating there’s still room for improvement as the group stages progress.
On the flip side, teams such as Arsenal, Atalanta, Inter, and Manchester City will need to step up their performances to aim for higher placements as the league phase continues.
Below is the 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League table after matchday one:
| Rank | Team | PL | W | D | L | GS-GA | GD | PTS |
| 1 | Bayern Munich | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9-2 | +7 | 3 |
| 2 | Celtic | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5-1 | +4 | 3 |
| 3 | Bayer Leverkusen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4-0 | +4 | 3 |
| 4 | Aston Villa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-0 | +3 | 3 |
| 5 | Dortmund | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-0 | +3 | 3 |
| 6 | Sparta Prague | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-0 | +3 | 3 |
| 7 | Liverpool | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-1 | +2 | 3 |
| 8 | Juventus | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-1 | +2 | 3 |
| 9 | Real Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3-1 | +2 | 3 |
| 10 | Sporting CP | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-0 | +2 | 3 |
| 11 | Benfica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | +1 | 3 |
| 12 | Brest | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | +1 | 3 |
| 13 | Monaco | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | +1 | 3 |
| 14 | Atletico Madrid | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2-1 | +1 | 3 |
| 15 | PSG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1-0 | +1 | 3 |
| 16 | Inter Milan | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 17 | Arsenal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 18 | Manchester City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 19 | Atalanta | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | Bologna | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 21 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 |
| 22 | Barcelona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | -1 | 0 |
| 23 | RB Leipzig | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | -1 | 0 |
| 24 | Sturm Graz | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | -1 | 0 |
| 25 | Crvena Zvezda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | -1 | 0 |
| 26 | Girona | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-1 | -1 | 0 |
| 27 | PSV Eindhoven | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | -2 | 0 |
| 28 | VfB Stuttgart | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | -2 | 0 |
| 29 | AC Milan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-3 | -2 | 0 |
| 30 | Lille | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-2 | -2 | 0 |
| 31 | Club Brugge | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-3 | -3 | 0 |
| 32 | RB Salzburg | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-3 | -3 | 0 |
| 33 | Young Boys | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-3 | -3 | 0 |
| 34 | Feyenoord | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0-4 | -4 | 0 |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1-5 | -4 | 0 |
| 36 | Dinamo Zagreb | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2-9 |
Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact
 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG
