Benfica register biggest UEFA Youth League win
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Article summary
The eight games on the opening day of the 2015/16 edition produced 36 goals, Benfica scoring eight of them and Real Madrid beating 2015 runners-up Shakhtar Donetsk 4-0.
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- Benfica record the biggest UEFA Youth League win, defeating Astana 8-0
- CSKA Moskva rally from 2-0 down to beat Wolfsburg 4-2
- Juventus have two players sent off in a 4-1 loss at Manchester City
- Tuesday's eight games yield 36 goals
- Streamed live in the MatchCentre on Wednesday: Gent v Lyon, Roma v Barcelona
Group A
Paris 0-0 Malmö
Paris, starting with four members of the France side that so impressively won the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in May, were left frustrated by visiting keeper Marko Johansson. The hosts dominated but were denied either by the woodwork – Alexis Giacomini rattled the upright after 74 minutes – or the brilliance of the Malmö No1, who kept out U17 finals top scorer Odsonne Edouard's point-blank header in the closing exchanges.
Real Madrid 4-0 Shakhtar Donetsk
A Shakhtar XI featuring four players who started the 2015 final loss to Chelsea – Mykola Matviyenko, Oleksandr Pikhalonok, Andriy Boryachuk and Oleksandr Zubkov – were no match for Madrid. With Luca Zidane in goal, the Whites scored twice in each half, Aleix Febas and substitute Alejandro Salto adding to efforts before the break from Achraf Hakimi and Cristian Cedrés.
Group B
PSV 0-3 Manchester United
The opening fixture of the UEFA Youth League season resulted in an eye-catching victory for former England midfielder Nicky Butt's side. Made to work by a PSV team that created chances throughout, United broke the deadlock through Callum Gribbin's 28th-minute free-kick. Marcus Rashford registered twice after the interval, while PSV had captain Maarten Peijnenburg dismissed 16 minutes from time.
Wolfsburg 2-4 CSKA Moskva
Debutants Wolfsburg made a dream start, netting twice through Leandro Putaro in the first 19 minutes. The visitors, however, responded with four unanswered goals in the second period, substitute Timur Zhamaletdinov and Fedor Chalov turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead with two goals in as many minutes midway through the half. Aleksandr Makarov's powerful drive from outside the box sealed it.
Group C
Galatasaray 1-3 Atlético Madrid
Roberto Nuñez notched twice in the last quarter of an hour as Atlético posted a comeback victory in Istanbul. Mert Karaca saved Toni Moya's 51st-minute penalty with Galatasaray in front thanks to Doğan Can Davas's opener, but Nuñez's quickfire double turned the contest on its head. Ferni made the points safe with the Rojiblancos' third goal in six minutes.
Benfica 8-0 Astana
Astana were given a harsh introduction to life in the UEFA Youth League as Benfica racked up the biggest victory in the competition's short history, eclipsing Chelsea's 7-0 triumph at Maribor on matchday four last term. The Eagles were 6-0 up at half-time and had 20 attempts on target to their opponents' none, Diogo Gonçalves leading the way with a hat-trick completed ten minutes into the second half.
Group D
Sevilla 4-2 Mönchengladbach
Sevilla profited from the late dismissal of Joshua Holtby, brother of Lewis, to take all three points. The Spanish outfit had surrendered a two-goal advantage – earned by headers from Colmenero Abad and Eliseo Falcón Falcón – and seemed set for a point until Adriano Martínez Romero fired past Nicolas Moritz with seven minutes left. Romero rubber-stamped the result in stoppage time.
Manchester City 4-1 Juventus
Andrea Favilli's early lob, following a poor clearance from City goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw, was as good as it got for Fabio Grosso's team. Giulio Parodi was soon sent off for bringing down Aaron Nemane, who equalised six minutes later, and early in the second half Francesco Cassata also saw red. The impressive Patrick Roberts made it 2-1, capping a slalom run through the Juventus defence with a cool finish. Substitutes William Patching and Lukas Nmecha gave the scoreline a more resounding look.