Wednesday, September 18th
22:54 CET - That’s full-time around the grounds in the Champions League. Manchester City and Inter have ended all level at 0-0 with the Italians withstanding a barrage of attempts from City.
PSG have edged Girona 1-0 thanks to that late late winner. Dortmund have beaten Club Brugge 3-0, scoring thrice in the second half while Celtic have smashed Slovan Bratislava 5-1.
Earlier, Sparta Prague beat Salzburg 3-0 while Bologna and Shakhtar played out a 0-0 draw.
22:51 CET - Over in Belgium, Serhou Guirassy has scored a penalty to make it 3-0 for Dortmund against Club Brugge.
22:48 CET - PSG have broken the deadlock with Nuno Mendes scoring to make it 1-0 against Girona. But really, it's a huge goalkeeping blunder with Paulo Gazzaniga letting Mendes' cross trickle through his arms and then legs.
22:43 CET - Make that 5-1 to Celtic, Adam Idah adds gloss to the win. It's turning into a thrashing for poor Slovan Bratislava. It is still goalless in Manchester and Paris.
22:41 CET - Dortmund have doubled their lead, with Jamie Bynoe-Gittens scoring again, to make it 2-0 over Club Brugge. With less than 10 minutes to go, surely that's game over there and in Scotland where Celtic lead 4-1.
22:32 CET - And we have a goal from somewhere else! Dortmund lead Club Brugge 1-0 thanks to Jamie Bynoe-Gittens opener in Bruges.
22:27 CET - Well, Slovan's comeback has been squashed quite quickly, it's 4-1 to Celtic now with Daizen Maeda getting onto the scoresheet as well. That's now five goals at Celtic Park and none anywhere else...
22:17 CET - And just like that, Slovan pull one back! Kevin Wimmer has breathed life into the contest for the Slovak side, it's 3-1 and there is time! That is the first Champions League goal scored by the team from Bratislava ever.
Meanwhile, it's still goalless in the other three fixtures. All the goals are in Glasgow.
22:14 CET - Make that 3-0 to Celtic. Arne Engels slots a penalty to put the game beyond Slovan Bratislava, you'd think.
22:04 CET - Celtic have scored again! Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi has doubled the Scottish champions' lead over Slovan Bratislava. It's 2-0 at Celtic Park.
22:02 CET - We are back underway around the grounds! Will there be more than one goal in the next 45 minutes? Well, you'd hope so.
21:47 CET - At the break in the four ongoing Champions League clashes, there has been only one goal scored, by Celtic who lead Slovan 1-0. It is goalless in the other matches.
In the headline fixture, Manchester City are hosting Inter. As expected, City have dominated possession and territory so far (as you can see in the graphic below) but have not found a breakthrough - see all the match stats here.
21:30 CET - Over in Paris, it's still goalless between PSG and Girona with the hosts dominating the chances in the opening half hour.
It's still goalless between Brugge and Dortmund and between City and Inter as well. Celtic lead Slovan 1-0.
21:18 CET - Celtic's Ireland international Liam Scales has headed his side into the lead against Champions League newcomers Slovan Bratislava, scoring the first goal of the late session.
21:00 CET - Play is now underway from the four matches in this evening's Champions League action!
20:48 CET - Well it turns out that missed penalty in the fourth minute from Shakthar was a crucial one as it finishes 0-0 in Bolgona - an underwhelming encounter.
20:35 CET - Could Sparta Prague have really hoped for a better return to the Champions League? It is an incredible 3-0 win at home to European regulars Salzburg.
20:25 CET - Time is running out for Bologna and Shakhtar who as it stands will both take a point. Bologna have been the more likely side to find a winner having five shots on target to Shakhtar's one but in all honesty it would be a smash and grab if either side were to find a winner here.
Less than 10 minutes remaining.
20:15 CET - So back to tonight and the other game of major interest comes from PSG hosting a Girona side who will be hoping to produce a shock result in their Champions League debut.
Elsewhere, Scottish giants Celtic host Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava and Club Brugge take on Dortmund.
20:05 CET - Before I bring you the rest of tonight's matches, Sparta have added a third goal early in the second half to surely put Salzburg to bed!
After a fast passing move Victor Olatunji set up Qazim Laci who dummied the keeper before putting the ball into an empty net.
20:01 CET - Whilst full focus for now is in Bologna and Prague, in around 45 minutes time Manchester City host Inter Milan in a tasty tie.
The big team news is that club captain Lautaro Martinez is on the bench for Inter! Check out the full lineups here:
19:56 CET - The second period is also now underway in Italy as Bologna and Shakhtar search for the games first goal.
19:52 CET - We are back underway in Prague where the home side will hope to see out a dream return to Champions League football.
19:39 CET - It’s half-time in Prague with Sparta leading Salzburg 2-0 in their first Champions League match in 19 years. Some start from the Czech side.
Over in Bologna, it’s still goalless at the break with Shakhtar having missed an early penalty and only one shot on target coming from both sides across the first 45 minutes in soggy northern Italy.
19:27 CET - Nigerian Victor Olatunji has doubled Sparta's lead over Salzburg with a sharp finish from a very tight angle. 2-0 to the Spartans and it's now feeling like Salzburg have a lot to do with half-time approaching.
19:05 CET - It's still goalless over in Bologna but Shakhtar have missed a penalty. Georgiy Sudakov was the man who failed to convert from the spot for the Ukrainian side in the fourth minute.
18:47 CET - Well, it hasn't taken long for Sparta Prague to score against Salzburg with Kaan Kairinen netting an early goal in the side's first match back in the big time for 19 years. 1-0 Sparta after two minutes - what a start!
18:46 CET - The fixtures are underway in Prague and Bologna!
18:18 CET - Both hosts of today's early matches in the Champions League - Sparta Prague and Bologna - are back among Europe's elite after long breaks. For Sparta, it's 19 years since they were last in the competition while for Bologna, it's an immense 60 years since they were in the top-tier of European cup action.
Last season, Sparta won the Czech league while Bologna finished in an impressive fifth place in Serie A. Will they bring long-awaited joy to their fans this evening or will it prove to be a step-up too far for the sides? We will find out soon!
17:36 CET - Below you can see the starting lineups for Bologna vs Shakhtar Donetsk.
Follow the match live with us here.
17:35 CET - Below you can see the starting lineups for Sparta Prague vs Salzburg.
Follow the match live with us here.
17:00 CET - Welcome back to our live coverage of the UEFA Champions League's first round of the new season and format. Yesterday, the competition kicked off for the 2024/25 campaign with a bang as 26 goals were scored, incredibly, across the opening six fixtures.
This evening, we have six more fixtures to enjoy. First up, from 18:45 CET, Bologna host Shakhtar Donetsk while Salzburg travel to face Sparta Prague. Later on, heavyweights Dortmund, Manchester City and PSG are all in action. You can see the full round of fixtures below or via this link.
