Olympiakos - PSG 1-4

Thiago Motta double downs Greeks.The Brazilian netted two goals in the space of six second-half minutes before Marquinhos made a goalscoring debut as the French champions kicked off their campaign in style.

Thiago Motta's second-half brace helped Paris Saint-Germain to an impressive 4-1 win away toOlympiakos at the Karaiskakis Stadium.

Vladimir Weiss cancelled out Edinson Cavani's opener with a fine individual effort in the first half, before Motta headed home from two Ezequiel Lavezzi corners to put the visitors in control.

Young debutant Marquinhos added a fourth in the remaining few minutes, in what was eventually a convincing win for Laurent Blanc's side in their Champions League opener.

Olympiakos made three changes from the side that beat Xanthi at the weekend, with Javier Saviola, Kostas Manolas and Leandro Salino making way for Giannis Maniatis, Alejandro Dominguez and Dimitrios Siovas.

The Ligue 1 outfit handed a debut to 19-year-old Marquinhos, who was drafted in for the injured Alex.

Javier Pastore was ruled out with a foot injury, while Cavani was welcomed back to the starting line-up having been named on the bench for the weekend win over Bordeaux.

Like PSG, Olympiakos recruited a number of players during the transfer window, including former Rangers playmaker Weiss, who very nearly gave his team the perfect start after he sent a stinging long-range effort crashing off the bar within the first minute.

It was a sign of things to come from the Slovakian, who was given another chance 10 minutes later, rifling a low shot just past Salvatore Sirigu's near post.

The Turkish goalkeeper's woodwork was struck again a few minutes later thanks to David Fuster's looping volley as the home side continued to search for an opener.

They were made to pay for their wastefulness three minutes later, however, when Zlatan Ibrahimovic threaded a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Maxwell, who squared for Cavani to tap into an empty net.

However, the goal failed to discourage Michel's side and they were duly rewarded for their persistence just six minutes later thanks to a fine individual effort from Weiss.

The winger picked up the ball on the right before cutting inside to shake off first Marquinhos and then Thiago Silva, before sending a flicked shot into the bottom corner of the net.

It was no less than they deserved as PSG struggled to maintain possession for large periods of the first half.

The visitors looked more settled after the break, but struggled to carve out an opportunity until the hour mark when Cavani forced a smart save from Roberto.

PSG gradually began to press, and took the lead for the second time after 68 minutes when Mottabeat his marker to power home a header from Lavezzi's corner. 

Olympiakos did not appear to learn their lesson and that move was recreated three minutes later, with Motta beating the challenge of Andreas Samaris to once again head home.

Michel threw on Javier Saviola in an attempt to regain a grip on the game, but the experienced striker could not stop his conceding again five minutes from time.

The home side once again failed to deal with a teasing cross into the box, leaving Marquinhos to direct a header past Roberto.

25′ Vladimir Weiss

Edinson Cavani 19′ 

 

Thiago Motta 68′ 

 

Thiago Motta 73′ 

 

Marquinhos 86′ 

Benfica - Anderlecht 2-0

The Portuguese outfit never looked in serious danger against their Belgian opponents, and made a positive beginning to their group thanks to a pair of early goals.

Jorge Jesus’ UEFA Champions League dream got off to a solid start as Benfica beat Anderlecht2-0 in Group C on Tuesday.

First-half goals from Filip Djuricic and Luisao gave the home side an early advantage that they were not prepared to relinquish, and they now find themselves comfortably off the mark in a tough group.

With Paris-Saint Germain and Olympiacos still to come, Anderlecht now face a tough task to bounce back after struggling against their hosts.

For Jesus, who watched his men fall to Chelsea in the quarter-finals of the competition in 2012, the result represented an ideal home start.

Despite a number of injuries, the 59-year-old named a strong line-up, with 19-year-old Lazar Markovic, who was heavily linked with Chelsea in the close-season, leading their attack.

Meanwhile, Anderlecht manager John van den Brom also opted to showcase youth in his side, with 16-year-old Youri Tielemans named on the bench.

There was a return for goalkeeper Silvio Proto, who was a doubt for the clash with a stomach injury but shook off that problem to be involved.

However, within five minutes he was picking the ball out of the net as Benfica went ahead through Djuricic.

The Serbia international responded quickest when Proto parried an earlier effort back into his path, and he had no problem in converting.

Things did not get any easier for the visitors, and Oscar Cardozo looked set to tee up a team-mate in the 17th minute after easing past two defenders, but his cross was lacking.

And despite the determined resilience of the Belgian side, Luisao doubled Benfica’s advantage after half an hour.

The 32-year-old showed plenty of skill to chest down a header from Andre Almeida and then volley neatly past Proto, leaving the Belgium international with no chance.

Anderlecht did have a chance to get back in the game just before half-time, but Luka Milivojevic wasted his effort following a corner.

Whatever was said by Van den Brom at the interval appeared to work as they came out with a renewed fight and immediately began to press their hosts.

They almost had goalkeeper Artur Moraes beaten soon after the restart, but the Brazilian just managed to get outstretched fingers onto a header from 19-year-old Aleksandar Mitrovic after 57 minutes.

However, it was Cardozo who perhaps had the best chance of the half after receiving a ball into the box only to react slowly and prod wide.

Anderlecht had no intention of giving up without a fight and it looked like they had gained a consolation in stoppage time when Matias Suarez connected with a free-kick from Dennis Praet, but his effort was well saved.

Anderlecht will now face Olympiacos on October 2, while Benfica will look for more of the same when they face Paris Saint-Germain.