Ferran Torres scores hat-trick as PSG defeat Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in Champions League

Torres and Dembélé lead PSG rout

Paris Saint-Germain opened their Champions League title defense with a 6-1 victory over Slovak champions Slovan Bratislava at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Ousmane Dembélé opened the scoring in the 17th minute, reacting first to slot home the rebound after Nuno Mendes struck the post. Dembélé doubled the lead in the 23rd minute by nodding in a cross from 18-year-old midfielder Dro Fernández that had deflected off Sandro Cruz. The French forward turned provider in the 31st minute, crossing from the right for Ferran Torres to tap past goalkeeper Dominik Takac. Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi each missed opportunities to extend the lead further before the interval, including Dembélé striking the crossbar from close range.

Hat-trick for Torres as PSG top standings

Torres increased the margin to four goals in the 47th minute, driving a shot into the top corner after Maghnes Akliouche dribbled into the penalty area. Ten minutes later, Torres completed his hat-trick when a corner delivery ricocheted off his knee past Takac, bringing his season tally to five goals across all competitions. Slovan Bratislava, managed by former Champions League winner Yaya Touré, scored in the 59th minute through a strike from Suleiman Camara. Spanish international Fabián Ruiz concluded the scoring in the 88th minute to make it 6-1. The margin put PSG in first place in the 36-team league phase on goal difference.

Squad rotation ends domestic winless run

The result ended a four-game winless run for Luis Enrique's squad, who had failed to win in domestic action following a French Super Cup defeat to Lens and two draws and one loss in Ligue 1. Luis Enrique made five alterations from the side that lost 2-1 to Monaco on Friday, placing Marquinhos, Désiré Doué, João Neves, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the substitutes bench. The manager restructured his front line following the departures of Bradley Barcola to Liverpool and Gonçalo Ramos to AC Milan. The match also followed the announcement on Tuesday of the 30-man Ballon d'Or shortlist, which featured multiple PSG players including 2025 winner Dembélé.

Multi-goal victories for Barcelona, Stuttgart, and Sporting

Elsewhere in the opening round, Barcelona defeated Dutch side Feyenoord 5-1 at Camp Nou. Captain Raphinha scored twice, alongside goals from Karim Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal, and late signing Gabriel Jesus, while Sem Steijn scored for Feyenoord.

There is a long way to go until May, but it is true that things look very good because we are training very hard and everyone is hungry.

In Germany, VfB Stuttgart beat Viking Stavanger 3-1 behind a 12-minute first-half hat-trick from Ermedin Demirović (scoring in the 20th, 26th, and 32nd minutes), answering an equalizer from Zlatko Tripić. In Lisbon, Sporting CP defeated Galatasaray 3-1 after falling behind to an early Gonçalo Inácio own goal; Geny Catamo equalized before Luis Suárez scored a penalty and Rodrigo Zalazar converted a free kick. In Italy, Arsenal defeated Napoli 1-0 through Martin Ødegaard's 75th-minute strike after earlier attempts from Bukayo Saka, Mikel Merino, and Ben White, while Liverpool came from behind to defeat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at Anfield.