Champions League: PSG Score 6 in Title Defence Opener, Arsenal Win at Napoli

Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence in emphatic fashion, thrashing Slovan Bratislava 6-1 in Paris on Wednesday night.

Elsewhere, last season's runners-up Arsenal ground out a hard-fought 1-0 win away at Napoli, thanks to a late strike from captain Martin Odegaard, while Liverpool edged past Atletico Madrid 2-1 at Anfield.

In Paris, Ousmane Dembele netted twice before new signing Ferran Torres completed a hat-trick, as Luis Enrique's side put on a dominant display against a Slovan Bratislava team managed by former Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure. PSG raced into a five-goal lead within 57 minutes before Suleiman Camara pulled one back for the visitors. Fabian Ruiz added a sixth goal in stoppage time, sealing an emphatic home win for the reigning champions.

Arsenal, meanwhile, extended their impressive Champions League form — having won all eight league-phase fixtures last season — with another away victory, this time at Napoli. Odegaard, who had also scored the winner against Chelsea at the weekend, once again proved decisive, firing home a thunderous strike in the 75th minute to settle the contest.

Reflecting on the result, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta acknowledged that the scoreline did not fully capture his side's performance. "The result probably doesn't reflect the performance," he said. "We created many chances against a tough opponent. We had courage. It was a shame we missed so many big chances."

At Anfield, Liverpool came from behind to beat Atletico Madrid 2-1, having fallen behind in the 17th minute. Marcos Llorente had given the Spanish side an early lead after finishing off a slick counter-attack, but goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister turned the game in Liverpool's favour, securing all three points for the home side.

"It was ups and downs all the time; they have a good team. I think we have a good team as well. We gave everything that we had," Liverpool midfielder Szoboszlai said afterward.

Earlier in the day, LaLiga champions Barcelona put on a scintillating display at the Camp Nou, thrashing Feyenoord 5-1, with goals from Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Karim Adeyemi and Gabriel Jesus among the scorers.

Six more fixtures are scheduled for Thursday, including three-time European champions Manchester United hosting Azerbaijani debutants Sabah, who battled through four preliminary knockout rounds to reach the group phase.