It was good to hear that anthem again, wasn’t it? The Champions League is back in our lives, and matchday one offered yet another reminder of why midweek European football remains so special.
From Dinamo Zagreb’s surprise win over Chelsea to Liverpool’s crushing defeat at Napoli, there were eye-catching results everywhere, while some of the continent’s superstars came to play.
But who had a week to remember, who will want to instantly forget matchday one?
No one really needed reminding of how good Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are, but the two young icons of European football ensured that they were once again centre-stage on Tuesday.
Mbappe scored two stunning volleys as Paris Saint-Germain saw off Juventus at Parc des Princes, while Haaland also netted a brace to become the quickest player to reach 25 Champions League goals as Manchester City beat Sevilla.
The battle between the pair to be the first to lift the European Cup, as well as the Ballon d’Or, is one that could well be decided this season, and both made strong statements to suggest this will be their year.
While there were wins for Julian Nagelsmann with Bayern Munich and Edin Terzic with Borussia Dortmund, overall this was a bad week for German coaches in Europe.
Two were sacked immediately after their teams’ defeats, with Thomas Tuchel getting the boot from Chelsea and Domenico Tedesco was relieved of his duties at RB Leipzig.
Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, cut a forlorn figure as his Liverpool side were torn apart by Napoli in what was another hugely disappointing result for the Reds to start the season.
One German manager’s disappointment is another’s opportunity, though, with ex-Dortmund boss Marco Rose having been announced as Tedesco’s replacement at Leipzig.