PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain picked up where they left off following last season’s Champions League triumph as they kicked off their new campaign with an impressive 4-0 win over Atalanta at the Parc des Princes.

Marquinhos opened the scoring inside the first three minutes, and PSG followed that up with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and substitute Goncalo Ramos, demonstrating their hallmark high press and fluidity.

Bradley Barcola missed a penalty just before halftime, but it proved to be a footnote as Luis Enrique’s side underlined their status as defending champions after they overpowered Inter Milan 5-0 in last season’s final.

The Ligue 1 champions next face Barcelona at the Camp Nou on October 1 and Atalanta will host Club Brugge the previous day.

Thuram powered home two headed goals as Inter Milan banished the demons of last season’s Champions League final and won their opening game of the new group campaign 2-0 at Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday.

Inter were hammered 5-0 by Paris St Germain in May’s final and came into Wednesday’s clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena after successive defeats in Serie A but proved too strong for their Dutch hosts with the French international taking centre stage.

Thuram stole in at the near post, attacking Hakan Calhanoglu’s corner and getting ahead of the Ajax defenders to turn in a powerful header three minutes before halftime to open the scoring.

His second goal came two minutes into the second half from another Calhanoglu corner, but this time he was more central and climbed above the home defence to score easily.

Norway’s Bodo/Glimt pulled off a sensational comeback to draw 2-2 away to Slavia Prague in their first ever Champions League group game on Wednesday, with substitute Sondre Brunstad Fet netting the 90th-minute equaliser.

Having built a reputation in Europe for devil-may-care football no matter who they face, the club from inside the Arctic Circle did not disappoint, putting in a battling performance that could easily have finished 5-5.

The Norwegians, who made a remarkable run to the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League where they lost to English side Tottenham Hotspur, started well. But they were punished in the 23rd minute when fullback Youssoupha Mbodji ghosted in at the back post to tap home Lukas Provod’s pass.

The step up in class to the Champions League proved tough for Kjetil Knutsen’s side. At times brilliant in attack, they looked all at sea defensively and in midfield on occasion, sending numerous passes astray.

Glimt’s Danish striker Kasper Hogh had a chance to level from the spot nine minutes into the second half, but his penalty was saved, and that miss proved even more costly when Mbodji volleyed home his second of the night in the 74th minute.

Caught napping for the second goal, Bodo substitute Daniel Bassi made amends by pulling a goal back four minutes later, firing home at the second attempt to throw his side a lifeline.

However, the visitors continued to play with fire and Slavia Prague wasted a number of gilt-edged chances to put the game out of sight, with Bodo keeper Nikita Haikin a giant between the posts.

Somehow, they managed to weather the storm before Brunstad Fet blasted the equaliser in off the underside of the crossbar, with Haikin pulling off another brilliant stop deep into stoppage time to ensure they snatched an unlikely point.

A wasteful Olympiakos could only manage a 0-0 home draw against 10-man Pafos, who emerged as defensive heroes in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Pafos faced a big challenge from the 26th minute when forward Bruno was dismissed after receiving a second booking for a foul on the hosts’ Lorenzo Pirola, forcing the Cypriot side to play with 10 men for the rest of the match.

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Despite the advantage, Olympiakos struggled, with Ayoub El Kaabi coming close early in the second half with a header that drifted wide.

Pafos produced a valiant defensive effort, several times blocking attempts as chances grew for the hosts.

Olympiakos’ Mehdi Taremi came close to levelling the playing field when he was initially shown a straight red card for a tackle on Jaja during a Pafos counterattack, but a VAR review downgraded it to a yellow.

####