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The maiden UEFA Champions League phase first round came to an end last night, with all 36 teams playing simultaneously. Goals flooded Europe, and football fans were left asking for more in what will go down as one of the memorable nights on football twitter.
Some favourites cruised to victory while other big teams struggled against underdogs. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City depended on a final-day comeback against Club Brugge to book a play-off spot.
Liverpool couldn’t hold on to their perfect record as they suffered a 3-2 defeat away to PSV.
AC Milan were the biggest disappointment last night, losing 2-1 to Dinamo Zagreb.
Rodrygo Goes’ brace helped Real Madrid topple Brest 3-0, and an Ousmane Dembele hat-trick masterclass saw Paris Saint Germain cement their play-off spot with an emphatic 4-1 triumph over Stuttgart.
That’s just some highlights from the final day box office fixtures. So, what are the key statistics of the new Champions League phase?
2024/25 UCL league phase key statistics
Most wins
Liverpool had the most wins. Arne Slot’s side won seven out of their eight first-round games.
Most defeats
Young Boys and Slovan Bratislava failed to win a single game in the first round. Both teams lost all eight matches they played, conceding 21 and 20 goals respectively.
Most goals scored
Barcelona were the highest-scoring team in the first round. Hansi Flick’s men found the back of the net 28 times in eight games. They averaged 3.5 goals per game.
Least goals conceded
Inter Milan’s rock solid was on full display again as they picked the ball from their just once in eight outings.
Top Scorer
Guinea international and Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy emerged as the first-round’s top scorer with nine goals.
Most assists provided
Barcelona’s Raphinha, Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere, and Jeremy Frimpong of Bayer Leverkusen were joint-top assist providers with five each.
Most clean sheets
No other goalkeeper than Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer kept the most clean sheets – seven clean sheets to his name.