Barcelona started the Year 2022/2023 UEFA Champions League season on an impressive note with a 5-1 bashing of Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona are drawn in the same group alongside Viktoria Plzen, Bayern Munich, and Inter Milan, and it was the former Bayern Munich man Robert Lewandowski who led the riot against the visitors with a hat-trick on the night.

The Polish striker prepped up for a return to the Allianz Arena with a display that will make his return to Germany next week when Barcelona faces Bayern, one not to miss.

Frank Kessie, who joined Barcelona on a free transfer in the summer after leaving AC Milan, opened the scoring before the half-hour mark for the hosts.

Lewandowski then scored in the 34th minute and added another just before the break, while his third goal of the game came in the 67th minute before Ferran Torres sealed the victory, although Sykora had scored a consolation for the away side earlier in the first.

Lewandowski moved into the third position on the all-time scorers’ list of the UEFA Champions League with his opener on the night, moving ahead of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema. 

Barcelona will face Cadiz CF in the La Liga at the weekend before traveling to Germany to face Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League.
It will be the Polish striker’s first return to Germany since leaving the Bavarians for Barcelona in the summer.

Meanwhile, at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Atletico Madrid got a dramatic 2-1 victory over FC Porto. All three goals were scored in the stoppage time of the game as Diego Simeone’s men saw off the 10-man Portuguese visitors.

Mario Hermoso thought he had scored the winner in the 91st minute, but Mateus Uribe equalized in the 96th before Antoine Griezmann scored in the 11th minute of added time.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu