Barcelona 4-0 Ajax

Lionel Messi once more took centre stage as his hat-trick helped Barcelona to a 4-0 victory over Ajax in the Champions League.

The Argentinian scored in both halves of the Group H fixture at Camp Nou to give the Blaugranavictory in their opening European encounter.

It marked an emotional Champions League debut for coach Gerardo Martino, with the win coming just a few days after the death of his father.

After a bright opening, Messi broke the deadlock with fierce free-kick in the 22nd minute.

His second came 10 minutes after half-time with a cool finish from inside the area, before Gerard Pique put gloss on the scoreline with a header from Neymar’s cross and Messi completed his treble when he feigned his shot before guiding an effort into the corner.

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson could have grabbed a consolation, but he saw his 77th-minute penalty saved by Victor Valdes.

Martino included Messi and Neymar in Barcelona’s starting XI, with the latter making his Champions League debut.

The Dutch side had Siem de Jong available, following his recovery from a collapsed lung.

Barcelona dominated possession in the opening exchanges and they took the lead when Messi once again displayed his brilliance with a stunning free kick, 22 minutes in.

After being felled by Lerin Duarte on the right, he picked himself up to hit a thunderous strike, with the ball going in off the the post as Kenneth Vermeer failed to keep it out at full stretch.

Ajax nearly stole an equaliser on the half-hour mark when Bojan curled a cross deep towards the far post and a diving header from Ricardo van Rhijn forced a smart reaction save from Valdes.

The visitors could have had a penalty when Sigthorsson went to ground under a challenge from Pique. The loose ball was met by Duarte, but he placed his first-time effort straight at Valdes.

After surviving those scares, Messi effectively ended the game as a contest in the 55th minute.

He controlled a Sergio Busquets pass on the right side of the box before feinting inside Stefano Denswil and firing his effort past Vermeer.

Barcelona continued to press and Neymar and Dani Alves both had efforts blocked.

And the pressure told in the 69th minute when Neymar delivered an in-swinging cross from the left that was met by the head of Pique to make it 3-0.

Messi then completed his hat-trick with 15 minutes remaining. His shimmy confused the whole defence, including Vermeer, before he slotted into the far corner.

Ajax could have had a consolation when Javier Mascherano fouled substitute Thulani Serero in the area but Sigthorsson saw his penalty beaten away by Valdes.

Napoli 2-1 Borussia Dortmund

Napoli kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 win over last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

The Italians opened the scoring early on as Gonzalo Higuain nodded an inswinging cross home, and the hosts' task was made infinitely easier just before half-time as Mats Hummels departed injured and Roman Weidenfeller inexplicably handled outside the box to earn himself a red card.

Dortmund's threat was significantly blunted by those blows - allied to Jurgen Klopp's dismissal to the stands - and they were helpless to prevent a fantastic long-rang free-kick from Lorenzo Insigne doubling Napoli's lead.

But there was time for the 10-man Germans to grab a late consolation when Juan Camilo Zuniga flicked a cross into his own net with five minutes of normal time remaining.

With no injury worries of note among his squad, Rafael Benitez named a strong, attacking line-up including the likes of Marek Hamsik, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon. The visitors, meanwhile, named a patched-up starting XI due to the absences of Ilkay Gundogan, Lukasz Piszczek and Sebastian Kehl.

Despite the makeshift nature of Klopp's team, Dortmund undoubtedly made the better start in Naples. But the hosts responded in kind, with a five-minute spell of pressure leading to Insigne driving narrowly wide before Higuain was denied a one-on-one chance by a brilliant Hummels tackle.

The topsy-turvy nature of the first half did not let up, with Lewandowski the recipient of the next clear opportunity. The Pole latch onto a fabulous throughball to sneak into the box but could not beat the sprawling Pepe Reina in the Napoli goal.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, last year's Champions League runners-up were punished for that miss in the very next attack. Zuniga picked the ball up on the left-hand side before swinging in an inch-perfect cross that Higuain nonchalantly headed to the far corner of the goal to the send the home crowd into raptures.

On the touchline, Dortmund coach Klopp remonstrated angrily with the fourth official over his failure to allow Neven Subotic back onto the pitch following a head injury, but his rant only served to bring him a red card.

Dortmund responded in bullish fashion when they received a further blow just before half-time, replacing injured centre-back Hummels with forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

But things went from bad to worse seconds later as goalkeeper Weidenfeller rushed out of his box to meet the ball but could only handle to prevent Higuain breaking through and deservedly saw red.

Jakub Blaszczykowski subsequently made way for substitute shot-stopper Mitchell Langerak before the break.
Dortmund began the second half understandably deeper in an attempt to nullify their opponents' numerical advantage but were lucky to avoid conceding again as a rifled Insigne cross bounced off the knee of Hamsik six yards out with an hour gone.

However, it mattered little in the end, as Insigne ensured the Italians would take a two-goal lead in fabulous fashion. The 22-year-old produced an unstoppable free-kick from 30 yards out that rattled the crossbar on the way past a helpless Langerak.

Aubameyang upped the stakes in terms of audacious efforts in the immediate aftermath as he struck the bar from distance before Dries Mertens also got involved as his clever free-kick to the near post almost snuck in.

Dortmund were given hope in the dying moments as Zuniga needlessly swung at a cross into the box to leave Reina no chance of stopping the ball bouncing over the line off the post but the visitors could not launch a late comeback to avoid defeat.

Marseille 1-2 Arsenal

Arsene Wenger's men earned a win in their last visit to the Stade Velodrome back in 2011, and they replicated they feat on Wednesday, Walcott finding the net with a close-range volley before Ramsey wrapped things up with a fine individual effort after the break. 

Jordan Ayew grabbed a late consolation from the penalty spot for the hosts, but Arsenal held on to claim all three points. 

Elie Baup made just one change to the Marseille side that drew 1-1 with Toulouse on Saturday, Andre Ayew replacing Florian Thauvin on the left-hand side of midfield.

Arsenal's only alteration came in defence, with manager Arsene Wenger - who has seen his side win five of their last six competitive outings - opting to select the experienced Per Mertesacker in favour of Carl Jenkinson.

Marseille made a bright start to proceedings with Andre-Pierre Gignac and Mathieu Valbuena both testing Wojciech Szczesny in the early going.

Arsenal responded quickly however, Theo Walcott forcing Steve Mandanda into a save with a close-range effort after beating left-back Jeremy Morel for pace.

Still, it was the hosts that continued to dictate play. Valbuena volleyed over before Andre Ayew headed narrowly wide after an excellent right-wing cross from Dimitri Payet.

The visitors struggled to gain a foothold in the midfield, with Valbuena and 21-year-old Giannelli Imbula particularly impressive for Baup’s men.

And Marseille almost got their reward for a positive display shortly before the break, Gignac heading just over the bar at the near post after powering onto a Payet corner.

Baup's side continued in the ascendancy straight after the break, Rod Fanni volleying inches wide of the post after good work down the right from Alaixys Romao.

Arsenal remained an attacking threat, though, and they almost took the lead in superb fashion, Kieran Gibbs denied by a fantastic reaction save from Mandanda after latching on to a deft backheel from Mesut Ozil.

The game quickly became stretched, with both sides crafting regular goalscoring opportunities, Payet keeping Szczesny busy with a fierce drive, before Jack Wilshere drew a near-post stop from Mandanda at the other end.

Arsenal never looked settled at the back, and they had Gibbs to thank for keeping them level as he showed great awareness to head a Payet cross off the line after miscommunication between Mertesacker and Szczesny.

But Marseille were finally made to pay for their profligacy 19 minutes into the second half, Walcottfiring a magnificent volley into the top corner after Morel had failed to deal with Gibbs' far-post cross.

Payet and Valbeuna both then went close as the Ligue 1 club searched for an equaliser, but it was Arsenal who proved the more clinical of the two sides, Ramsey securing the points as he jinked through the home defence before sending a precise low shot beyond the grasp of Mandanda.

Marseille did get one back in injury time, though, Jordan Ayew scoring from 12 yards after Laurent Koscielny had felled Andre Ayew in the box.

Chelsea 1-2 Basel

Six years to the day after a 1-1 draw with Rosenborg that represented the final game of Mourinho's first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea were stunned by second-half goals from Mohamed Salah and Marco Streller.

Oscar fired the hosts ahead in the 45th minute in the Group E clash with his sixth goal in seven Champions League outings and the Brazilian also hit the bar prior to Salah’s classy left-footed leveller.

That goal prompted Chelsea to throw men forward, yet it was Basel - always dangerous on the break - who struck again when Streller beat Petr Cech with a near-post header from a corner.Willian was handed his Chelsea debut and Marco van Ginkel a first start as Mourinho made five changes from the side beaten 1-0 by Everton at the weekend.

Basel recalled a host of players after fielding a weakened side for their Schweizer Pokal victory against Munsingen.

Mourinho's men unsurprisingly started the game on the front foot, albeit without creating any clear-cut opportunities.

There was a scare for Basel goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 15th minute when he fumbled a corner from the left, but a free-kick was swiftly awarded in his favour.

The pacey Salah - a scorer at Stamford Bridge in last season's Europa League semi-final between the two sides - represented the main threat when Basel launched occasional attacks.

After Eden Hazard had spurned a rare clear sighting of goal for Chelsea following good work from Samuel Eto'o, Salah also proved wasteful when cutting in from the right and curling a shot over the bar.

Despite dominating possession and the corner count, the hosts remained frustrated as half-time approached.

However, Chelsea were lifted on the stroke of the interval as Oscar popped up with a timely goal.

David Luiz set the attack in motion by stepping into midfield and Oscar latched on to a delicate throughball from Frank Lampard to find the bottom-left corner with a first-time shot on the turn.

Streller was close to connecting with a left-wing cross early in the second half before Oscar struck the bar at the other end with a tremendous effort from just outside the area.

Hazard failed to hit the target once again either side of Branislav Ivanovic twice threatening from set-pieces.

Chelsea were then punished for not extending their lead when a cross from the left broke via Streller to Salah, who emulated Oscar by only requiring one touch to find the net.

Although Chelsea poured forward in search of a late winner, it was Basel who finished the stronger and their encouraging play gained reward as Streller shocked the home crowd.

AC Milan 2-0 Celtic

Cristian Zapata's strike deflected off the Bhoys defender to put the hosts ahead after 82 minutes and, with the visitors pushing for a way back into the game, the Ghanaian doubled the Italian side's lead three minutes later to get the Rossoneri off to a winning start in Group H. 

The well-documented Milan injury list meant that Massimiliano Allegri was forced into a number of changes, with Stephan El Shaarawy, Kaka, Giampaolo Pazzini, Riccardo Montolivo and Ignazio Abate among the absentees.

Slovenia international Valter Birsa made his debut for the club while Antonio Nocerino partnered Nigel de Jong in midfield for the clash. 

Celtic had injuries of their own to contend with and were unable to name James Forrest or Joe Ledley in their matchday squad, although Adam Matthews shook off an ankle problem to start.

Mario Balotelli was quickly among the action, volleying an effort at Fraser Forster after three minutes, but the Celtic goalkeeper was equal to the task as he palmed the strike away.

Celtic's first chance came from a indirect free kick inside the area following a backpass but Charlie Mulgrew saw his shot deflected over the crossbar.

Alessandro Matri's header then forced another good save from Forster before Nocerino fired narrowly over just after the half-hour mark.

Balotelli again threatened a minute from the break when his low, swerving effort almost deflected into the far corner of Forster's goal.

Giorgos Samaras had the first opportunity of the second half for Celtic, with the Greek firing just past Christian Abbiati's post while Muntari headed just over for the hosts a minute after the hour mark.

After a lengthy period of Milan pressure, Anthony Stokes crashed a free kick against the crossbar for the visitors 10 minutes from time with Abbiati beaten. 

However, two minutes later, Milan had their lead courtesy of a Zapata effort from outside the area that deflected off Izaguirre and in. 

Muntari was then on hand three minutes later to make it two, bundling home from close-range after Balotelli's free kick had come back off the post to ensure that Milan came away with the three points.

Schalke 3-0 Steaua Bucharest

Second half goals from Atsuto Uchida, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Julian Draxler ensured thatSchalke defeated Steaua Bucharest in a battling Champions League victory on Wednesday.

Uchida struck first midway through the second half, after his looped cross found its way into the net, before Boateng slotted home with a calm finish.

Draxler added a thrid with a well-taken chip five minutes from time, to give the German side an early initiative in Group E.

Schalke named an unchanged side from the one that beat Mainz at the weekend, with Boateng handed his first Champions League start for the club, though Jermaine Jones failed to prove his fitness.

Steaua, the only team from Romania in this year's group stage, had the luxury of having virtually a full-strength squad to choose from, with striker Federico Piovaccari making way for Pantelis Kapetanos up front.

The home side dominated possession in the early exchanges, with Draxler finding space on the left flank on several occasions and it took just nine minutes before Steaua goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu was called into action, getting down well to make a smart save from Adam Szalai's volley.

Tatarusanu was on hand again four minutes later, this time doing well to parry away a Boateng header.

The visitors continued to be deprived of possession as the first half wore on, but remained resolute at the back as Schalke looked to release the pace of both Draxler and Jefferson Farfan.

Farfan was on hand to set up what should have been the opening goal after half an hour, playing a low ball in from the right for Boateng, who could only drag his shot wide from 10 yards out.

The hosts were nearly made to pay for their wastefulness around a minute later, when Cristian Tanase stung the palms of Timo Hildebrand in the Schalke goal from distance, in what proved to be a rare first-half attack for Steaua.

Schalke continued to threaten and were unlucky not be ahead seconds before the break, when a Dennis Aogo corner found its way through to Roman Neustadter, whose shot was deflected just wide.

Steaua looked bright after the break, carving out several opportunities with in the first 10 minutes of the half, with Alexandru Bourceanu causing problems for the home defence.

First a whipped Bourceanu corner found Kapetanos, who fired over, shortly before the winger decided to have a go himself, curling a long-range shot just wide.

Another Bourceanu corner caused yet more problems for the Schalke defence just a few minutes later, with the hosts having Uchida to thank after he headed a deflected ball off the line.

And Uchida's night got even better just 10 minutes later, when the Japan international's deep cross eluded everyone before sailing into the net.

The goal brought a sense of relief among the home fans, and 11 minutes later Schalke doubled their lead, when a perfectly-weighted ball from Draxler found Boateng in the area, who applied a calm finish to score.

Draxler himself got on the scoresheet three minutes later, latching on to a threaded through-ball from substitute Christian Fuchs before chipping over the goalkeeper.

It should have been 4-0 as the game advanced into stoppage-time, but Christian Clemens was denied by the woodwork, on what was a great night for Jens Keller's team.

Essien and Fletcher omitted from Champions League squads

The Chelsea and Manchester United veterans are the highest-profile names to fail to make the cut as the Premier League's top teams finalise their group-stage rosters

Michael Essien and Darren Fletcher have both been omitted from their clubs' 25-man squads for theChampions League group stage.
The Ghanaian had been reunited with Jose Mourinho at Chelsea after spending last season on loan at Real Madrid but has been an unused substitute in three of the Blues' first four matches this term and now has missed out on the opening phase of continental play.

Fletcher, meanwhile, has made only 13 appearances for Manchester United since his 2011 diagnosis with ulcerative colitis and looks set to spend more time away from the pitch.

The 29-year-old was hoped to be nearing a return to action but his lack of inclusion in David Moyes's group-stage squad indicates the Scot may not be ready to play until 2014.

Previously in August, Fletcher had stated that he had been practicing self-imposed exile from the Red Devils' training ground in Carrington as he waited for his surgeon to clear him to return to training.

Youngster Adnan Januzaj, who caught the eye in United's tour of Asia this summer, is also left out of the Champions League squad, while new faces Marouane Fellaini and Wilfried Zaha have made the cut.