Liverpool scored a 5-3 win over Swiss team Young Boys in an entertaining Europa League game, as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United were held to goalless draws by Lazio and Maritimo.
Spanish team and defending champions Atletico Madrid started their group campaign in style with a comfortable 3-0 away victory over Hapoel Te Aviv. Marseille fought back from going two goals down, to salvage a 2-2 draw at Fenerbahce, while there were wins for Napoli and Bordeaux.
Inter Milan eked out a 2-2 draw with Rubin Kazan at the San Siro, thanks to a late equalizer from Yuto Nagatomo, while last year's runners-up Athletic Bilbao needed a 40th minute goal from Markel Susaeta to force a 1-1 draw against Israeli side Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, fell 2-0 to little know side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
In Switzerland, a young looking Liverpool side, which had three debutants, including two teenagers, came to the party in a 5-3 win over Young Boys, who enjoyed vociferous support from the home crowd.
Two goals from the excellent Jonjo Shelvey, and one each from Andre Wisdom and Sebastian Coates coupled with a bizarre own goal by Juhani Ojala helped Liverpool to their win. Young Boys scored through Raphael Nuzzolo, Ojala and Gonzalo Zarate.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was happy to see his young side put in a wonderful attacking display. "I've got to give credit to the players, I thought they were absolutely magnificent," Rodgers said after the game. "We had a very, very young side.
"I think everyone saw Tottenham come here a couple of years ago in the Champions League and what a difficult game they had.
"I thought the boys were brilliant. It was a really tough game for us. The biggest thing we showed tonight, alongside our quality, was our character.
"We've got a lot of young players within the group but to come from behind away from home in a European game makes me really proud. We ran out very good winners of the game and it was a fantastic game to be involved in."
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