The Champions League returned and it returned with a bang as superstars continued to shine, previous regulars returned and even a goalkeeper got on the scoresheet.
One thing that is for sure is the next five games in these groups are set to be very interesting indeed after the first round of fixtures.
The competition got underway with two early kick-offs on the Tuesday and there was one which had everyone’s attention.
Group F
That was AC Milan welcoming Newcastle United who were playing their first game in 20 years at Europe’s highest table.
It was a hard fought game which on another day could have seen Eddie Howe’s side battered due to Milan’s XG of 2.34 compared to Newcastle’s 0.18 perhaps showing that the Geordies aren’t up for the task of the group of death, away from home anyway.
However the argument is also there that Stefano Pioli’s side aren’t due to their wastefulness in the final third so maybe the two other sides in the group PSG and Borussia Dortmund are the early favourites to go through.
They played out a semi-entertaining encounter which finished 2-0 to the French side due to a controversial penalty which Kylian Mbappe dispatched and then an outstanding team goal which was finished off by Achraf Hakimi portraying everything you would expect from a Luis Enrique side.
Dortmund were slightly disappointing but like Newcastle more is expected from them at their home ground, there has to be more from both sides before Rafael Leao gets his shooting boots on.
Group G
The other early game came from Switzerland as Young Boys hosted RB Leipzig and the home side put up a fight but ended up losing 3-1.
Potential dark horses Leipzig showed their strength by being able to bring on one of the most exciting young strikers in Europe, Benjamin Sesko, who scored in the last minute.
Whether they can top the group against defending champions Manchester City is another question though as even though they had a scare from Red Star Belgrade they ran out convincing winners.
What we learnt is probably what we already know, Leipzig and City should run away with this group with the German side potentially being a lot of fun this campaign.
Group E
Elsewhere on the opening Tuesday night we saw one of the stories of the Champions League campaign already on Group E as struggling Lazio rescued a point against Atletico Madrid thanks to their goalkeeper Ivan Provedel who remarkably has already scored in his senior career whilst in Serie B.
In the other game Feyenoord had to fight for the three points against Celtic who defended well but poor goalkeeping from Joe Hart cost them their first goal and after they went down to nine men the Dutch side inevitably got the second.
Due to Atletico’s inconsistency this group is very there for anyone to take however Celtic look like they may not be up for the fight with their history of poor group stage form repeating itself already.
Group H
Barcelona put down an early marker even though it was only against Champions League debutants Royal Antwerp as they won 5-0 with Joao Felix stealing the show at his new club.
In the other game Porto came away with the three points rather easily against Shakhtar Donetsk who unfortunately cannot play at their home ground.
Unlike last season we should not be seeing an early exit from Barcelona and they could certainly prove to be a threat in the latter stages if they keep up this level of performance.
Felix and Robert Lewandowski can hurt any side.
Group A
On the Wednesday night one of the first early games in the first group was one of the matches of the round as Galatasaray came from two behind to draw against Copenhagen.
Kamil Grabara made it very clear on his Instagram that he though his side should have left with three points but a draw does not help either of them but it does help Manchester United.
The Red Devils suffered a defeat against Bayern Munich with a 4-3 score line which flattered them.
They started well but a clanger from Andre Onana was the catalyst for their downfall.
Rasmus Hoijlund did get off the mark though and Ten Hag’s side are still very much expected to go through with Bayern showing why they are one of the favourites.
Harry Kane though was still dropping deep like he did at Tottenham which will be something to keep an eye on but with a goal already he should be looking at a goal in every game in this group stage.
Group C
The other early kick-off on Wednesday was all about Real Madrid’s new superstar Jude Bellingham who scored another later winner to earn Los Blancos victory against debutants Union Berlin.
Napoli just about earned three points in the other game against Braga thanks to a late and rather comical own goal.
On paper this group should have been easy to predict but after these results it could be up for grabs.
Rudi Garcia could have been under pressure from Napoli fans if Sikou Niakate didn’t hammer the ball into his own net whilst Carlo Ancelotti could have been regretting not bringing in another forward if it wasn’t for the lucky bounce to Bellingham.
One shock result could certainly turn this group on its head.
Group B
The Gunners were finally back with Europe’s elite and they may have put down an early marker to get everyone’s attention.
Arsenal blew PSV Eindhoven away with a series of magnificent goals and their substitutes also performed excellently showcasing their depth.
Like Barcelona could we be seeing an early underdog to go all the way?
Mikel Arteta’s side certainly showed that they have no nerves in this competition and that they should walk through this group.
Sevilla and RC Lens came to a 1-1 stalemate thanks to two pieces of poor goalkeeping from Brice Samba and Marko Dmitrovic.
The latter made up for it though with some fine saves as Lens, who are bottom of Ligue 1, were unlucky to win.
Already in this group it looks like it will be a tight scrap for second place behind Arsenal.
Group D
Last but certainly not least we saw one of the most intriguing groups in this years competition provide arguably the surprise of the round as Red Bull Salzburg beat Benfica 2-0 on their own patch with several standout perfomances.
The Austrian side lined up with the youngest starting XI in Champions League history with the average age of 21 years and 183 days yet played like a group of experienced professionals as even when Benfica got the red card they remained calm and got their second on the break.
Their young group have shown that they are a real threat to get through to the knockout rounds.
Real Sociedad battered group favourites Inter Milan in the other game yet they could only manage a draw due to a late equaliser from Lautaro Martinez.
The finalists from last year will need to buck up their ideas otherwise they will be in for a shock in this competitive group.
So overall the favourites all got the all important three points but Manchester City, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all showed potential signs of a slip-up.
Whereas the likes of Arsenal and Barcelona proved they aren’t here to just take part whilst PSG lead the group of death with no-one really fully convincing amongst those four.
As well as all of those stories brewing we got one of the best things to happen in football and that was a goalkeeper getting their head on the end of a cross.
The first lot of Champions League fixtures definitely belonged to Ivan Provedel.