Paris Saint-Germain start off their title defence with a 4-0 win over Atalanta
PSG's victory also saw their fine run against Italian teams
PSG had on 22 shots, getting 13 on target
Paris Saint-Germain swatted aside Atalanta 4-0 to begin their Champions League title defence in sensational fashion.
PSG hammered Inter 5-0 in last season's final, and they picked up where they left off against another Italian team at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.
They needed just three minutes to hit the front, with captain Marquinhos on hand to tuck in from Fabian Ruiz's low centre.
Nuno Mendes, Senny Mayulu and Bradley Barcola all went close in swift succession, with the latter then seeing a goal disallowed for offside.
PSG had their second in the 39th minute, though, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia rounding off a brilliant run with a venomous finish from the edge of the box.
Luis Enrique's team looked set to make it 3-0 before the break when referee Sandro Scharer consulted with the VAR and awarded a penalty for Yunus Musah's challenge on Marquinhos, but Barcola's attempt went straight to Marco Carnesecchi.
PSG swiftly put that miss to one side, though, with Barcola turning provider for Mendes, who prodded through Carnesecchi from a tight angle six minutes into the second half.
And the rout was wrapped up late on, with substitute Goncalo Ramos lifting a delightfully cool finish over Atalanta's goalkeeper after latching onto a loose ball in the box.
Data Debrief: Marquinhos into double figures
Exactly 12 years to the day on from his first goal in the Champions League, Marquinhos' opener brought up the defender's 10th strike in the competition, with all of those having come for PSG.
Now only one of the last 31 holders of the Champions League have lost their opening match in the following campaign (W19 D10), with Liverpool losing away to Napoli in the 2019-20 edition (0-2).
PSG never looked likely to falter, either. They were utterly dominant, taking on 22 shots, getting 13 on target, and accumulating 3.45 expected goals to Atalanta's 0.57.
This result also continued PSG's fine record against Italian teams. They have lost only one of their last 12 such meetings in major European competitions, going down 2-1 to AC Milan in November 2023.
