A second-half goal from Victor Boniface secured a 1-0 home victory for Bayer Leverkusen over Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday, providing the German side with a flawless start to their campaign while the Italians remain pointless.
The decisive goal arrived six minutes after halftime when Boniface capitalized on a rebound following Mike Maignan's save from Jeremie Frimpong's shot. Leverkusen fully deserved the win, having dominated possession and chances in the first half without managing to breach Maignan's goal, while Milan struggled to assert themselves in the match.
The goal invigorated Milan, who pressed for an equalizer and pinned Leverkusen back for extended periods in the second half, but they ultimately suffered their second consecutive defeat in the competition.
Elsewhere, Robert Lewandowski netted twice to propel Barcelona to a 5-0 drubbing of Swiss side Young Boys, rebounding from their 2-1 loss to AS Monaco in the opener. Lewandowski opened the scoring in the eighth minute by tapping in a low cross from Raphinha, set up by a fine combination with Lamine Yamal. After missing several opportunities, Raphinha and Iñigo Martínez scored quickfire goals to establish a 3-0 lead, with Martínez heading in a corner shortly after Raphinha's rebound.
Lewandowski secured his brace and Barcelona's fourth goal in the 51st minute with a header from a Martínez corner, before Mohamed Camara inadvertently scored an own goal in the 81st minute while attempting to clear an Alejandro Balde cross.
Inter Milan's Mehdi Taremi marked his debut with a goal and two assists, contributing to a comprehensive 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade at San Siro. Hakan Calhanoglu opened the scoring with a superb free-kick, and Taremi's persistence led to further goals for Marko Arnautovic and Lautaro Martínez, capitalizing on defensive errors from the visitors.
The 32-year-old Taremi, who joined as a free agent in July after leaving Porto, converted a late penalty to seal the victory, adding to the point earned in Inter's opener at Manchester City.
In another match, Abdallah Sima scored twice as Brest secured a 4-0 victory at RB Salzburg, marking a perfect start to their inaugural European campaign. Brest had previously won 2-1 at home against Sturm Graz, and their counterattacking strategy proved effective against a Salzburg side that created numerous chances but failed to score.
Brest's first-half shot on target was enough to take the lead, and they doubled their advantage with a superb strike from Mahdi Camara after Salzburg's failure to clear the ball. Sima then scored his second from a rebound, and Mathias Pereira Lage completed the rout with a strike from outside the area, leaving Salzburg pointless after two games.
Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Czech champions Sparta Prague, with Sparta midfielder Kaan Kairinen equalizing Enzo Millot's early opener.
