Young stars Yamal and Wirtz shine in Champions League but with mixed results

Shortly after lighting up the European Championship, two of the world's most exciting young players shone on club soccer's biggest stage.

With mixed fortunes, however.

Teenager Lamine Yamal's goal couldn't prevent 10-man Barcelona from falling to a 2-1 defeat at Monaco on Thursday in the Champions League — ending the Spanish club's perfect start to the season.

Meanwhile, it took Florian Wirtz less than five minutes to score his first Champions League goal on his debut in Europe’s elite club competition.

Wirtz also netted another as Bayer Leverkusen romped to a 4-0 win at Feyenoord.

Leverkusen lost in the Europa League final in May, its only defeat in a remarkable season that saw it win the Bundesliga and German Cup.

Atalanta, the team that beat Leverkusen four months ago, had a penalty saved in a 0-0 draw with Arsenal at home.

Atlético Madrid beat Leipzig 2-1 and Benfica topped Red Star Belgrade 2-1, while Brest's first-ever appearance in European competition ended in a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz.

It was the third evening of the new Champions League format which replaces the traditional group stage.

Now, 36 teams each play eight different opponents through January and are ranked in a single league table to decide which teams advance to the knockout phase.

Unusually, Lamal's goal was not yet another record for the precocious 17-year-old.

Lamal boasts a number of scoring milestones for Barcelona and for Spain and became the youngest-ever scorer at the European Championship in the summer on the way to helping Spain win the tournament.

But his first Champions League goal saw him become the second youngest goalscorer in the competition, behind teammate Ansu Fati, who was 28 days younger when he netted his first goal in December 2019.

Yamal's 28th-minute equalizer canceled out Maghnes Akliouche's opener.

Barcelona had faced an uphill struggle after after defender Eric Garcia was sent off with less than 11 minutes played and 18-year-old forward George Ilenikhena scored with a fine finish for Monaco in the 71st.

Barcelona hosts Young Boys on Oct. 1.

Wirtz has had a great start to the season, with three goals in as many Bundesliga games.

And the 21-year-old continued that streak on Thursday in Rotterdam. Robert Andrich intercepted a poor Feyenoord pass and slipped the ball through to Wirtz, who surged forward before firing into the bottom right corner.

Leverkusen doubled its lead on the half-hour mark as Victor Boniface’s clever pass from the edge of the penalty area released Jeremie Frimpong on the right and his cross was slotted in by Alejandro Grimaldo at the far post.

Another Frimpong cross was volleyed in by Wirtz six minutes later.

Leverkusen hardly needed any help but it was given it on the stroke of halftime when a howler by Feyenoord’s German goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther saw him turn the ball over the line following Edmond Tapsoba’s header.

David Raya came to Arsenal’s rescue with a double save at a penalty in the 51st minute after Thomas Partey tripped Ederson.

Mateo Retegui’s spot kick was saved by the Spain international but the ball came back out to the striker, whose header was clawed off the line by a scrambling Raya.

Arsenal struggled in attack with the injured Martin Odegaard, its biggest creative force, and relied on its typically obdurate defense — and Raya — to preserve a point in Bergamo. In the next round, Arsenal hosts Paris Saint-Germain.

Brest first-ever goal in European competition was scored by midfielder Hugo Magnetti at home, but far away from its own stadium.

Brest’s stadium did not meet UEFA’s requirements and so the club’s European home games were re-located to Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou — located roughly 114 kilometers (71 miles) away.

Brest finished a remarkable third in the French league last season. It is Sturm's first appearance in the Champions League proper in 24 years and came after it ended Salzburg’s run of 10 consecutive Austrian titles.

New Benfica coach Bruno Lage made it two wins out of two thanks to goals from Turkey internationals Kerem Aktürkoğlu and Orkun Kökçü.

Kökçü’s strike was particularly sumptuous as he curled a free kick into the top right corner from 25 yards.

Felicio Milson scored late for the home team.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Benfica's Orkun Kokcu, right, scores a free kick, his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Red Star and SL Benfica, at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Benfica's Orkun Kokcu, left, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Red Star and SL Benfica, at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso holds the ball during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Feyenoord and Leverkusen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz scores during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Feyenoord and Leverkusen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz reacts after he scored during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Feyenoord and Leverkusen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)

Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick looks on prior to the start of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Monaco and Barcelona at the Louis II stadium, in Monaco, Monaco, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Monaco and Barcelona at the Louis II stadium, in Monaco, Monaco, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

New York Giants (2-12) at Atlanta (7-7)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox

BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 8 1/2.

Against the spread: Giants 4-10; Falcons 6-8.

Series record: Falcons lead 14-12.

Last meeting: Falcons beat the Giants 17-14 on Sept. 26, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Last week: Giants lost to the Ravens 35-14; Falcons beat the Raiders 15-9.

Giants offense: overall (29), rush (18), pass (30), scoring (32)

Giants defense: overall (T21), rush (31), pass (7), scoring (20)

Falcons: overall (9), rush (12), pass (6), scoring (20)

Falcons defense: overall (20), rush (13), pass (24), scoring (20)

Turnover differential: Giants minus-8; Falcons minus-7.

WR Malik Nabers had his third double-digit catch game of the season against the Ravens and joined Odell Beckham Jr., Jaylen Waddle and Brock Bowers as the only rookies in NFL history with three games of 10-or-more receptions. The No. 6 overall pick in the draft, Nabers has 90 catches for 901 yards and is two shy of breaking the Giants rookie record of 91 held by Beckham (2014) and Saquon Barkley (2018).

QB Michael Penix Jr. will make his first career start after the Falcons benched 13-year veteran Kirk Cousins. Penix, the Heisman Trophy runner-up at Washington in 2023, was the No. 8 pick in this year's draft but wasn't expected to land the starting job so soon. The timetable ramped up dramatically when Cousins threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown over the past five games. After pulling out an ugly 15-9 win at Las Vegas, where it became clear that the Falcons had lost confidence in their passing game, the decision was made to switch to Penix.

Atlanta's defensive front vs. Giants offensive line. After managing a league-low 10 sacks through their first 11 games, the Falcons have turned up the pressure with 13 sacks in three games since their bye week. Eight players have notched sacks during that span, led by OLB Kaden Elliss and DE Arnold Ebiketie with three apiece. With Drew Lock set to return as New York's quarterback after missing last week with a heel injury, the Falcons will be looking to bring the heat against a team that has allowed 45 sacks, tied for seventh most in the NFL.

Giants: QB Tommy DeVito, who started last week in place of Lock, is out of concussion protocol and should be the backup. … G Aaron Stinnie (concussion), LB Patrick Johnson (knee) and LB Bobby Okereke (back) are out. ... CB Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) is doubtful. .. New York is hopeful CB Deonte Banks (ribs) can return after sitting out the last three games.

Falcons: K Younghoe Koo was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, knocking him out for the rest of the regular season and putting his future with the team in doubt. Koo had been one of the league's most reliable kickers, but he has missed a career-high nine field-goal attempts this season. ... The Falcons brought in Riley Patterson to take Koo's spot. WR Casey Washington (concussion) is out.

The Falcons have won three straight in the series. ... New York's most recent win over the Falcons was a 30-20 triumph in 2014. ... The Giants' most recent win in Atlanta was a 31-10 blowout in 2007. ... The teams have met once in the playoffs, with New York rolling to a 24-2 wild-card win during the 2008 season. ... The first win in Falcons' history was a 27-16 victory over the Giants at Yankee Stadium during Atlanta's inaugural season in 1966.

The Giants tied their franchise record for consecutive losses at nine last weekend. They have done it three times in their 100-year history, the most recent time in 2019. … Lock passed for 313 yards, threw two TDs and ran for one for Denver in 2020 in his only career start against the Falcons. … RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 695 yards rushing. He has scored a TD in his past three road games. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson has a career-high 71 receptions. .. Burns has his eighth sack of the season last week and became the sixth player since 2000 with at least 7 1/2 sacks in each of his first six seasons. He had two sacks in his most recent game against the Falcons, playing for the Panthers in 2023. … ILB Micah McFadden has a career-high 102 tackles. … Penix was among a record-tying six QBs taken in the first round of the 2024 draft. He is the fifth member of that group to earn a start, ahead of only Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy, who won't play until 2025 because of a knee injury. ... Falcons RB Bijan Robinson rushed for a career-high 125 yards on 22 carries against Las Vegas. That gave the second-year back the first 1,000-yard season of his young career, pushing him to 1,102 yards. ... Robinson has topped 100 yards in three of the past five games, and he has at least 20 carries in four of the past five games as the Falcons turned away from their passing game amid Cousins' struggles. ... Elliss has a career-high 124 tackles after making 11 stops at Las Vegas. ... OLB DeAngelo Malone has his first two sacks of the season against the Raiders. ... P Bradley Pinion had four punts downed inside the 10, including two inside the 5, in the Monday night win.

Robinson is a good bet to keep getting plenty of carries and rushing yards, especially with the Falcons breaking in a new quarterback. He's also an option in the passing game, providing a safe outlet for short-to-medium passes that would further lessen the burden on Penix.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. warms up before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40), cornerback Desmond King II (35) and linebacker Chris Board (49) tackle New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) greets Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder (10) after an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Chris Board (49) and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) tackle New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger (82) during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)