The Champions league returned with a 40-goal bonanza as Bayern Munich thrashed Roma 7-1 for its biggest away victory and luiz Adriano scored five as Shakhtar put seven goals past BATE Borisov.
On a record-busting night, Chelsea wasn’t far behind in a 6-0 win over Maribor, but Manchester City remained without a victory in three matches after wasting a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 at CSKA Moscow.
Schalke also squandered a two-goal lead before scoring a controversial penalty in stoppage time to edge 10-man Sporting 4-3.
Neymar and lionel Messi scored in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Ajax. Messi’s 69th career goal in Europe’s top-tier competition moved him to within two goals of the all-time record set by Raul Gonzalez.
Adriano’s five-goal performance in Belarus -with two goals from the penalty spot - equaled Messi’s five against Bayer leverkusen in 2012.
Adriano is the first to manage four goals in the first half, doing so in a record span of 17 minutes. With a late penalty, he also matched Messi’s record.
With eight more matches to be played Wednesday, the record of 63 goals for a matchday, set on the opening day of the 2000-01 season, could be broken.
Five-time champion Bayern, which won the title in 2013, made itself one of the favorites this season with an overwhelming performance in Rome, with Arjen Robben scoring twice.
“This is a fluke,” Bayern coach Josep Guardiola said. “It’s not normal to win 7-1.”Messi started an outstanding performance at Camp Nou by setting up Neymar in the seventh minute before the Argentine scored in the 24th.
Eden Hazard netted twice and Didier Drogba scored his first goal since returning to Chelsea in the victory over Maribor. Drogba’s two-month search for a goal ended in the first half shortly after replacing loic Remy, who sustained a groin injury while netting Chelsea’s opener in the 13th minute.
Chelsea remains two points ahead of Schalke, which clinched a 4-3 victory over 10-man Sporting lisbon in stoppage time when Eric Choupo-Moting converted a penalty.
Adrien Silva, who had brought Sporting back from a two-goal deficit, was penalized for a handball - although television replays clearly showed the ball had bounced off his chest.
Without the injured star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG needed a goal from Edinson Cavani three minutes from time to beat APOEl.
In freezing Moscow, goals from Sergio Aguero and James Milner gaveManchester City a comfortable lead by halftime at Arena Khimki, where CSKA was made to play behind closed doors as punishment for racist behavior by its fans. But CSKA substitute Seydou Doumbia pulled one back in the 65th minute off a cross from Ahmed Musa and Bibras Natcho leveled in the 86th from the penalty spot after Doumbia was fouled.Ricardo Quaresma scored to give FC Porto a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao.