Grading Every 2014-15 Champions League Team on Matchday 1
In true Champions League fashion, the first matchday of the 2014-15 campaign saw a mixture of underdogs escape their shackles to surprise some of Europe's giants, with other continental big guns living up to expectation in equal measure.
We've gone about grading each participating club for their performance in the first round of this season's competition, our first indication of which sides may be a threat on this year's title.
Results play a large part in a team's allocated grade, but the quality of said display and the opposition faced are also taken into account when determining how impressive—or not—each outfit was in Week 1.
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Group A
| Club | Grade |
| Juventus | B+ |
| Olympiacos | A |
| Atletico Madrid | C |
| Malmo | D |
A Carlos Tevez brace ultimately paved the way for Juventus to claim a 2-0 victory over Group A minnows Malmo, but the Swedes somehow managed to emerge from the first half unscathed.
In total, Age Hareide's men conceded 21 shots in Turin and welcomed an onslaught of pressure by playing five at the back, hitting the target just once in a match that was by all means Juve's for the taking, even if the goals did take their time to come.
In a far more open affair, last season's finalists Atletico Madrid began their 2014-15 trials with a disappointing 3-2 defeat at Olympiacos, where goals from Arthur Masuaku, Ibrahim Afellay and Kostas Mitroglou steered the hosts to victory.
ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan criticised Los Rojiblancos for their defensive performance:
Olympiacos were clinical in taking their chances, as three of their four attempts on target found the back of the net. However, with 59 percent of the possession and 18 total shots of their own against the home team, Atleti battled back to retain some dignity, despite the result.
Group B
| Club | Grade |
| Real Madrid | A |
| Liverpool | C+ |
| Ludogorets Razgrad | C+ |
| Basel | E |
It was almost a horror return to the Champions League for Liverpool on Tuesday. The Reds had to rely on a 90th-minute penalty from captain Steven Gerrard to eke out their 2-1 win over Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad.
And a draw wasn't the Merseysiders' most dire concern at times. The visitors hit the woodwork and even threatened to win on occasion in what was a fine Champions League debut, all things considered.
As Squawka points out, Brendan Rodgers won't necessarily care how the result came about in what was a difficult week for English teams:
Real Madrid had no such doubts. They got their title defence underway with a 5-1 drubbing of Basel, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez each getting their names on the scoresheet.
Los Merengues can be content with an encapsulating, rounded outing as far as their attack was concerned. Although the gulf in quality ultimately ripped the visitors apart, Basel asserted their own goal threat, albeit lacking in a killer touch.
Group C
| Club | Grade |
| Zenit St. Petersburg | B+ |
| Monaco | B |
| Bayer Leverkusen | C |
| Benfica | B- |
Despite their domestic season starting miserably, Monaco dealt with the pressure of Bayer Leverkusen in what could have easily been a different result, with the French hosts eventually clinching their 1-0 win.
In truth, neither side was thoroughly impressive. Monaco scored through Joao Moutinho with their only shot on target, while Leverkusen were pinned back by their own inability in possession, mustering a team passing success of just 73 percent.
Talking Fussball's Norwegian Musings pointed out Leverkusen's waste in attack as the reason behind their downfall:
Tuesday also saw Primeira Liga champions Benfica shoot themselves in the foot when goalkeeper Artur was deservedly sent off for a foul in the 18th minute. They went on to surrender a 2-0 scoreline to Zenit St. Petersburg.
It was surprising to see the Eagles grow as the game wore on, what with only 10 men, but nevertheless, Zenit took their chances and relied on their No. 1 Yuri Lodygin to protect the clean sheet.
Group D
| Club | Grade |
| Borussia Dortmund | A |
| Anderlecht | A- |
| Galatasaray | D+ |
| Arsenal | D |
A 1-1 draw between Galatasaray and Anderlecht—in Istanbul, no less—undoubtedly sits as a far better result for the Belgians, who have matched their 2013-14 tally in the group stage already.
By all means, the travelling party looked the more impressive for stretches, with their defence earning them a highly valuable result while Cesare Prandelli's side left somewhat dejected.
The same could be said for Arsenal, who were unable to replicate the success of their past two trips to Signal Iduna Park and deserved every bit of the 2-0 defeat against Borussia Dortmund.
Arsene Wenger's men were devoid of a leadership presence and produced gaping holes in midfield, the likes of which Ciro Immobile saw fit to pounce upon for the game's opener. The Italian scored an embarrassing goal from a defensive perspective.
There were five shots in total for the north Londoners, with only one of those challenging Roman Weidenfeller. Meanwhile, the Black and Yellows proceeded to pepper Wojciech Szczesny's goal with a massive 23 attempts, unfortunate not to extend their winning margin further.
Group E
| Club | Grade |
| Roma | A+ |
| Bayern Munich | B+ |
| Manchester City | B- |
| CSKA Moscow | F |
Joe Hart finished Wednesday's Champions League action as surely the most devastated member of Manuel Pellegrini's squad. The Manchester City No. 1 made seven saves, only to be beaten by a deflected Jerome Boateng shot in the dying seconds of their trip to the Allianz Arena.
That being said, the previous 89 minutes were largely a highlight reel of Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski going close on the Citizens' goal in a match that really should have been settled earlier.
In a way, one could find room to criticise Bayern for their lack of conviction, but ultimately, this was a tale of misfortune, with their 57 percent possession and 87 percent pass completion speaking volumes.
Far more assertive in front of goal were Roma, who firmly established that there's a lot to be excited about in this new era for the club with a 5-1 demolition of CSKA Moscow.
It was almost a perfect display from the Italians upon making their return to Europe's elite competition. Not even a late consolation goal from Ahmed Musa could dampen the spirits of such a dominant performance.
Group F
| Club | Grade |
| Barcelona | B |
| Paris Saint-Germain | C+ |
| Ajax | A- |
| APOEL | D |
In starting Munir El Haddadi, Sergi Roberto and Sergi Samper, Luis Enrique knew the risks he was taking against APOEL Nicosia, and the Cypriots almost made the manager pay for any sentiment of complacency.
A 1-0 win for the Blaugrana isn't perhaps as glamorous as was hoped for by the Camp Nou crowd, but Barca rarely looked in danger, limiting the visitors to just 28 percent of possession. A fine but not fantastic display from the Catalan giants.
OptaJose confirms Barca's dominance in possession:
Goals weren't in an abundance in Group F's other encounter, either, after Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain settled for a sharing of the spoils after their 1-1 draw in Amsterdam.
Edinson Cavani opened the scoring inside 14 minutes, but from there the Dutch hosts were permitted to settle into the fixture, with Laurent Blanc's men letting two points slip away as the Godenzonen stood their ground against big opposition.
Group G
| Club | Grade |
| Chelsea | D+ |
| Schalke | B+ |
| Sporting Lisbon | B |
| Maribor | B- |
All sides are level after 90 minutes in Group G. Schalke are undoubtedly happiest of the four teams after managing to come away from Stamford Bridge with a point, drawing 1-1 against Jose Mourinho's men.
Goals from Cesc Fabregas and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar shaped the result in a fixture where Mourinho would argue his stars stood out, but too many weaker aspects were made to look lacklustre in the meantime.
The Miners, on the other hand, while not possessing marquee names of the same standard, were a unified party and reaped their rewards after coming together in the second period.
Sporting Lisbon and Maribor, the two teams one would expect are competing for little more than third spot in Group G, also settled for a 1-1 scoreline, both finishes coming in the final 10 minutes.
Nani was the star player, as Sporting time and again threatened their hosts' net, but 27 attempts on goal means little unless one can make them count. Maribor's point ultimately came with a patient, if unexcitable display.
Group H
| Club | Grade |
| Porto | A |
| Shakhtar Donetsk | B- |
| Athletic Bilbao | C- |
| BATE Borisov | F |
Finally, there were six goals in Group H on the first day of competition, all of which came from Porto. The Portuguese giants gave their goal difference a boost thanks to some dire defending from BATE Borisov.
Such was a Champions League first for Porto, too, per OptaFranz:
The Belarusians committed 15 fouls, saw the frame of their goal struck twice by the Dragons and generally rolled over as Porto amassed the highest goal count of any team on Matchday 1, all the while surrendering just two shots on target to BATE.
If only the fixture between Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk were as exhilarating. Between the two of them, these sides had just 16 shots on goal, 11 of which were either blocked or off target in what might go down as the week's most forgettable fixture.
That being said, in controlling possession and with an away result to their name, Shakhtar take the credit as the more impressive of the pair.
All statistics come courtesy of WhoScored.com.
