Jerome Boateng struck a last-minute goal for five-time European champions Bayern Munich in a 1-0 win over Manchester City while 2012 winners Chelsea were held 1-1 by Schalke in Anglo-German duels in the Champions League Wednesday.
Roma were rampant in a 5-1 defeat of CSKA Moscow while Yacine Brahimi scored a hat-trick as Porto went a goal better with a 6-0 hammering of BATE Borisov.
Four-time champions Barcelona meanwhile began their campaign with a 1-0 defeat of APOEL Nicosia, and Paris St Germain settled for a 1-1 draw at Ajax.
Maribor and Sporting Lisbon drew 1-1, while Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk finished goalless.
Boateng scores last-gasp goal
Bayern, the 2012-2013 Champions League winners, were up against familiar foes in Manchester City in a tight Group E game at the Allianz Arena.
City lost 2-0 in Munich in 2011 but enjoyed a 3-2 win in the stadium last season.
It was really important to win. It was hard work. In the end we deserved to win. We had a lot of chances and some bad luck but we all believed in it.
City failed to clear a deep Philipp Lahm cross and Boateng lashed a shot which took a deflection off a Bayern player on the way past keeper Joe Hart.
“It was really important to win. It was hard work,” Boateng said. “In the end we deserved to win. We had a lot of chances and some bad luck but we all believed in it.”
In the same group, Roma raced into a four-goal half-time lead against CSKA Moscow with Juan Iturbe, Maicon and two from former Arsenal forward Gervinho. An own goal from Sergei Ignashevich made it five before a late consolation from Ahmed Musa.
Chelsea frustrated as Huntelaar earns a point
In Group G, Chelsea, with Didier Drogba starting and Diego Costa beginning on the bench, were held by Schalke, the team they twice beat 3-0 in last season’s group stage.
Cesc Fabregas looked to have won the ball with a foul on Max Meyer before combining with Eden Hazard to put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute.
But the Bundesliga side came away with a point with a goal on the break after Fabregas was dispossessed and Julian Draxler fed Klaas Jan Huntelaar for the Dutch striker to finish in the 62nd minute.
“We had more than a couple of fantastic chances to win the game but we got a point. It is not the best result but it is a result,” Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, told Sky Sports.
Also in Group G, former Manchester United winger Nani scored 10 minutes from time for Sporting Lisbon at Slovenian outfit Maribor, but the home side snatched a draw with a last-minute Luka Zahovic goal.
A 14th-minute Edison Cavani strike put Paris St Germain ahead at Ajax in Group F but the Dutch side levelled with an Lasse Schoene free-kick in the 74th minute.
In the same group Barcelona defeated APOEL 1-0 courtesy of a 24th-minute Gerard Pique header from a Lionel Messi free-kick.
Porto thrashed BATE 6-0 in Group H thanks to three-goal Algerian winger Brahimi and goals from Jackson Martinez, Adrian Lopez and Vincent Aboubakar.
Athletic Bilbao and Shakhtar Donetsk played out a goalless draw in the same group.
