Christos Tzolis scored the only goal as Club Brugge edged out Sturm Graz 1-0 for their first win in this season's Champions League.

The Greece international delivered the decisive blow in the 23rd minute at 28 Black Arena on Wednesday.

Both sides were seeking their first point in the competition, having recorded defeats on matchday one against Borussia Dortmund and Brest respectively.

Brugge broke through midway through the first half, as Tzolis controlled before firing in off the post from the edge of the penalty area.

The visitors went close to doubling their lead after the break, but Sturm Graz goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen came to the hosts' rescue with a series of fine saves.

Urged on by the home fans, Christian Ilzer's side went in search of an equaliser, but it did not arrive as Brugge held out for the points.

Data Debrief: Third time unlucky for Sturm Graz

Sturm Graz have now suffered four successive Champions League defeats for the third time in their history.

Meanwhile, the Austrian side have now lost their last four European matches against Belgian opposition without scoring.

By contrast, Brugge maintained their perfect record of three straight wins against Austrian opponents, while they have now kept four clean sheets in five Champions League away games - as many as in their previous 22.

Tzolis' strike came from one of three shots on target, becoming the first Brugge player to register that amount in a single Champions League game since Hans Vanaken did so against Paris Saint-Germain in September 2021.

Abdallah Sima's second-half goal secured Brest their first-ever win in a European competition in a 2-1 victory over 10-man Sturm Graz on Thursday.

The French side made their Champions League bow, with goals in either half enough to overcome an own goal on the stroke of half-time.

Hugo Magnetti scored Brest's maiden European goal just 23 minutes in, expertly controlling it on his chest before volleying into the bottom corner to break the deadlock.

However, Sturm Graz equalised just before the break, with Edimilson Fernandes inadvertently sending the ball into his own net.

Brest adopted a more aggressive approach following the interval, and they were rewarded when Sima restored the French side's advantage by skilfully evading his marker to score in the 56th minute.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men with just two minutes remaining of the 90 when Dimitri Lavalee received his second booking after a late tackle on Magnetti. Jonas Martin then had two late chances to snatch a third but was denied by Kjell Scherpen. 

Data Debrief: Making an entrance

Brest’s win over Sturm Graz was just the second by a team making their debut in major European competition across the last 21 attempts (D4 L15), with Zrinjski Mostar in last season's UEFA Conference League the only other victor in that time.

Magnetti netted on what was his first-ever start in European competition, becoming the first player to net a team's first-ever goal in the Champions League from outside the area since Demba Ba for Istanbul Basaksehir against Manchester United in November 2020.

Sturm Graz came from two goals down to secure an unlikely draw against Paris Saint-Germain in their first game since Kylian Mbappe's move to Real Madrid. 

Ibrahim Mbaye and Carlos Soler had given the Parisiens a two-goal advantage with just 12 minutes on the clock, but their Austrian opponents would respond. 

Amady Camara would pull a goal back for the hosts three minutes later, with Otar Kiteishvili levelling the scores just before half-time. 

Substitute Marco Asensio had the opportunity to win the encounter late on for the Ligue 1 champions, but Luis Enrique started his pre-season preperations with a draw. 

PSG opened the scoring at the 28 Black Arena through 16-year-old debutant Mbaye, bouncing the ball over the onrushing Daniil Khudiakov after being found by Asensio. 

Soler, who captained the side in Austria, found the target three minutes later when Randal Kolo Muani's cross picked him out unmarked inside the area. 

But Kamara halved the deficit in double quick time, picking the pocket of Naoufel El Hannach on the edge of the area before finishing beyond Matvey Safonov. 

The comeback was completed in the 43rd minute in some style, as Kiteishvili took aim from distance to find the bottom corner. 

Data Debrief: PSG struggle without stars

Enrique is without some of his top performers in front of goal, but his PSG side had more than enough quality on the pitch to claim victory in Austria. 

The Parisiens accumulated an expected goals (xG) of just 1.06, 0.18 fewer than their opponents. PSG managed nine shots in the encounter, four fewer than Sturm Graz.

16-year-old Mbaye did impress on debut, however, recording the most shots (three), shots on target (two) and touches in the opposition box (four) than anyone in the PSG side. 

Europa League finalists Rangers will have to negotiate past Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Champions League third qualifying round, where PSV meet Monaco.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's side entered the qualifying stages through their second-place finish in last season's Scottish Premiership, where winners progress to the play-off stage and losers go automatically into the Europa League group stage.

Rangers also embarked on an impressive run to the Europa League final last season, getting past Borussia Dortmund, Braga and RB Leipzig before being defeated on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville.

Union finished second in Belgium's First Division A after a 48-year top-flight absence and will pose a tough task in the two-legged clash, with the first meeting on August 2-3 before the return tie a week later.

Rangers lost at this round to Malmo last year and last made the group stage of UEFA's premier club competition back in 2010-11.

PSV were beaten Europa Conference League quarter-finalists last season, but the team now led by Ruud van Nistelrooy earned a shot at the Champions League after finishing second in the Eredivisie, and will face Monaco.

The Ligue 1 side seemed set to secure group-stage qualification themselves but will have to battle through qualification after they were pipped for second place on the final day of the season by Marseille.

In the other league path fixtures, the winner of Dynamo Kyiv and Fenerbahce will meet Austria's Sturm Graz, while last year's Champions League quarter-finalists Benfica will face either Midtjylland or AEK Larnaca.

The draw for the Champions League play-off round will be on August 1, with those ties taking place over August 16-17 and 23-24.

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