Brest claims stunning Champions League victory, Stuttgart draws

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French underdogs Brest picked up two wins at the start of their first-ever UEFA Champions League campaign with a remarkable 4-0 away win at Red Bull Salzburg on Tuesday, while Stuttgart were held to a 1-1 draw by Sparta Prague.

Brest qualified for Europe for the first time in its history by finishing a best-ever third place in Ligue 1 last season and winning 2-1 at home against Austrian champions Sturm Graz on its Champions League debut two weeks ago.

They bettered that result with a memorable performance as they once again faced Austrian opponents. Abdallah Sima scored two goals, Mahdi Camara and Mathias Pereira Lage also scored.

Senegalese international Sima, on loan from Brighton in the English Premier League, was the hero in Brest’s opening game when he scored the winning goal against Graz.

Shortly after halfway through the first half, he scored the first goal in Salzburg, completing a counterattack following a pass from Ludovic Ajorque.

Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot saved several important balls. Salzburg also had an offside goal ruled out due to a VAR check when the score was still 0-0.

The visitors from Brittany won the game with three goals within 10 minutes of the second half.

Camara scored to make it 2-0 in the 66th minute after Mama Balde’s low pass into the middle could not be cleared by the Salzburg defense.

Sima scored his second goal and his team’s third after goalkeeper Janis Blaswich parried a shot from Hugo Magnetti.

Brest got a great result when Pereira Lage shot low into the corner with his first touch after coming off the bench.

They joined Paris Saint-Germain as the first French club to win a Champions League game by at least four goals since Lyon beat Dinamo Zagreb 7-1 in 2011.

Salzburg, who will be at the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in the US next year, are already competing against them in the revamped Champions League. On the first matchday they lost 3-0 away to Sparta Prague.

Sparta remains unbeaten after coming from behind to draw 1-1 away at Stuttgart in Germany in Tuesday’s other early game.

Frenchman Enzo Millot scored the first goal for last season’s German runners-up, who lost away to reigning champions Real Madrid two weeks ago.

The Finnish international Kaan Kairinen equalized for the Czech team before half-time and the game ended evenly.

Tuesday’s later games include a showdown between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain in London, while Bayer Leverkusen hosts AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund takes on Celtic.

Barcelona are at home against Young Boys, Inter Milan face Red Star Belgrade, Manchester City visit Slovan Bratislava and PSV Eindhoven are at home against Sporting from Portugal.

This season’s new Champions League format sees 36 clubs in the league phase, each playing eight games against eight different opponents.

The top eight qualify for the round of 16, with teams from ninth to 24th in a play-off round to determine the remaining places in the round of 16.