Bayer Leverkusen in crushing Champions League win
Bayer Leverkusen opened its Champions League campaign with a resounding 4-0 win at Feyenoord on Friday, scoring all four of its goals by half-time.
Xabi Alonso's men, who went unbeaten domestically as they won a Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double and lost the Europa League final last season, blew their host away within the first 44 minutes at De Kuip.
Florian Wirtz needed just five minutes to mark his Champions League debut with a goal, picking out the bottom-right corner after being found by Robert Andrich.
Another of last season's stars, Alejandro Grimaldo, made it 2-0 with a back-post finish following good work from Jeremie Frimpong, then Wirtz volleyed home his second with just 36 minutes on the clock.
Leverkusen had a four-goal lead on the stroke of half-time, Timon Wellenreuther diverting the ball into his own net in a failed attempt to keep out Edmond Tapsoba's header.
Feyenoord were never likely to respond from there, succumbing to the joint-heaviest defeat in their European history, alongside a 4-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City in 2017.
Bayer's resounding victory takes it third in the young Champions League standings, with Milan its next opponent in the competition on 1 October.
