Liverpool beaten by Napoli; Bayern beat Inter, Robert Lewandowski hat-trick helps Barcelona beat Viktoria Plzen

In the opening minute, Victor Osimhen beat Liverpool’s offside trap and dribbled around goalkeeper Alisson before striking a shot off the outside of the post from a sharp angle.

Four minutes later, Zielinski sent Alisson the wrong way with his spot kick after Liverpool captain James Milner deflected a shot from the Poland midfielder with his arm.

Osimhen then won another penalty after Virgil van Dijk stepped on his boot, but Alisson blocked the ensuing spot kick from the Nigeria centre-forward.

Zielinski turned provider for Zambo Anguissa, who finished off a give-and-take with the Pole to make it 2-0.

Simeone, who had come on for an aching Osimhen, tapped in a cross from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the 21-year-old Georgia winger who has been tearing up Serie A with four goals in five matches. Kvaratskhelia dribbled by two players on the left flank before setting up Simeone perfectly.

Zielinski’s second came on a rebound of his own shot after Alisson failed to collect.

“We were miles too open. You can’t come to a place like this and not be compact. They were by miles the better team,” said Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson.

“Too many times they had spaces to run at us and cause us problems. You come away in the Champions League and you can’t be wide open like that. We have to get back to basics and be compact.

“We have to wake up and quickly because we can’t perform like that.”

For Napoli it was time to dream of more to come.

“It was almost the perfect match. We don’t know how far we can go from here,” said Zielinski.

Liverpool, who lost last season’s final 1-0 to Real Madrid, are sorely missing departed forward Sadio Mane, who transferred to Bayern Munich. Injuries are also hitting hard in central midfield, while fourth-choice Joe Gomez looked rusty at centre-back.

Mane’s new side beat Inter Milan 2-0 away in their Group C opener thanks to a Leroy Sane strike and an own goal.

Germany international Sane superbly controlled a pinpoint Joshua Kimmich cross before rounding Inter keeper Andre Onana, who was making his debut for the club, to give Bayern the lead in the 25th minute.

Sane also deserves credit for their second goal after dismantling the Inter defence with a lightning-quick double one-two with Kingsley Coman in the 66th before his shot was turned into the net by Inter captain Danilo D’Ambrosio.

Bayern, who bounced back following two consecutive draws in the Bundesliga, host Barcelona next week, while Inter, who have now lost their last two matches following their derby defeat by AC Milan on Saturday, take on Viktoria Plzen in the other group match.

The German champions shot out of the blocks and would have taken an early lead were it not for Onana who denied Thomas Mueller twice as well as Kimmich.

But he was beaten by Sane’s first touch and clinical finish as Bayern took a deserved lead.

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Cameroon international Onana, who replaced Samir Handanovic, came to the rescue once more in the 37th minute, punching an Alphonso Davies wide before Marcel Sabitzer’s rebound whizzed just wide.

The hosts recovered after the break and both Edin Dzeko and D’Ambrosio had chances but Bayern’s win never looked in doubt after they added another through D’Ambrosio’s own goal.

Inter’s frustration was complete when Joaquin Correa benefited from a Bayern mistake but his shot, with only Neuer to beat, narrowly missed the target seven minutes from time.