Feyenoord 0-4 Bayer Leverkusen: Wirtz shines as Leverkusen kick-start campaign with Feyenoord thrashing

Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen commenced their UEFA Champions League journey with an impressive performance, overwhelming Feyenoord with a 4-0 victory at De Kuip, thereby maintaining their formidable away record in Europe, having lost only once in their last 11 matches on the continent.

Following a year’s absence from the Champions League, the German champions swiftly made their presence felt in this season's tournament, establishing a commanding four-goal advantage before halftime.

The scoring began just five minutes into the match when Florian Wirtz netted his first goal of the evening, skillfully placing the ball from outside the penalty area after dispossessing Ramiz Zerrouki near the Feyenoord half.

The second goal arrived at the 30-minute mark, as Victor Boniface delivered a clever no-look pass that set up Jeremie Frimpong for a cross, which Alejandro Grimaldo converted at the back post.

Leverkusen, now in full attacking mode, continued to excel, with the impressive Wirtz securing his second goal of the night through a spectacular first-time volley, assisted by another exquisite cross from Frimpong.

Wirtz made history as the first German player to score twice on his Champions League debut. While the first three goals were aesthetically pleasing, the fourth was less conventional.

Nonetheless, it was no less significant, as Edmond Tapsoba's header across the goalmouth created confusion for Timon Wellenreuther, who inadvertently redirected the ball into his own net.

Despite their struggles in the first half, Feyenoord showed resilience in the second half and could have scored on another occasion.

Antoni Milambo nearly found the net with an audacious backheel attempt, while Ayase Ueda did manage to score, only to have the goal disallowed by the assistant referee's flag.

The second half proved to be a more subdued affair, with Alonso taking the opportunity to rest key players in light of their upcoming Bundesliga match over the weekend.

Feyenoord experiences an unusual defeat at their renowned De Kuip stadium, as the Dutch club had suffered only one loss in their last 18 European home matches leading up to this evening.