Champions League group stage first scorers: Mohamed Simakan quickest off the mark in 2023/24

Leipzig defender Mohamed Simakan had the honour of scoring the first goal of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage.

Simakan's goal came just three minutes into Leipzig's Group G win away to Young Boys, the 23-year-old glancing in David Raum's corner with the aid of a deflection.

Cristiano Ronaldo is once again not involved in the UEFA Champions League this season, but the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward remains the only player to strike first in the group stage in the competition on two occasions.

This season is the 32nd in the Champions League era; UEFA.com looks back through the archives to see which players were quickest off the mark in every campaign since the competition was rebranded in 1992/93.

Champions League group stage first scorers

1992/93 Daniel Amokachi, Club Brugge 1-0 CSKA Moskva (17 minutes)
1993/94 Domingos Paciência, Porto 3-2 Werder Bremen (7 minutes)
1994/95 Nikolai Pisarev, Dynamo Kyiv 3-2 Spartak Moskva (12 minutes)
1995/96 Andreas Möller, Borussia Dortmund 1-3 Juventus (1 minute)
1996/97 Jari Litmanen, Auxerre 0-1 Ajax (4 minutes)
1997/98 Stéphane Chapuisat, Galatasaray 0-1 Dortmund (74 minutes)*
1998/99 Joseba Etxeberria, Athletic Club 1-1 Rosenborg (6 minutes)
1999/00 Jan-Derek Sørensen, Boavista 0-3 Rosenborg; Robert Pirès, Marseille 2-0 Sturm Graz (9 minutes)

2000/01 Yegor Titov, Spartak Moskva 2-0 Leverkusen (51 minutes)*
2001/02 Marc Hendrikx, Lokomotiv Moskva 1-1 Anderlecht (15 minutes)*
2002/03 Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ajax 2-1 Lyon (11 minutes)
2003/04 Mikaël Silvestre, Manchester United 5-0 Panathinaikos (13 minutes)
2004/05 Vicente Rodríguez, Valencia 2-0 Anderlecht (16 minutes)
2005/06 Florent Sinama Pongolle, Real Betis 1-2 Liverpool (2 minutes)
2006/07 Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona 5-0 Levski Sofia (7 minutes)
2007/08 Brandão, Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 Celtic (5 minutes)
2008/09 Sergio Agüero, PSV Eindhoven 0-3 Atlético de Madrid (9 minutes)
2009/10 Cristiano Ronaldo, Zürich 2-5 Real Madrid (27 minutes)

2010/11 Petri Pasanen**, Werder Bremen 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur (12 minutes)
2011/12 Pato, Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan (1 minute)
2012/13 Isco, Málaga 3-0 Zenit (3 minutes)
2013/14 David Alaba, Bayern München 3-0 CSKA Moskva; Filip Djuričić, Benfica 2-0 Anderlecht (4 minutes)
2014/15 Hulk, Benfica 0-2 Zenit (5 minutes)
2015/16 Ángel Di María, Paris 2-0 Malmö (4 minutes)
2016/17 Edinson Cavani, Paris 1-1 Arsenal (1 minute)
2017/18 Seydou Doumbia, Olympiacos 2-3 Sporting CP (2 minutes)
2018/19 Lionel Messi, Barcelona 4-0 PSV Eindhoven (32 minutes) *
2019/20 Sardar Azmoun, Lyon 1-1 Zenit (41 minutes)*

2020/21 Álvaro Morata, Dynamo Kyiv 0-2 Juventus (46 minutes)*
2021/22 Cristiano Ronaldo, Young Boys 2-1 Manchester United (13 minutes)*
2022/23 Mislav Oršić, Dinamo Zagreb 1-0 Chelsea (13 minutes)*
2023/24 Mohamed Simakan, Young Boys 1-3 Leipzig (3 minutes)*

* Early kick-off (from season 2018/19 onwards, two matches have regularly kicked off earlier than the others on the opening night)
**Own goal