PSV’s Champions League campaign got off to the worst possible start as they slumped to a 3-1 home defeat to Belgian debutants Union Saint-Gilloise.

With tough matches against Napoli, Liverpool and Bayern Munich to come, Peter Bosz’s side needed to claim all three points from their opening game in Eindhoven, but were outclassed by a team brimming with confidence after winning five of their opening seven league matches.

Ricardo Pepi had a night to forget in his first European match since suffering a knee injury against Liverpool last January that sidelined him for eight months.

The American striker can have few complaints about the penalty he conceded in the ninth minute, when he clipped Christian Burgess on the shin while challenging for the ball.

Promise David scored the spot-kick, and it was to get worse for Pepi when he was caught napping in his own half by Kevin Mac Allister in the 38th minute. Anouar Ait El Hadj picked up the loose ball and ran unchallenged to the penalty area before firing a low shot into the bottom left-hand corner.

Pepi missed a chance to redeem himself early in the second half as Kjell Scherpen blocked with his feet, before Ismail Saibari went even closer when his close-range shot went the wrong side of the post.

Instead it was the Belgians who were celebrating when Mac Allister turned the ball in from a corner to make it 3-0, making Ruben van Bommel’s last-minute strike for PSV nothing more than a consolation.

PSV’s next match is on Wednesday, October 1 away to Bayer Leverkusen.