The 2026-27 UEFA Champions League opening campaign launched with 36 teams featuring heavy goalscoring totals, dominant multi-goal performances, and narrow victories across Europe, according to tournament match reports. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain opened their defense with a heavy win, while clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City secured crucial victories in their initial fixtures.
Real Madrid and Manchester City Secure Opening Victories
Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring in the 14th minute, and Federico Valverde added a second seven minutes later. Inter’s Carlos Augusto scored in the 77th minute to narrow the deficit, but Madrid held on for the win. Valverde earned player of the match honors with one goal, a 95% pass accuracy, and 6.4 miles covered. Meanwhile, Manchester City defeated Porto 2-0 behind a brace from striker Erling Haaland, who scored in the 47th minute and again in stoppage time at 90+1′. Haaland played the full 90 minutes, recording four shots on target, a top speed of 21.8 mph, and covering 6.1 miles.
Defending Champions PSG Cruise Past Bratislava
Paris Saint-Germain began their Champions League campaign with a 6-1 victory against Bratislava. Ferran Torres secured a hat-trick for PSG with goals in the 31st, 47th, and 57th minutes, earning player of the match honors on six total shot attempts. Ousmane Dembélé also contributed two first-half goals in the 17th and 23rd minutes to anchor the attacking display.
Opening Round Standout Performances
- VfB Stuttgart 3, Viking FK 1: Ermedin Demirović scored a first-half hat-trick for Stuttgart with goals in the 20th, 26th, and 32nd minutes. Zlatko Tripić scored for Viking FK in the 22nd minute.
- Barcelona 5, Feyenoord 1: Raphinha netted two goals in the 3rd and 57th minutes. Karim Adeyemi (22′), Lamine Yamal (77′), and Gabriel Jesus (85′) added to the tally, while Sem Steijn scored a late consolation for Feyenoord in the 82nd minute.
- Aston Villa 3, Club Brugge 2: John McGinn, Emiliano Buendía, and Nicolas Jackson scored for Villa, while Hugo Vetlesen and Nicolò Tresoldi scored for Brugge. McGinn was named player of the match after covering 6.9 miles.
Additional Match Results Across Europe
Borussia Dortmund claimed a 3-2 victory over Villarreal at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund capitalized on an own goal by Renato Veiga in the 53rd minute, alongside two goals from Serhou Guirassy in the 80th and 85th minutes. Guirassy earned player of the match with two goals and two chances created, despite also scoring an own goal in stoppage time (90+3′) that added to Villarreal’s earlier goal from Santiago Mouriño in the 66th minute.
At Anfield, Liverpool defeated Atlético Madrid 2-1. Marcos Llorente gave Atlético an early lead in the 17th minute, but Dominik Szoboszlai equalized in the 40th minute before Alexis Mac Allister scored the winner in the 50th minute. Szoboszlai took player of the match honors with one goal, five chances created, 90% pass accuracy, and a match-high 85 touches. AEK Athens defeated LASK 1-0 via a 21st-minute goal from Răzvan Marin, who created five chances and completed 73 touches. Real Betis edged Lille 3-2 with two goals from Marc Bartra and a 53rd-minute winner from Troy Parrott, overturning earlier goals from Lille’s Ayase Ueda and Alexsandro Ribeiro. Finally, Sporting CP defeated Galatasaray 3-1 behind goals from Geny Catamo, Luis Suárez, and Rodrigo Zalazar, overcoming an own goal by Sporting defender Gonçalo Inácio.
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