Opening Night Thrills: Mbappé, Haaland and Others Light Up the Champions League

It was a night of fireworks on the opening day of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League. Three of Europe’s biggest clubs – Real Madrid, Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund – all walked away with three points, and both Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland got their names on the scoresheet.

Real Madrid edged Inter Milan 2‑1 in Madrid. The French superstar opened the scoring in the 14th minute, a swift strike that gave the hosts a much‑needed lead. Nine minutes later Federico Valverde doubled the advantage, only for Inter’s Carlos Augusto to pull one back. The Spanish giants held firm and celebrated the win.

Across the channel, Manchester City beat Porto 2‑0 at the Etihad. Haaland, ever the poacher, turned in a header from Matheus Nunes’ cross and then, in stoppage‑time, slipped another into the net to seal the victory. The Norwegian’s brace gave Pep Guardiola’s side a perfect start.

In a roller‑coaster of a match, Borussia Dortmund eked out a 3‑2 win over Villarreal. All five goals came after the break. An own‑goal by Renato Veiga gave Dortmund the lead, Santiago Mouriño equalised, then Serhou Guirassy struck twice to restore the advantage. A deflected free‑kick from Nicolas Pepe gave Villarreal a late consolation.

It wasn’t just the giants that celebrated. Aston Villa traveled to Belgium and turned a 2‑2 stalemate into a 3‑2 win against Club Brugge, thanks to goals from Emiliano Buendía and Nicolas Jackson. Meanwhile, AEK Athens secured a 1‑0 debut‑season triumph over LASK, with Razvan Marin’s free‑kick proving decisive.

Real Betis also made a comeback story, overturning a 2‑1 deficit to beat Lille 3‑2. After Ayase Ueda and Alexsandro gave Lille the lead, Marc Bartra netted a brace and Troy Parrott added the final goal.

All in all, the opening night gave six clubs a winning start to the league phase, setting the tone for what promises to be an exhilarating Champions League campaign.