The UEFA Champions League league phase roared back to life this week with plenty of goals, late drama and familiar names delivering when it mattered. Real Madrid, Manchester City and Aston Villa all claimed opening victories on a busy night of European action.Jose Mourinho’s return to the Bernabeu produced a typical Mourinho result: messy, tense and ultimately successful. Real Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-1 after taking a two-goal lead through Kylian Mbappé and Federico Valverde. Mbappé’s opener, his 71st in the competition, drew him level with club legend Raúl. Inter pulled one back late through Carlos Augusto, but Madrid held on. Mourinho described it as “a crazy game” that could easily have finished 7-6.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland continued his remarkable Champions League scoring streak. The Norwegian struck twice after half-time as Manchester City won 2-0 away at Porto. His first was a header from Enzo Fernández’s cross just after the restart; the second sealed the points in stoppage time. Haaland now has 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances. City made it four wins in a row in all competitions under Enzo Maresca.
Aston Villa also started their campaign on a high. Unai Emery’s side came from behind to beat Club Brugge 3-2 in Belgium. John McGinn opened the scoring with a curling effort, Emiliano Buendía restored the lead after Brugge equalised, and Nicolas Jackson made it 3-1 before half-time. Villa had to withstand a late fightback but claimed a valuable away win after a disappointing start to their Premier League season.
Other results included Borussia Dortmund’s 3-2 home win over Villarreal and Real Betis’ 3-2 victory at Lille. The new league-phase format already looks like it will deliver plenty of entertainment. Next up for the big sides: Barcelona host Feyenoord, Liverpool face Atlético Madrid, and City welcome Paris Saint-Germain.