UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid, Man City, Aston Villa Open With Victory
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase got off to an exciting start on Tuesday, September 8, with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Aston Villa among the teams securing opening-night victories.
Real Madrid defeated Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, while Manchester City recorded a comfortable 2-0 away win against Porto.
Aston Villa also began their campaign with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Club Brugge in Belgium.
Mbappé Leads Real Madrid to Victory
Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the 14th minute against Inter before Federico Valverde doubled the advantage nine minutes later.
Inter pulled one back through Carlos Augusto after he converted Lautaro MartÃnez’s cross, but Real Madrid held on for maximum points.
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was also instrumental for the Spanish giants on his 100th Champions League appearance.
Haaland Double Sinks Porto
Erling Haaland was Manchester City’s match-winner in Portugal, scoring both goals in their 2-0 victory over Porto.
The Norwegian striker headed in Matheus Nunes’ cross after the interval before completing his brace in added time following a pass from Rayan Aït-Nouri.
The result moved Haaland to 59 Champions League goals in 59 appearances.
Aston Villa Survive Club Brugge Test
Aston Villa edged Club Brugge 3-2 in a five-goal thriller.
John McGinn gave Villa an early lead before Hugo Vetlesen equalised. Emiliano BuendÃa restored the visitors’ advantage, while Nicolas Jackson added Villa’s third before half-time.
Nicolò Tresoldi pulled one back for Club Brugge from the penalty spot in the second half, but Villa survived late pressure to claim all three points.
Dortmund, Betis Also Win
Borussia Dortmund defeated Villarreal 3-2 in another dramatic encounter, with all five goals arriving in the second half. Serhou Guirassy scored twice for the German side.
Real Betis also came from behind to beat Lille 3-2, with Marc Bartra scoring twice.
Elsewhere, AEK Athens defeated Champions League debutants LASK 1-0, with Răzvan Marin’s first-half free-kick proving decisive.
The remaining Matchday 1 fixtures will be played on Wednesday and Thursday, including Barcelona vs Feyenoord, Liverpool vs Atlético Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain vs Slovan Bratislava, Sporting CP vs Galatasaray, Napoli vs Arsenal, Bayern Munich vs Bodø/Glimt and Manchester United vs Sabah.
