By The Atlantic Digest, Sports Desk | European Football Roundup
The 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase opened this week with two nights of goals, comebacks and statement wins, as the newest edition of Europe’s premier club competition got underway on Tuesday, September 8, and continued Wednesday, September 9, with twelve matches spanning six countries’ worth of storylines. Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona announced themselves as early favorites with routs, Liverpool and Arsenal ground out narrower wins, and lower-seeded sides in Athens and Seville produced two of the week’s most memorable results. A further six matches complete matchday 1 on Thursday, September 10, but this roundup covers the full Tuesday-and-Wednesday slate as it stands.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8: SIX MATCHES OPEN THE SEASON
AEK Athens 1-0 LASK — Răzvan Marin’s first-half free-kick was enough to give the Greek side a historic night, their first Champions League proper victory in two decades and a perfect start against the Austrian debutants.
Club Brugge 2-3 Aston Villa — Aston Villa came from behind on the road, with John McGinn scoring the competition’s opening goal of the entire 2026/27 season before Nicolas Jackson added a second as the Premier League side completed a comeback victory in Belgium.
Real Madrid 2-1 Inter — José Mourinho’s Real Madrid side edged a tense reunion with his former club. Kylián Mbappé put the hosts ahead with a neat 14th-minute finish, and Federico Valverde doubled the lead before Inter pulled one back late to make for a nervier finish than the scoreline first suggested.
Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal — A five-goal second half at Signal Iduna Park went Dortmund’s way, with Serhou Guirassy scoring twice — including from the penalty spot — to see off a Villarreal side that pushed the German club all the way.
Porto 0-2 Manchester City — Erling Haaland scored both goals as City took full control after the break in Portugal, with the Norwegian striker’s brace taking his Champions League scoring record to 59 goals in as many appearances in the competition.
Lille 2-3 Real Betis — Real Betis recovered from a half-time deficit to claim their first Champions League win in 21 years, with Marc Bartra scoring twice to complete the Spanish side’s comeback in northern France.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9: BARCELONA AND PSG RUN RIOT
Barcelona 5-1 Feyenoord — Raphinha and Lamine Yamal led a dominant Barcelona performance at home, with the Catalan club putting five past the Dutch visitors in one of the widest margins of the opening round.
Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Slovan Bratislava — PSG delivered the biggest scoreline of the week, with Ferran Torres completing a hat-trick and Ousmane Dembélé also among the goals as the French champions served early notice of their title credentials.
Liverpool 2-1 Atlético Madrid — Liverpool had to work for their win at Anfield, falling behind to a Marcos Llorente goal before fighting back to take all three points at home in one of the night’s tighter contests.
Arsenal 1-0 Napoli — Martin Ødegaard’s deflected effort from outside the box proved decisive in Naples, with the Arsenal captain’s strike making his side the only away team to win on matchday 1’s Wednesday slate.
Sporting CP 3-1 Galatasaray — Luis Suárez converted from the penalty spot as Sporting saw off the Turkish visitors in Lisbon.
VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Viking — Stuttgart eased to a comfortable home win over the Norwegian side to open their campaign with three points.
STANDINGS SNAPSHOT AFTER MATCHDAY 1
With twelve of the eighteen matchday 1 fixtures complete, twelve clubs sit level on three points apiece heading into Thursday’s remaining games: Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Manchester City, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Real Betis, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP, VfB Stuttgart and AEK Athens. Goal difference from the emphatic wins by PSG and Barcelona gives both clubs an early edge in the 36-team single-table league phase format, though with seven more matchdays to play before the knockout playoff round, the standings remain wide open this early in the campaign.
WHAT’S NEXT
Matchday 1 concludes Thursday, September 10, with six further fixtures: Fenerbahçe host Roma, PSV Eindhoven face Shakhtar Donetsk, Como take on RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich host Bodø/Glimt, Manchester United face Sabah, and Slavia Prague meet Lens. Clubs then return to Champions League action for matchday 2 later this month, while domestic league programs across England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France resume over the coming weekend.
Editorial note: This roundup is based on match reporting and statistics from UEFA.com, NBC Sports, Yahoo Sports, khelnow.com and other outlets, current as of Thursday, September 10, 2026. Scorelines and standings reflect results as reported at time of publication; six matchday 1 fixtures remained to be played on Thursday, September 10, and were not yet complete as of this report. The Atlantic Digest will carry updated European football coverage as matchday 2 approaches.
