The Champions League returned this week with its second round of fixtures, and once again Europe’s biggest clubs showed both their brilliance and their fragility. From Mbappé’s hat-trick in Almaty to Galatasaray’s shock against Liverpool, the drama came thick and fast over Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Day One: Tuesday, September 30
Bergamo provided the curtain-raiser, where Atalanta overturned a first-half deficit against Club Brugge. Christos Tzolis had given the Belgians hope, but late goals from Samardžić and Mario Pašalić turned the game around, sending the Italian crowd into raptures. Thousands of kilometres east, Real Madrid made short work of Kairat Almaty. Kylian Mbappé was untouchable, scoring a hat-trick that silenced the Kazakh hosts before Eduardo Camavinga and Brahim Díaz added further gloss in a 5–0 demolition.
Back in Spain, Atlético Madrid put on a show of their own at the Metropolitano, dismantling Eintracht Frankfurt 5–1. Giacomo Raspadori struck early, Robin Le Normand and Antoine Griezmann followed, before Simeone’s son Giuliano and Julián Álvarez rounded off the scoring. The lone German reply from Jonathan Burkardt barely registered against the tide.
In London, José Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge was settled by a touch of fortune, as Chelsea edged Benfica 1–0 thanks to an own goal from Ríos in the 18th minute. At Gisueppe Meazza, Inter were far more decisive, Lautaro Martínez netting twice with Denzel Dumfries also on the scoresheet in a commanding 3–0 over Slavia Prague. Further north, in the Arctic chill of Bodø, the Norwegian underdogs nearly toppled Tottenham. Jens Petter Hauge scored twice to put Glimt ahead, only for Van de Ven to respond before a cruel own goal by Gundersen in the dying minutes salvaged Spurs a 2–2 draw.
The upset of the evening came in Istanbul, where Galatasaray’s talisman Victor Osimhen converted a 16th-minute penalty to sink Liverpool 1–0, sending Rams Park into delirium. Marseille added another hammer blow for traditional powers, thrashing Ajax 4–0 at the Vélodrome with a brace from Igor Paixão, plus goals from Mason Greenwood and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
There was no such drama in Cyprus, where Bayern Munich brushed aside Pafos 5–1. Harry Kane scored twice, supported by Raphaël Guerreiro, Nicolas Jackson and Michael Olise, with Mislav Oršić’s wonderful strike merely consolation for the hosts.
Day Two: Wednesday, October 1
The evening opened in Baku with Qarabağ producing a composed, professional performance to beat Copenhagen. Abdellah Zoubir settled the contest before half-time with a smart strike, and the home crowd were later rewarded when substitute Emmanuel Addai put the tie beyond doubt with a cool finish, sending the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium into celebration. Simultaneously, the mood in Brussels was very different as Union Saint-Gilloise were swept aside by a ruthless Newcastle United. Nick Woltemade’s early goal set the tone and Anthony Gordon added to the pressure with two penalties before Harvey Barnes capped a dominant night with a late strike. What looked like a potentially tight fixture became a clear statement of Newcastle’s firepower.
Back in London at the Emirates, Arsenal had to be patient, but they found the breakthrough through Gabriel Martinelli inside the first quarter-hour and only conceded the final piece of drama late when Bukayo Saka sealed the result in stoppage time — a tidy 2–0 that kept the Gunners ticking along in the group.
In the Principality, Monaco and Manchester City served up an end-to-end encounter that finished all square. Jordan Teze struck to give Monaco a spark, but Erling Haaland had already torn open the defence with a double earlier in the match. The scoreline was levelled in dramatic fashion when a late penalty converted by Dier ensured the spoils were shared in a 2–2 draw that left both camps with mixed feelings.
At the BayArena, Leverkusen were held to a 1–1 draw in a game that saw the momentum swing quickly: Kofane hit for the hosts and Saibari answered soon after, leaving an otherwise tense encounter balanced and the home crowd restless. Borussia Dortmund celebrated a big night at Westfalenstadion as they ran up four goals against Athletic Bilbao. Jens Svensson opened the scoring, and then the dark-horse strikes kept coming: Chukwuemeka doubled the lead after the break and Guirassy added a third before Florian Brandt sealed the rout deep into stoppage time. Athletic’s solitary reply from Guruzeta did little to dampen Dortmund’s triumph.
The stadium at Montjuic witnessed a tight, charged affair when Barcelona briefly led through Ferran Torres only for PSG to turn the game on its head: Mayulu levelled before half-time and a dramatic late strike from Ramos completed a 2–1 victory for the visitors, a scalp that will resonate for PSG as they head back to France.
Finally, Napoli and Sporting produced a competitive southern-European finish: Højlund struck twice for the hosts, assisted by Kevin De Bruyne both times, while Suárez had hauled Sporting level with a penalty in between — ultimately Napoli held on for a 2–1 win, a result that left their supporters relieved and Sporting rueing missed chances.
The Top Performers of the Week
The individual brilliance across Matchday 2 was also reflected in Sofascore’s Team of the Week. Jens Petter Hauge of Bodø/Glimt earned a perfect 10 after his brace against Tottenham, while Kylian Mbappé (9.6) and Francisco Conceição Paixão (9.6) joined him in attack following decisive performances for Real Madrid and Marseille respectively. Julián Álvarez (9.5) and Harry Kane (9.3) also made the cut after their prolific outings for Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich. In midfield, Michael Olise’s 8.7 highlighted Bayern’s dominance, supported by a back line of Alessandro Bastoni (8.8), Dean Huijsen (8.5), Perr Schuurs Teze (8.4) and Federico Gatti (8.2). Galatasaray’s victory hero, goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır, rounded out the XI with an 8.5 rating. Together, the lineup showcased both star power and surprise packages that defined the week.
