Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland scored as Real Madrid and Manchester City opened their Champions League campaigns with victories on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland both found the net as Real Madrid and Manchester City kicked off their Champions League campaigns with victories on Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid secured a 2-1 win over Inter Milan in Jose Mourinho's winning return as Real Madrid coach. Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute after Brahim Diaz set him up following an Inter turnover deep in their own half. The strike was Mbappe's 71st in the competition, moving him level with Real Madrid legend Raul for fifth on the all-time scoring list. Federico Valverde added Madrid's second after poking the ball into an empty net following pressure on Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez, before Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter in the 77th minute. Despite Inter finishing with 61% possession, Madrid held on. 'There's so much criticism when a game is boring, but today it was crazy — it could easily have ended 7-6,' Mourinho told broadcaster Movistar.
In Portugal, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca maintained his 100% start with a 2-0 victory over Porto at Estadio do Dragao. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock with a header two minutes into the second half before side-footing home a second in stoppage time. Haaland now has 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances. 'We have to learn. Enzo demands a lot from us and we have to demand a lot from each other,' Haaland told Amazon Prime. 'We have to win games because at Man City, you have to win trophies.'
Aston Villa put aside early Premier League struggles to earn a 3-2 victory away against Club Brugge. John McGinn gave Villa an 11th-minute lead before Hugo Vetlesen equalized for Brugge. Emiliano Buendia and Nicolas Jackson put Villa 3-1 up by halftime, and Unai Emery's side held on after Nicolo Tresoldi converted a 61st-minute penalty for the hosts.
Borussia Dortmund earned a 3-2 win against Villarreal, highlighted by Serhou Guirassy scoring two goals for Dortmund in the 80th and 85th minutes before adding an own goal in stoppage time. The match was marred by Dortmund teenager Konstantinos Karetsas being taken to the hospital due to circulatory problems after slumping to the turf 25 minutes into his debut.
In Tuesday's other results, Real Betis won 3-2 at Lille with Troy Parrott scoring the decisive goal, while AEK Athens earned a 1-0 win over LASK thanks to a first-half free kick from Razvan Marin. Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain begin their campaign on Wednesday against Slovan Bratislava.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Football. Photo courtesy The Hindu Football.