The UEFA Champions League lit up tonight with drama, shocks, and goals across Europe as the group stage fixtures kicked off at 20:00pm. From thrilling comebacks to hard-fought wins, fans were treated to an evening that underlined exactly why this competition remains the pinnacle of club football. Giants stumbled, underdogs rose to the occasion, and some of the continent’s brightest talents made their mark on the grand stage. Below is a roundup of all the matches played tonight, reported in detail.
Union Saint-Gilloise, a Belgian team, attracted attention when they defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-1 on the road. Make a commitment After Christian Burgess was fouled by Ricardo Pepi, David scored the first goal from the penalty spot. Anouar Ait El Hadj’s excellent solo goal right before halfway gave Union the lead, although PSV had opportunities but failed to convert. Late in the game, Ruben van Bommel gave PSV the only goal they could muster, and Kevin Mac Allister clinched the victory with a goal from a corner.
In Lisbon, Benfica looked in control after racing to a 2-0 lead inside the first 16 minutes via goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis. But Qarabag fought back. Leandro Andrade made it 2-1 before halftime. After the break, Camilo Duran equalised thanks to a good assist from Marko Jankovic. Then, with just four minutes remaining, Oleksiy Kashchuk finished off a move (started by him and Abdellah Zoubir) to complete the stunning 3-2 turnaround.
Juventus vs. Borussia Dortmund delivered a wild eight-goal game in Turin, ending 4-4. Dortmund led twice (including 2-4), but Juventus refused to go down. Dusan Vlahovic scored in stoppage time and then set up Lloyd Kelly for a last-gasp equaliser. Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur got off to a winning start in their Champions League campaign, narrowly defeating Villarreal 1-0. The winning goal came very early, an own goal from Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Júnior in the 4th minute. Spurs were under pressure thereafter, but defended well to preserve the clean sheet. Villarreal failed to threaten significantly. The Guardian
Arsenal recorded a 2-0 away win over Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés. Despite missing key players, they managed to control the game. Super-sub Gabriel Martinelli scored just 36 seconds after coming off the bench, and Leandro Trossard later added a goal (with a slight deflection). The substitutes’ impact was decisive. TalkSport+1
