With that in mind, here is a stat from each match after Matchday 1.
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Betis win in long-awaited return
25 - Eight years on from their last showing, AEK Athens kicked off their league phase campaign with a 1-0 defeat of debutants LASK Linz, thanks to a glorious free kick from Razvan Marin. After Olympiakos made the knockout rounds last term, the defending Greek champions have a positive start to try and join them. As they did in their two play-off round matches, AEK managed to keep a clean sheet on Tuesday night. This marks the first time in 25 years that Dikefalos have started a European season with three successive clean sheets. They last did so in the 2001/02 UEFA Cup.
14 - It was not a good start for Club Brugge as they let in three first-half goals at home to Aston Villa. Despite getting one back after the break, it was not enough for Blauw-Zwart as they fell 3-2 to the Villans, who they beat at this stage two years ago. What is perhaps even more concerning for Club is the fact that they scored twice at home, meaning they usually get a result. For reference, the last time they lost at home after scoring multiple times was 14 years ago. On that occasion, it took place in UCL qualification against FC Kobenhavn.
6 - Record winners Real Madrid are off and running in their joint-record 31st campaign in the Champions League, defeating Inter Milan 2-1 at home thanks to a pair of first-half goals. While the Nerazzurri will certainly rue the defensive errors leading to both goals, they will have no time to sulk as they need to get back on track. Real have made it a regular theme to win their opening match of the UCL, with this being the sixth year in a row in which they have done so. Ironically, the streak, which started in 2020/21, also came at the expense of Inter. However, that was on the road.
5 - Real Betis are off a flying start in their second-ever UCL campaign. Los Verdiblancos were behind twice away to Lille, but Marc Bartra responded twice before Troy Parrott netted the winner early on in the second half. The 3-2 victory is the perfect start for the Spanish side, who benefitted from Spain's coefficient to qualify for the tournament. Betis have beaten French opposition in Europe for the fifth time, having also topped Lyon at this stage of the Europa League last fall.
12 - Just as they managed to do last term, Borussia Dortmund got the better of Villarreal. In a chaotic second half which saw all five of the game's goals, the Germans were 3-2 winners. Die Schwarzgelben have finished in the top half of the league phase in the first two seasons of their existence, but never grabbed a top eight berth. As for Villarreal, their recent UCL form is quite worrying - they are winless in their last 12 in the competition (0-1-11).
8 - A second-half brace from Erling Haaland - scoring at the beginning and end of the period - did the trick for Manchester City, who prevailed 2-0 at Porto. One of five teams to maintain a clean sheet this week, the Cityzens could not have asked for a better start. Last season's Portuguese champions will have to play catch-up early on in this league phase if they are to make the knockout stages. Porto lost at home to an English side for the eighth time in European club competition play, with Liverpool the last to do so during the 2021/22 campaign.
Barca, PSG score for fun
17 - There was no messing about from Barcelona in their opener, needing just three minutes to go in front versus Feyenoord. From there, the Catalans did not look back, ultimately winning 5-1 at Camp Nou. Looking to finish in the top eight for the third year running, it was a fantastic display from the five- time winners. Since losing their opening home game last term, Barca have won their last four league phase home games, scoring 17 times during that stretch.
16 - Stuttgart's Ermedin Demirovic bagged a hat-trick in the first half of his side's 3-1 defeat of Norway's Viking. Die Schwaben narrowly missed out on the knockout phase two years ago, so an opening round win could go a long way to changing that this time around. Despite the loss, Viking gave a good account of themselves against a side from Germany. Stuttgart had to wait 16 years to claim their second win over Norwegian opposition, having defeated Molde in the 2010/11 Europa League.
35 - Going for the three-peat, Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence in dominant fashion. Three goals in either half - Ferran Torres netting a hat-trick - helped them to a 6-1 success over Slovan Bratislava. The Slovak side will have to wait another month to get their maiden victory in the UCL proper. PSG were relentless in the match, mustering a total of 35 shots. No other side managed more than Les Parisiens during the opening week of the league phase.
15 - Sporting CP had to come from a goal down versus Galatasaray. The Portuguese side, who avoided the qualifiers thanks to UEL titleholder rebalancing, got two goals in six minutes during the second half, which paved the way to a 3-1 victory. It is a positive start for a side who reached the quarter-finals in 2025/26, their best performance in the competition. For Galatasaray, they now have work to do, as the Turkish champions continue their struggles against teams from Portugal. In 10 continental matches, they are 3-1-6, conceding 15 times.
2 - Three months on from their loss in the final, Arsenal began their league phase by edging Napoli 1-0 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Martin Odegaard was the hero for the Gunners, finding the back of the net with 13 minutes left for the game's only goal. Quarter-finalists in 2022/23, Napoli were knocked out at this stage a year ago, losing both of their ties versus Premier League sides. The more worrying part now is that the Partenopei have lost back-to-back home games in the Champions League, a first for the Italians.
4 - Liverpool's recent success over Atletico Madrid continues as the Reds battled back from an early goal to win 2-1. The goals came five minutes before and five minutes after the interval as Andoni Iraola's men take a positive start to the league phase. Los Rojiblancos may have made the semi-finals last campaign, but it is a slow start this time around. With that said, they did begin last year's league phase with a loss to the same opponents. Liverpool have now won the last four head-to-heads between the two sides, all coming at the group phase.
Como start debut with impressive result
7 - Fenerbahce and AS Roma played to a 1-1 draw in Istanbul, one of only two matches in the round to end level. Both sides are back in the competition after a significant period away, especially in the Turkish club's case. Brian Cristante gave the visitors the lead, with Archie Brown responding minutes into the second half. Remarkably, all three of Roma's UCL games versus Turkish teams have ended 1-1. In contrast, it took Fener seven matches against Serie A opposition to produce a stalemate in the competition.
20 - Thursday's other early kickoff also ended 1-1, with PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk having to settle for a point in the Netherlands. The Pitmen, who played in the Conference League semi-finals back in May, took the lead on the stroke of half-time, only to find themselves level less than five minutes after the restart. The result leaves PSV 6-4-6 versus teams from Ukraine, but the goal they let in at the conclusion of the opening half was their 20th in such matches.
39 - After failing to score on the weekend, Bayern Munich appeared to be in trouble of going two games in a row without a goal. That was before Jamal Musiala struck two minutes into the second half at home to Bodo/Glimt. That opened the floodgates for the Bundesliga holders, who secured a 5-0 win. It was always going to be quite the ask on Bodo to leave the Allianz Arena with a point, but in the end, Bayern did what was expected of them. In the process, their unbeaten run at home in group stage/league phase games is now up to 39.
24 - After two years without UCL football, Manchester United announced their return to the big stage with a solid 4-0 result over Sabah Baku of Azerbaijan. Three first-half goals sent the Red Devils on their way, with a fourth added midway through the second period. Sabah did not register a single shot on target at Old Trafford in their debut in the Champions League proper. United are riding a seven-game winning streak in European home matches. During that stretch, they have scored 24 times.
21 - Como's maiden continental match was quite the success. Cesc Fabregas' side scored twice in either half as they completed a 4-1 win at the expense of RB Leipzig. Four different players found the back of the net for the Lariani to get them three points against a Leipzig club who were ousted at the league phase in their last appearance in 2024/25. Como became the fourth different Italian team to win their maiden Champions League group phase game, joining AC Milan, Juventus, and Udinese. The last time an Italian UCL debutant won their opening match was 21 years ago, when Udinese defeated Panathinaikos.
13 - Fans at the Fortuna Arena were left heartbroken after Slavia Praha were moments away from just a second-ever UCL group phase win. Despite playing most of the second half down a man, the hosts went ahead twice against RC Lens, including in the 88th minute. Yet, Les Sang et Or found a way through, as stoppage-time goals from Florian Thauvin and Ruben Aguilar gave them a vital 2-1 victory. Since Slavia's sole win in the 2006/07 competition, they have played a further 20 times at this stage, but have not won. In that time, they have now lost on 13 occasions.
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