UCL Opening Week recap | The UEFA Champions League is up and running for the season as games were played across three days between Tuesday and Thursday this week.
We take a look at 10 interesting highlights of the competition during the week.
10 Interesting Highlights From 2025-26 UCL Opening Week
1. Arsenal win first away game since 2013
Arsenal’s trip to Spain, where a win over Athletic Club saw them become the first club to achieve six consecutive victories against Spanish opposition, was also their first time winning their opening away fixture of a Champions League campaign since 2013.
Exactly 12 years since second-half goals from Aaron Ramsey and Theo Walcott earned Arsène Wenger’s charges a 2-1 win over Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome in France, the North Londoners had been winless in their opening away travels in every Champions League campaign they’ve taken part in.
Wenger followed up his next three campaigns with losses at Dortmund and Dinamo Zagreb, before a draw at Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.
After bringing the club back to the competition, the poor run haunted Mikel Arteta in his first two seasons, first losing at Lens before needing a David Raya penalty save to earn a goalless draw against Atalanta in Bergamo.
But in San Mamés, goals from substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard helped break the jinx, finally giving them their first opening away win in the Champions League in 12 years.
2. Barcelona left the English business to Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford took care of business for Barcelona on his return to England, as his brace helped Hansi Flick’s charges to a 2-1 win over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.
The Mancunian, who had not scored in the competition in almost four years since his strike for Manchester United against Atalanta in October 2021, was looking to score his first Barcelona goal after being handed his second consecutive start.
He had registered his first goal involvement with an assist in the last game and was heavily involved in the first half but lacked the killer touch.
However, he produced a couple of world-class moments around the hour mark, first scoring a brilliant header off a Jules Kounde cross in the 58th minute, then unleashing a missile of a strike that came off the upright and into the net nine minutes later to put the visitors 2-0 up.
Before his withdrawal eight minutes from time, the Manchester United loanee completed five dribbles, won six possessions, attempted six shots, and registered 10 touches in the opposition box, leading in all these stats among Barcelona players — the first to do so in a Champions League match for the club since Lionel Messi in 2015.
Newcastle United pulled one back through Anthony Gordon after Rashford’s departure, but the 27-year-old had already done the damage as it finished 2-1 on Tyneside.
3. Kairat Almaty make Champions League debut
Kazakhstani champions Kairat Almaty became the 158th different club to appear in the Champions League since its rebranding in 1992, following their debut against Sporting in Lisbon on Thursday.
The debutants beat Scottish champions Celtic in the final qualification round to become the first Kazakhstani club to reach the group phase of the competition since Astana in 2015.
Although the match ended in defeat, the appearance alone was a milestone for Rafael Urazbakhtin’s side, made evident after Edmilson Filho grabbed a late consolation in the 4-1 loss.
4. Union St. Gilloise beat PSV on Champions League debut
Making their first-ever appearance in the competition proper, Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise made a statement in Eindhoven with a 3-1 victory.
Canadian striker Promise David converted a ninth-minute penalty to become the first player to score in the Champions League this season—also USG’s first goal in the competition.
Anouar Ait El Hadj added a second six minutes before halftime, while Argentine centre-back Kevin Mac Allister put the result beyond doubt by heading home a corner nine minutes from time.
Ruben van Bommel grabbed a late consolation for PSV as it finished 3-1, with Union Saint-Gilloise ending the opening day of their debut top of the group.
5. Qarabag make Champions League history in Lisbon
On Tuesday, Qarabag came from 2-0 down to beat Benfica 3-2 in Lisbon, becoming the first-ever Azerbaijani club to win a Champions League group stage match.
The visitors conceded to Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis but stayed alive in the game. They pulled one back through Leandro Andrade on the half-hour mark, making history as the first Cape Verdean to score in the Champions League.
Colombian striker Camilo Duran, who assisted the first goal, restored parity three minutes after the restart, converting a pass from Marko Jankovic.
The winning goal came four minutes from time through substitute Oleksii Kashchuk. After the final whistle at the Estádio da Luz, Qarabag had secured a historic victory, while Benfica parted ways with Bruno Lage.
6. Igor Tudor and Niko Kovac repeat a 25-year-old UCL classic
Juventus and Borussia Dortmund produced an eight-goal thriller in their Champions League opener, reliving a 25-year-old classic where their managers were once players and scorers.
Back in September 2000, Juventus and Hamburg played out a 4-4 draw in the group stage, with Filippo Inzaghi taking headlines with a hat-trick. Igor Tudor opened the scoring, while Niko Kovac netted Hamburg’s final goal.
In Turin, it was just as dramatic. Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring seven minutes after the restart, before Kenan Yildiz equalized. Felix Nmecha restored the visitors’ lead in the 65th minute, only for Dusan Vlahovic to respond with another equalizer two minutes later.
Goals from Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini’s penalty gave Dortmund a cushion, but Juventus struck twice in stoppage time through Vlahovic and Lloyd Kelly to seal a 4-4 draw at the Allianz Stadium.
Igor Tudor and Nico Kovac with the game of the week.
7. Liverpool leave it late again as Llorente stars at Anfield
For the fifth time this season, Liverpool won thanks to a late goal as Virgil van Dijk headed home Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner to edge Atlético Madrid at Anfield.
Liverpool had taken a 2-0 lead inside six minutes through Andrew Robertson and Mohamed Salah, the latter netting his 44th Champions League goal for the club — the most by any player.
Atlético hit back through Marcos Llorente, who struck just before halftime and later scored a sensational volley in the 81st minute to level, taking his UCL tally to seven, four of them at Anfield.
But Liverpool again had the final say, scoring late to extend their perfect start with five wins in five games this season.
8. Kylian Mbappé reaches 50 Real Madrid goals
Kylian Mbappé scored twice to help Real Madrid overturn Marseille 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, reaching 50 goals for the club in the process.
After Tim Weah gave the visitors the lead, Mbappé struck twice past Gerónimo Rulli to complete the comeback.
In 64 games, Mbappé has 50 goals and six assists for Los Blancos. He is joint top scorer in the Champions League this season and continues to dominate in La Liga, where he already has a Pichichi title to his name.
9. Di Lorenzo’s red denied De Bruyne on Etihad return
Kevin De Bruyne’s return to the Etihad was cut short after just 30 minutes when Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo was sent off with a straight red.
The Belgian, back in Manchester with Napoli, had his highlight limited to reuniting with old faces as City went on to win 2-0 with goals from Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku.
10. Debutants impress in Round 1
Four teams made their Champions League debuts this week and all impressed, even Kairat Almaty despite losing away in Lisbon.Union Saint-Gilloise kicked off with a 3-1 win in Eindhoven, followed by Bodo/Glimt and Pafos FC on Wednesday.
Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt fought back from two goals down to earn a point against Slavia Prague, while Cyprus’ Pafos FC held Olympiakos to a goalless draw in Piraeus despite playing with 10 men for three-quarters of the match.
On Thursday, Kairat Almaty lost 4-1 at Sporting but still marked their debut with their first-ever goal in the competition.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
