Mbappé Opens Madrid’s Champions League Account
Kylian Mbappé scored his first goal of the 2026-27 Champions League on Tuesday and Real Madrid held Inter Milan 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, giving José Mourinho three points on the opening night of the 36-team league phase.
Mbappé finished in the 14th minute after Brahim Díaz seized on a loose Inter exchange involving Curtis Jones and Yann Bisseck. Federico Valverde made it 2-0 nine minutes later, stripping Josep Martínez as the goalkeeper tried to play out. Carlos Augusto pulled one back in the 77th minute. Madrid did not add a third; Martínez made several saves in front of 74,858. The goal was Mbappé’s 71st in the competition, level with Raúl for fifth on the all-time list, and his fifth of the season in all competitions. Mourinho was facing a former club and saw his side fail to put the tie away.
Six games opened the campaign. John McGinn scored the first goal of the whole edition in the 11th minute as Aston Villa beat Club Brugge 3-2. McGinn, Emi Buendía and Nicolas Jackson scored for Villa; Hugo Vetlesen and a Nicolò Tresoldi penalty answered for Brugge. The win ended Villa’s blank start in the Premier League.
Erling Haaland scored both goals in Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Porto, heading Enzo Fernández’s cross just after half-time and adding a second in stoppage time. That took him to 59 Champions League goals in 59 games and seventh on the all-time list. Diogo Costa had denied him earlier.
Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis both won 3-2. Serhou Guirassy scored twice late, once from the spot, after a Renato Veiga own goal; Villarreal replied through Santiago Mouriño and a late Guirassy own goal. At Lille, Marc Bartra scored twice and Troy Parrott added the winner after Ayase Ueda and Alexsandro had put the hosts in front. Ethan Mbappé was sent off in the 56th minute. AEK Athens beat debutants LASK 1-0 with a first-half free-kick from Răzvan Marin, AEK’s first win in the competition proper in 20 years.
Wednesday and Thursday bring Barcelona–Feyenoord, Liverpool–Atlético Madrid, Napoli-Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain-Slovan Bratislava. The league phase runs into late January, with the top eight going straight into the last 16.
