Aston Villa kicked off their Champions League journey with a hard-fought 3-2 away victory over Club Brugge, propelled by two assists from Pau Torres. Meanwhile, AEK Athens also secured a winning start, defeating Austrian side LASK 1-0 thanks to a stunning free-kick from Razvan Marin.
Brugge had a runaway 15-point lead with one match left in the regular season and will take up an automatic spot in next season's Champions League group phase.
On a dramatic Tuesday in the Champions League, Club Brugge secured a stunning 4-3 victory over Inter Milan, highlighted by Nicolo Tresoldi's hat-trick. Elsewhere, Bayern Munich was held to a 3-3 draw by Viking Stavanger after a late equaliser, while Barcelona recovered from a deficit to defeat Galatasaray 4-1. Atletico Madrid also overcame Manchester United 2-0, and Arsenal secured a 3-0 win against Lille, marking a night of significant results for Europe's top clubs.
Real Madrid, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Aston Villa, and AEK Athens all secured victories in their opening Champions League matches.
A round-up of Wednesday's action in the UEFA Champions League.
The new Champions League season kicked off with star performances from Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, securing wins for Real Madrid and Manchester City, respectively. Jose Mourinho's Madrid overcame Inter Milan, while City defeated Porto. Other matches saw Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Aston Villa, and AEK Athens also claim victories.
Declan Rice scored a late equaliser for Arsenal in a 2-2 Champions League draw against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. Elsewhere, Real Madrid secured a dominant 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig, largely due to Thibaut Courtois's saves. Manchester United suffered a bruising 4-1 defeat to Como, with Nico Paz starring for the Italian side. Other European matches saw Galatasaray, Inter Milan, Aston Villa, Real Betis, and LASK secure wins.
Mikel Arteta is relishing his first Premier League meeting with close friend Xabi Alonso, calling it an incredible opportunity as Arsenal host Chelsea in a clash between unbeaten sides.
Arsenal commenced their Premier League title defence with a commanding 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Coventry City. Goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka, and Martin Odegaard secured the win, showcasing Arsenal's intent for the season.
Barcelona continued their formidable LaLiga campaign with a commanding triumph over Real Betis with Lamine Yamal delivering another standout performance.
Neymar missed Brazil's first two games of the FIFA 2026 World Cup and his likely to play against Scotland on Thursday.
Dramatic night in the Champions League playoffs as goals, shocks and dominant performances decided the final places in the last 16.
Erling Haaland is the tenth player to reach the landmark of 50 goals in the UEFA Champions League and fastest to do so, beating the 62-match record of Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Bodo/Glimt secured an upset 3-1 victory over Serie A leaders Inter Milan in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Wednesday.
The official 26-man squads for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Norwegian debutants Bodo/Glimt shocked Atletico Madrid 2-1 away in the Champions League, staging a comeback to secure a historic place in the knockout stage.
Manchester City's Erling Haaland came back to haunt Borussia Dortmund with a clinical finish against his former team, while Phil Foden bagged a brilliant brace as the hosts cruised to a 4-1 win in the Champions League on Wednesday to climb to fourth.
Paris St Germain played out their first goalless draw of the season at Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday but stayed in the driving seat for direct qualification for the Champions League last-16 after a string of fine saves by home goalkeeper Unai Simon denied the defending champions.
On a goals-filled night in the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Marseille score resounding victories.
Sunderland extended their strong return to the Premier League on Saturday when they dealt Chelsea a 2-1 home defeat with substitute Chemsdine Talbi curling in a winner deep into stoppage time.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.
Mouth-watering matches lined up as PSG to face Bayern and Barcelona in Champions League opening stage.
Real Madrid will play local rivals Atletico Madrid while Bayern Munich were drawn against Bundesliga title challengers Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
Beyond the handball incident, the Belgian champions were the better side on the night. Villa's World Cup-winning keeper Martinez was pressed into action early by Brugge, who had seven shots on target to the Premier League club's one, and made several key saves to keep his team in the game.
Dinamo Zagreb and Celtic played out a lifeless 0-0 draw in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Celtic keeper Kasper Schmeichel producing the match's memorable moment with a late save.
The Champions League play-offs are set to deliver high-octane drama as Manchester City prepare to battle European heavyweights Real Madrid, while Celtic brace for a daunting clash against Bayern Munich, with last-16 spots on the line.
A summary of Tuesday's action in the UEFA Champions League Knock-out Phase play-offs.
IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
A round-up of the UEFA Champions League last-16 first leg matches played on Tuesday.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Inter Milan escaped Etihad Stadium with a surprise 0-0 draw against Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Bayern Munich made it 16 wins from 16 games this season to underline their credentials as early Champions League favourites, beating holders Paris St Germain 2-1 away as Luis Diaz scored two goals and was shown a red card on Tuesday.
Liverpool shrugged off the absence of Mohamed Salah as midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai scored an 88th-minute penalty to give them a 1-0 Champions League win at Inter Milan.
A summary of Wednesday's Champions League Round of 16, Second Leg, matches.
Barcelona's Raphinha scored deep into stoppage time to hand his side a dramatic 5-4 comeback win at Benfica and a place in the Champions League last 16.
Lewis-Skelly gets England call-up; Recalls Rashford, Henderson return.
Chelsea reached the Champions League quarter-finals as a first-half goal from Raheem Sterling and a controversial penalty by Kai Havertz overturned a first-leg deficit.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Sunday
Borussia Dortmund snatched a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday
Holders FC Barcelona have been placed in Group E, along with Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma, Dinamo Zagreb.
