Champions League returns! Running analysis of Matchday 1

The 2026-27 Champions League campaign is underway in earnest with the league phase. Our soccer writers share their observations and insights throughout Matchday 1, which runs until Thursday.

Real Madrid, Inter both flawed

Real Madrid and Inter Milan put on a brilliant show Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabeu to kick off their respective Champions League campaigns.

The contest may have ended 2-1 in favor of the hosts, but it just as easily could've finished 5-4 (or more). Both teams had several glorious scoring chances that they failed to convert, with goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois and Josep Martinez pulling off some miraculous saves; the latter made a horrible mistake for the eventual match-winning goal, but redeemed himself with at least three unreal stops later in the end-to-end match.

If you're a neutral, it was an exhilarating watch. If you're a fan of either team, though, it laid bare some issues with each squad.

Jose Mourinho's Madrid averaged just under 36% possession - their lowest total for a home match in the opening phase of the Champions League on record - and conceded 21 total shots. The balance of the team isn't quite right just yet after a summer of upheaval. It's understandable, but Mourinho needs to figure it out sooner rather than later.

The approach didn't hurt them Tuesday thanks to Courtois - and a pair of absolute gifts from the Inter backline - but against the true tournament heavyweights, relying almost exclusively on elite goalkeeping and the counterattacking excellence of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, and Jude Bellingham might not be enough.

Whether Mourinho is actually willing to play a more expansive style remains to be seen, however.

⚽️ Bet on the Champions League with theScore Bet here

As for Inter, Tuesday's encounter showed that there's still a gulf in top-end talent that separates the Nerazzurri from the top four or five Champions League favorites. This squad is the best and deepest in Serie A by a healthy margin, but that advantage evaporates in Europe.

Inter moved the ball very nicely and controlled possession, but were it not for Martinez in goal (even despite his error on Madrid's second goal) this game could've been a blowout.

Inter can create chances and score plenty of goals, but is this defense good enough to hang with the true contenders in the competition?

Champions League Haaland is special

There's something special about Erling Haaland in the Champions League.

The unstoppable striker once again was the difference-maker for Manchester City, scoring twice in a 2-0 away victory over Porto. He broke the deadlock for the Citizens in the 47th minute after a solid cross from deadline-day signing Enzo Fernandez, who picked up his first assist with his new club.

Haaland's brace should come as no surprise to soccer fans at this point. He's been scoring goals at an absurd rate for years, whether it's at the club level or for Norway on the international stage. But the 26-year-old seems to be on another planet when it comes to the Champions League - and his numbers prove that.

Haaland averages one goal per Champions League match. That's right, he's found the net 59 times in 59 games at the tournament, going back to his Red Bull Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund days. In the group/league phase alone, he's recorded 42 goals ... in 39 appearances. The Norwegian phenom's scoring count for City in the Champions League is now at 36, tied with Sergio Aguero for the most in team history. Haaland has played in 24 fewer games.

That's why we love this tournament

The first day of Matchday 1 in this year's league phase lived up to the hype.

All but one match (AEK Athens' 1-0 win over LASK) featured multiple goals, including three five-goal thrillers. There were no draws Tuesday.

Soccer fans also saw some of the world's biggest stars deliver. Erling Haaland scored twice for Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund striker Serhou Guirassy recorded a brace (and an own goal), and Kylian Mbappe found the net for Real Madrid (minutes before his brother Ethan picked up an assist and later a red card during Lille's loss to Real Betis - it was an eventful day for the Mbappes).

This is just the beginning of Matchday 1, which continues Wednesday with blockbuster clashes featuring Napoli versus Arsenal, Liverpool against Atletico Madrid, and more.

Awful start for Inter

Inter Milan couldn't have had a worse start to Tuesday's game.

First, the Nerazzurri were exposed and lost possession near their own box, resulting in an easy assist from Brahim Diaz to Kylian Mbappe in the 14th minute. But things went from bad to worse for Inter.

Goalkeeper Josep Martinez made a huge mistake with the ball at his feet in front of Fede Valverde, who doubled Real Madrid's lead in the 23rd minute without any issues.

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Mbappe climbs UCL scoring chart

As mentioned above, Real Madrid opened the scoring early against Inter Milan at the Bernabeu, with Mbappe finding the net in the 14th minute to capitalize on a costly giveaway by the Italian giants.

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Mbappe has now scored 71 goals in his Champions League career, tied for fifth on the all-time list with Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez. It's safe to say the France superstar will pass Raul in this year's tournament. However, he still isn't close to the No. 4 spot that currently belongs to former Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema (90 goals).

Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals), Lionel Messi (129), and Robert Lewandowski (109) are the only men to score 100-plus goals in Champions League history.

Super John McGinn

It's time to sing the John McGinn song.

Aston Villa's captain delivered the opening goal of the league phase in this season's Champions League, bending home a first-time effort against Club Brugge from the corner of the penalty area in the 11th minute of play.

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McGinn is now Aston Villa's all-time top scorer in major European competitions. His 12th such goal surpassed Ollie Watkins' mark of 11.

Who's winning it all?

The UEFA Champions League officially returns Tuesday with the beginning of a league phase featuring heavyweight clashes from start to finish.

Matchday 1 alone will see several of Europe's top sides locking horns.

• Real Madrid vs. Inter (Tuesday)
• Napoli vs. Arsenal (Wednesday)
• Liverpool vs. Atletico (Wednesday)

The main question, of course, is who's taking home Ol' Big Ears.

Can Paris Saint-Germain complete a historic three-peat? Will 15-time winners Real Madrid, now under Jose Mourinho's watch, reign supreme as Kings of Europe again? Is this finally Arsenal's year? Will Vincent Kompany lead Bayern Munich to glory?

Our soccer writers offered their predictions for this season's European champion, the tournament's biggest surprises, and much more. Spoiler: We aren't as high on PSG this year.

👉 Check out our full staff picks here

Tournament odds

Two-time reigning champions PSG are the favorites to hoist the trophy once again despite some key offseason squad changes and a sloppy start to their Ligue 1 campaign, which has begun with three winless matches.

Arsenal, last season's beaten finalists who are looking to win the Champions League for the first time in club history, are considered the nearest challengers alongside Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

Key dates to know

This season's Champions League is the 72nd edition of Europe's elite club competition. The league phase, which features 36 teams, concludes Jan. 27, when all 18 matches will be played at the same time.

Matchday 1: Sept. 8-10
Matchday 2: Oct. 13-14
Matchday 3: Oct. 20-21
Matchday 4: Nov. 3-4
Matchday 5: Nov. 24-25
Matchday 6: Dec. 8-9
Matchday 7: Jan. 19-20
Matchday 8: Jan. 27

After the final round of league-phase matches, the top eight teams in the table automatically advance to the round of 16. The clubs that finish ninth through 24th head to the knockout playoff round, where they're paired off to play two-legged ties to determine who else advances to the last 16.

👉 Full schedule for every team

The teams that finish 25th or lower in the league phase are eliminated from the competition and, unlike under the old tournament format, don't get parachuted into the Europa League.

KO playoffs: Feb. 16-17 and Feb. 23-24
Round of 16: March 9-10 and March 16-17
Quarterfinals: April 6-7 and April 13-14
Semifinals: April 27-28 and May 4-5
Final: June 5

This season's Champions League final will take place at the Metropolitano in Madrid, Spain.

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