The Champions League is back, and it took just one night for records to tumble, history to be made and a famous footballing family to experience wildly different fortunes.
Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland continued their relentless climbs through the record books, while two clubs ended decades-long waits for European glory and Ethan Mbappe endured a dramatic Champions League debut to forget.
Here’s all the latest news and updates from the opening night in our Champions League Wrap.
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MBAPPE CLIMBS UCL HISTORY
Real Madrid opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan, handing Jose Mourinho his first European win since returning for a second spell in charge at the Spanish giants.
Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde struck in the opening 23 minutes before Carlos Augusto pulled one back for Inter late.
Mbappe’s opener also saw the French superstar move further into Champions League history, drawing level with Real Madrid legend Raul as the competition’s joint-fifth highest goalscorer with 71 goals. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (141), Lionel Messi (129), Robert Lewandowski (109) and Karim Benzema (90) sit above him.
Mourinho’s side bounced back from their first defeat of the season against Real Betis in La Liga on Friday, although Inter had their chances to punish the Spanish giants as Thibaut Courtois was forced into several important saves.
“It was a crazy game,” Mourinho told Movistar.
“A game that finished 2-1 could have finished 7-6 without any problems.”
Mourinho admitted neither side was able to take control of the contest, adding: “Courtois made a lot of saves, but how many chances did we not take? … It was a great game.”
HAALAND MAKES CITY HISTORY
Erling Haaland continued his extraordinary Champions League record as Manchester City opened their European campaign with a 2-0 win away to Porto, with the Norwegian scoring both goals at the Estádio do Dragão.
Haaland’s brace took him to 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances, while his first of the night was his 36th in the competition for City, drawing him level with Sergio Aguero for the most in the club’s history.
City’s record signing Enzo Fernandez also made an immediate European impact for his new club, supplying the cross for Haaland’s opener to register his first assist for City.
“We have all the pressure, we have to deliver on the biggest stage, and that’s what we did today,” Haaland told Amazon Prime.
“These are the games you have to win and we’ve got a great start to the season.”
After a record £460 million (A$864m) spending spree, Enzo Maresca has made an impressive start to the daunting task of succeeding Pep Guardiola, with City making the perfect start to their latest Champions League campaign.
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ANOTHER STAR DORTMUND SIGNING GOES DOWN
Borussia Dortmund survived a dramatic finish to begin their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 victory over Villarreal, but the result was overshadowed by a worrying incident involving teenage star Konstantinos Karetsas.
The 18-year-old went down without contact during the first half and was stretchered from the field before being taken to hospital with what Dortmund described as “circulation problems”.
It continues a brutal start to the season for Dortmund’s highly-rated Greek recruits, with Giannis Konstantelias already ruled out long-term after suffering an ACL injury in the opening Bundesliga game.
Dortmund moved quickly to provide an update on Karetsas after he was taken from the stadium.
“Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the pitch in the game against Villarreal due to circulation problems,” the club said.
“Kosta is doing as well as can be expected given the circumstances, and he is on his way to the hospital for further examinations.”
On the pitch, a Renato Veiga own goal opened the scoring before Santiago Mouriño equalised, but Serhou Guirassy struck twice in five minutes to put Dortmund in control.
Guirassy then bizarrely scored an own goal in stoppage time as Villarreal threatened a late comeback, but Dortmund held on for all three points.
MBAPPE SEES RED IN BETIS THRILLER
Troy Parrott was the hero again as Real Betis marked their return to the Champions League with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Lille.
The Irishman struck the decisive goal in the second half, just four days after scoring the winner against Real Madrid in La Liga.
Betis twice came from behind, with Marc Bartra scoring a brace before Parrott completed the turnaround.
The victory was a historic one for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, securing their first Champions League win in 21 years.
It was a mixed night for Kylian Mbappe’s younger brother Ethan, who produced an assist on his first Champions League start before being sent off for an elbow in the second half, the first red card of his senior career.
Villa make winning start in Europe | 00:33
VILLA FINALLY FIRE
Aston Villa put their winless Premier League start behind them to claim their first victory of the season, holding on for an entertaining 3-2 Champions League win away to Club Brugge.
Unai Emery’s side had failed to score across their opening three league matches but exploded into life with three first-half goals in Belgium.
Defender Pau Torres emerged as an unlikely creative force with two assists, first teeing up John McGinn for the opener before launching the pass that sent Nicolas Jackson through for his first Villa goal.
Emiliano Buendia was also on target as Villa established a 3-1 half-time advantage, before Brugge pulled one back and threatened a late comeback.
Tresoldi hit the post and forced a save from Zion Suzuki during a frantic finish, but Villa survived to secure a much-needed first win of the campaign.
“We took one step forward today and it was very, very important for our confidence and stability,” Emery said.
“When we were 2-0 ahead the confidence was very good, but Brugge scored and we could feel a little bit less confidence than we had in the first half.
“But we finished well, controlling the game like we planned.”
AEK END 20-YEAR DROUGHT
AEK Athens celebrated a historic return to the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over competition debutants LASK, securing their first win in the tournament since 2006.
Romanian midfielder Razvan Marin produced the decisive moment, curling a brilliant free-kick into the top corner in the 21st minute.
AEK had opportunities to extend their advantage, including a Luka Jovic effort ruled out for offside, but Marin’s strike proved enough to secure all three points.