The second matchday of the UEFA Champions League seldom disappointed, as there were several dramatic matches across Tuesday and Wednesday. Here is a stat from all 18 games.
Atalanta pull off comeback, Liverpool stunned
13 - Atalanta completed an impressive comeback in one of Tuesday's early kickoffs. Two goals in 13 minutes later on helped them get past Club Brugge 2-1 at home. The number 13 has several significant points here: this is the Bergamaschi's 13th win in the Champions League. For Club, who had knocked out their opponent last season in the knockout round playoffs, they have lost to an Italian team for the 13th time across 27 matches (7-7-13).
6 - It was goals galore for Real Madrid, who were inspired by a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick in a 5-0 defeat of Kairat. It was the first time Real scored five times in a UCL away game since 2022/23 at the round of 16. As expected, Kairat fell to defeat in what was their maiden match versus Spanish opposition. However, it was also the sixth time they failed to score in a Champions League outing, qualifiers included, and the fifth time this term.
19 - Atletico Madrid ran rampant, scoring five times at home for the second time in a matter of days. This time, Eintracht Frankfurt were the victims, suffering a 5-1 beating in the Spanish capital. The irony for Die Adler is that they prevailed by the same scoreline on matchday 1. For Atleti, they continue their domination of German opponents, with Tuesday night's success being their 19th win against Bundesliga clubs.
1 - The repeat of last season's Europa League semi-final ends honours even, as Bodo/Glimt failed to hold a two-goal lead against Tottenham. In the end, the North Londoners managed a 2-2 draw in the Arctic Circle. It was a reverse of the first round for the Norwegians, who had to do the chasing. Still, it was the first time Bodo avoided defeat versus a Premier League club. In a similar vein, Spurs have been held by Norwegian opposition for the first time.
15 - In what was one of the biggest matches of the round, Chelsea edged Benfica 1-0 at home in Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge. The Blues were able to recover from their defeat two weeks prior, while the Portuguese giants have yet to claim a point. Chelsea have been automatic at home in the group phase, with their victory making it 15 without defeat at this stage of a UEFA club competition.
29 - Galatasaray added more pain to Liverpool, with the defending Turkish champions prevailing 1-0 at home. Victor Osimhen's penalty 16 minutes in gave them a key win early on. The Reds are now on consecutive losses across all competitions for the first time since March. Scoring during the group phase has been an automatic thing for Liverpool. Failing to do so in Istanbul ended a 29-game streak of scoring in European group matches.
9 - Inter Milan are once again proving difficult to break down at the back. The Nerazzurri cruised to a 3-0 success over Slavia Praha at San Siro to go two wins in as many matches. They now have nine clean sheets in their 10 UCL league phase outings. However, things are much worse for Slavia - going back to last term, the Czech club are now nine without a win (0-4-5) in Europe since beating Ludogorets a year ago in the Europa League.
4 - Olympique Marseille also won comfortably in front of their fans. The Ligue 1 outfit topped Ajax 4-0 in dominant fashion to bounce back from their defeat last time out. Remarkably, it is their third consecutive European season for OM that they have scored four times in a match. They now own the head-to-head with the Dutch giants, with their win being the fourth across nine games (Ajax have three, along with two draws).
36 - To the surprise of absolutely no one, Bayern Munich had little issues with Cypriot debutants Paphos. The six-time UCL champions came away 5-1 winners on the road to get to six points. Just as they did in the UEFA Conference League last term, Paphos lost to a German club. The Bavarians have won all seven matches versus sides from Cyprus. They have scored a total of 36 goals across those games, conceding just thrice.
Late goals provides drama aplenty
7 - It was a famous night for Azeri champions Qarabag, who followed up their shocking matchday 1 success with a 2-0 defeat of FC Kobenhavn in Azerbaijan's capital. After failing to win any of their previous games in the UCL proper, they are now up to six points from two ties. FCK's unbeaten start to the European campaign is over, having gone unbeaten across seven matches - six of which came in qualifying.
21 - Newcastle inflicted Union Saint-Gilloise's heaviest ever European defeat as a pair of Anthony Gordon penalties propelled the Magpies to a 4-0 success in the Belgian capital. This is despite the debutants outshooting their opponents 17 to 13 throughout the contest. While USG will be looking to bounce back, Newcastle can enjoy their largest continental success in 21 years, when they topped Olympiakos by the same score in the 2004/05 UEFA Cup round of 16.
17 - Napoli kept their perfect Champions League record versus Portuguese teams intact after they earned a 2-1 victory against Sporting CP. It was a close contest between the Italian and Portuguese champions, but the former were the ones to come out on top. Sporting's poor record versus Italian opposition continues, as the result at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona was their 17th reverse versus Serie A opposition.
2 - Arsenal have now taken the lead in the all-time head-to-head against Olympiakos Piraeus, with the Gunners prevailing 2-0 at the Emirates. In what was the sides' first meeting since 2021, last season's semi-finalists got a goal in each half to top their Greek opponents at home for the first time since 2012/13. It is the second season in a row that Mikel Arteta's men have kept two clean sheets to open their UCL campaign, with Inter being the only other club to do so at this point.
3 - Paris Saint-Germain once again find a way to beat Barcelona on their travels. Despite nursing several injuries, the defending champions posted a huge 2-1 victory at the expense of the Primera Division holders. Goncalo Ramos scored the winner in the 90th minute to complete PSG's comeback. Barca, who continue their scoring streak in UCL home games, have now lost their last three games against the French giants in Catalonia, even if they are still away from the Camp Nou.
8 - Bayer Leverkusen could not hold onto their lead at home to PSV Eindhoven, with the game ending 1-1. The goals came seven minutes apart as Die Werkself drew for the second time on the spin, while the Dutch champions got off the mark. Perhaps the one thing Leverkusen can take comfort in is the fact that they remain undefeated versus Eredivisie clubs in what was their eighth match (4-4-0).
14 - Four different players found the back of the net for Borussia Dortmund in what was an impressive 4-1 defeat of Athletic Bilbao. They scored four times in both of their UCL matches so far, making them the joint-most scorers after two games. The Spaniards' struggles in the Champions League continue as well, falling to another reverse. Dortmund picked up their 14th win over teams from La Liga, the same as they have versus English opposition.
5 - Despite an Erling Haaland brace, Manchester City were pegged back late on at the Principality, as AS Monaco twice came from a goal down to earn a share of the spoils in a 2-2 stalemate. Les Monegasques will be the more relieved one, given the pressure they were under for much of the 90 minutes. It is now five European away matches without a win for City (0-1-4), conceding at least twice in each contest.
72 - There was plenty of late drama on Wednesday, and Villarreal's 2-2 draw with Juventus was another example. Renato Veiga gave his side a point in the last minute of normal time as the Italians suffered a reversal of fortune. Neither team have a win in the UCL so far this term, but for The Yellow Submarine, that was their first point. There was a whopping 72 minutes in the match between Villarreal's two goals, excluding first half stoppage time.