The first gameweek of the Champions League concludes with Barcelona defeating Newcastle thanks to Marcus Rashford’s double. Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Napoli, while Club Brugge and Sporting both secured comprehensive 4-1 wins against their visitors. Meanwhile, Leverkusen and Copenhagen settled for a draw.

Barcelona opened their 2025-26 Champions League campaign with an incredible performance, highlighted by loanee Marcus Rashford’s brilliance. The first half ended goalless, but after the break, Rashford struck first for the visitors, finishing expertly from the center of the 18-yard box following a precise pass from Jules Kounde.

The English international then doubled Barcelona’s advantage with a stunning long-range strike from Newcastle’s 18-yard area. In the final minute, Eddie Howe’s side pulled a consolation goal back through Anthony Gordon, who finished brilliantly after a great assist from Murphy.

Erling Haaland registered 50 goals in just 49 games as Manchester City defeated reigning Italian champions Napoli, aided by an own goal from Jeremy Doku. The match also featured a brief reunion for Kevin De Bruyne, who returned to the Etihad but was forced off after a heavy challenge by Di Lorenzo on Haaland.

Following a VAR review, Napoli were reduced to ten men, dealing a significant blow to Antonio Conte’s side. After the interval, Haaland broke the deadlock with a composed finish from a chipped pass by Phil Foden, becoming the fastest player to reach 50 Champions League goals. City doubled their lead when Reijnders delivered a well-timed pass to Doku, who inadvertently scored an own goal from outside the box.

Galatasaray suffered a heavy 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt without the Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen, as the team struggled throughout the match. Although Galatasaray took an early lead through Yunus, costly mistakes led to two own goals by Sanchez, turning the game in Frankfurt’s favour. Goals from Uzun, Burkardt, and Knauff completed the dominant win for the hosts.

In Belgium, Club Brugge enjoyed a wonderful UCL night, defeating French side Monaco 4-1 in their Champions League opener. Brugge controlled the match from the start, taking an early lead through debutant Tresoldi and extending it with goals from Nigerian midfielder Rapheal Onyedika, increasing the lead and a goal from Vanaken before halftime. Substitute Mamadou Diakhon added a late fourth to seal the commanding victory.

Monaco struggled to make an impact, and Ansu Fati scored a consolation goal, the first for the club.

Sporting CP delivered a much-needed Champions League victory by defeating visitors Kairat Almaty, thanks to a double from Trincao and goals from promising young talents Alisson Santos and Geovany Quenda. Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen and FC Copenhagen shared points in a dramatic 2-2 draw.