The star of the night in Milan was Germany Under-21 international Nicolò Tresoldi, whose hat-trick inspired Brugge to a remarkable victory. Inter remain without a point after two matches, while Arsenal, FC Barcelona and Sporting CP were among the teams celebrating important wins.
Tresoldi hat-trick fires Brugge to stunning win at Inter
Club Brugge inflicted a second successive Champions League defeat on Inter with a sensational 4-3 victory at San Siro. The hero was 22-year-old Nicolò Tresoldi, whose hat-trick helped secure one of the Belgian club’s most memorable European results in recent years.
Inter started on the front foot but quickly exposed weaknesses in their defensive organisation when committing players forward. After losing possession following one of their own corners, the hosts were caught on the counter-attack as Carlos Forbs surged forward and was fouled inside the penalty area by Hakan Çalhanoğlu. Tresoldi converted the resulting penalty in the 30th minute.
Lautaro Martínez equalised shortly before half-time following an excellent move involving Marcus Thuram and Federico Dimarco. After the restart, Inter squandered several promising opportunities, including a clear chance for Lautaro that was denied by Brugge goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
Another setback followed in the 63rd minute. Inter goalkeeper Josep Martínez rushed off his line but was beaten by Forbs, allowing Tresoldi to finish into an empty net. Eleven minutes later, the German-Italian striker completed his hat-trick.
Lautaro pulled one back in the 81st minute to make it 3-2, but Romeo Vermant restored Brugge’s two-goal advantage with another clinical counter-attack. Ange-Yoan Bonny’s late strike reduced the deficit to 4-3, but Inter could not find an equaliser.
Brugge expose Inter’s defensive frailties
Much of the Italian media’s criticism focused on Josep Martínez, but Inter’s problems went far beyond their goalkeeper’s costly mistake. The hosts repeatedly left enormous spaces behind their attacking players, which Brugge exploited with pace and precision.
Forbs was particularly dangerous with his acceleration and direct running. The Belgian side remained brave in possession, even under pressure, and repeatedly found ways to play through Inter’s poorly coordinated press.
Inter head coach Cristian Chivu acknowledged afterwards that his team had become increasingly frustrated after missing important chances. The gaps between the lines grew too large, allowing Brugge to launch dangerous counter-attacks.
The result leaves Inter in a difficult position. Following their opening 2-1 defeat at Real Madrid, the Nerazzurri have now lost both of their Champions League league-phase fixtures and remain without a point.
Atlético pile more misery on Manchester United
Manchester United’s difficult run continued in the Spanish capital as Michael Carrick’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid, extending their winless streak to five competitive matches.
United fell behind after just 53 seconds. A quick attacking move saw Álex Baena set up Pablo Barrios, whose finish gave the hosts an almost immediate advantage.
The visitors responded with some encouraging attacking play and created opportunities through Bryan Mbeumo and Bruno Fernandes, but struggled to turn their possession and promising moves into goals.
Their task became considerably harder in the 74th minute when Leny Yoro was sent off following a challenge on Jonathan David. After a VAR review, the defender was dismissed for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity, although the decision was controversial given how far from goal the incident occurred.
Atlético exploited their numerical advantage, with Ademola Lookman sealing the victory in the closing stages.
United’s problems extended beyond the final whistle. Lisandro Martínez publicly criticised the club’s recruitment strategy and called for greater investment in the squad, singling out technical director Jason Wilcox.
Despite a successful previous campaign, pressure is now mounting on Carrick and his players. United have three points from their opening two Champions League matches and sit just 13th in the Premier League.
Barcelona fight back as Arsenal cruise past Lille
FC Barcelona secured an impressive 4-1 away victory against Galatasaray in Istanbul. After conceding an early goal, the Catalans responded emphatically, turning the match around through goals from João Cancelo, Fermín López, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.
Lamine Yamal was particularly influential, displaying his exceptional creativity and providing two assists. Barcelona have now taken maximum points from their opening two matches.
Arsenal also maintained their perfect record with a convincing 3-0 home win over Lille. Mikel Arteta’s side struggled to break down the French visitors initially but struck three times in just seven second-half minutes.
Jurriën Timber opened the scoring before Eberechi Eze and substitute Bukayo Saka completed the victory. Arsenal’s strength in depth proved decisive, with Arteta’s changes making an immediate impact.
Villarreal come from behind, Leipzig claim first win
Villarreal recovered from a deficit to beat Napoli 3-1. Georges Mikautadze and Santiago Mouriño turned the match around before half-time, with Tani Oluwaseyi putting the result beyond doubt in the closing stages.
RB Leipzig secured their first points of the league phase with a 1-0 victory over PSV Eindhoven, bouncing back from their heavy opening defeat against Como. Brajan Gruda scored the only goal.
Sporting CP also enjoyed a successful evening, winning 2-0 away to Lens to maintain their perfect record alongside Arsenal and Barcelona.
A historic result came in Azerbaijan, where Champions League newcomers Sabah FK claimed their first league-phase victory by beating Slavia Prague 2-0. Kaheem Parris opened the scoring following a rapid counter-attack before Joy-Lance Mickels sealed the win with a highly unusual late goal.
Bayern Munich were also involved in a major surprise, drawing 3-3 away to Viking Stavanger after the Norwegian side equalised deep into stoppage time following Michael Olise’s dismissal – read our separate match report for the full story.
