Only one of the nine matches featured fewer than three goals, as Borussia Dortmund suffered a surprise 1-0 defeat at Bodø/Glimt. Elsewhere, attacking football, dramatic shifts in momentum and some glaring defensive shortcomings defined the second round of the league phase. PSG, in particular, strengthened their credentials as contenders for another European crown.
PSG overwhelm Manchester City in a stunning first half
The eagerly anticipated clash between Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain lived up to its billing. The French champions secured a 4-2 away victory, built largely on an outstanding first-half performance.
Désiré Doué opened the scoring in the 13th minute, before Ousmane Dembélé doubled PSG’s advantage with a header just two minutes later. Both goals came from combinations involving Doué and Dembélé that City’s defence struggled to contain. Vitinha added a third shortly after the half-hour mark with a first-time strike from the edge of the penalty area.
Particularly impressive was the tactical flexibility of Luis Enrique’s side. Right-back Achraf Hakimi repeatedly pushed into advanced positions, with the midfield intelligently covering the spaces he left behind. Vitinha dictated the tempo, demonstrating his technical quality and exceptional awareness of when to accelerate or slow down the game.
City manager Enzo Maresca responded with several half-time substitutions and reshaped his team. The hosts became more aggressive in their pressing and created a succession of chances. Erling Haaland scored twice but also passed up several promising opportunities.
Between Haaland’s two goals, Maghnes Akliouche made it 4-1 in the 62nd minute, dealing a significant blow to City’s hopes of mounting a comeback despite their marked improvement after the interval.
Manchester City registered 27 shots compared with PSG’s 15. The English side also led the expected goals figures by 2.57 to 1.83. The difference lay in PSG’s finishing, particularly during a first half in which the visitors made almost every opportunity count.
Afterwards, Maresca praised PSG’s bold, attacking approach and described them as Europe’s best team over the previous two years. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, acknowledged that City could have won the match had they made better use of their chances.
Real Madrid pull off extraordinary comeback against Roma
An even more dramatic contest unfolded at the Stadio Olimpico, where Real Madrid trailed Roma 3-1 until the 82nd minute. With defeat seemingly inevitable, the Spanish giants scored three late goals to snatch an astonishing 4-3 victory.
Roma had been the better side for much of the evening. Marten de Roon put the Italians ahead before Kylian Mbappé equalised with a superb finish. Donyell Malen then struck twice to restore Roma’s lead and leave the hosts seemingly in complete command at 3-1.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side impressed with their intense pressing and adventurous approach. Madrid struggled particularly against Roma’s disciplined man-to-man marking, finding it difficult to build threatening attacks.
Yet the closing stages provided another reminder of Real Madrid’s extraordinary history in the Champions League. Carlos Espí pulled one back following a set piece, before substitute Endrick headed home the equaliser. In the 90th minute, Antonio Rüdiger struck from another corner to complete a remarkable turnaround.
All three late goals originated from set pieces, with Arda Güler playing a decisive role. Roma completely lost their defensive organisation in the final minutes, surrendering a victory that had appeared all but secured. Madrid coach José Mourinho subsequently pointed to the extraordinary intensity of Roma’s approach, arguing that it was almost impossible to sustain for an entire 90 minutes.
It was also a landmark evening for Mbappé. The Frenchman made his 100th Champions League appearance, becoming the youngest player in the competition’s history to reach that milestone.
Aston Villa run riot as Dortmund stumble in Norway
Aston Villa recorded the biggest victory of the night, thrashing Fenerbahçe 6-0 to set a new club record in European competition. Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley scored twice each, while Johan Manzambi and Tammy Abraham also found the net. Villa were exceptionally clinical in front of goal, scoring six times from an expected goals total of just 3.07.
Borussia Dortmund, by contrast, endured a deeply disappointing evening. The German side lost 1-0 away to Bodø/Glimt in the only Wednesday fixture to feature fewer than three goals. Fredrik Sjøvold scored the winner in the 52nd minute. Dortmund improved after making several substitutions but could not avoid defeat. Head coach Niko Kovač admitted afterwards that his team’s loss had been deserved.
More comebacks and a Liverpool goal fest
Real Betis also had to come from behind to secure victory. The Spanish side defeated FC Porto 3-2 after the visitors overturned an early Betis lead. Cucho Hernández restored parity before Isco converted a penalty to seal all three points.
Feyenoord also claimed a 3-2 win against Como. The Italians took an early lead, but Gjivai Zechiël responded almost immediately. Anis Hadj Moussa and an own goal from goalkeeper Robert Sánchez put the Dutch side firmly in control before Tasos Douvikas pulled one back in stoppage time.
Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AEK Athens 3-1. Playing their home fixture at Stamford Bridge in London, the Ukrainian side came from behind through goals from Pedrinho, Vinícius Tobías and Gleiker Mendoza.
VfB Stuttgart continued their perfect Champions League start with a 3-0 victory away to Slovan Bratislava, taking their tally to six points from two matches. Deniz Undav broke the deadlock, before a Sandro Cruz own goal and a strike from Ermedin Demirović completed the scoring.
The highest-scoring match of the evening took place in Linz, where Liverpool beat LASK 6-3. New signing Bradley Barcola stole the show with a hat-trick – read our separate match report for an in-depth analysis of the nine-goal encounter.
