Champions League Opening Night: Mourinho's Return and Haaland's Dominance

PARIS (FRANCE) – Jose Mourinho walked back into the Champions League and straight into a win, as Real Madrid edged Inter Milan 2-1 on a wild opening night of the new league phase.

The scoreline looked tight. The game was anything but.

Mourinho back, Mbappé level with Raúl

Real, chasing a 16th European crown, have turned to Mourinho for a second spell and his first assignment could hardly have been more symbolic: Inter, the club he dragged to the treble in 2010.

His new Madrid side were gifted a two-goal cushion before the Bernabeu had even settled.

First, Yann Bisseck hesitated and paid for it. On his 99th Champions League appearance, Kylian Mbappé pounced, sweeping in to punish the defender’s mistake and move on to 71 goals in the competition – level with club icon Raul.

Inter then imploded again.

Goalkeeper Josep Martinez tried to get cute inside his own six-yard box, attempting to turn away from Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan simply refused to buy it, nicked the ball off him and slid in Madrid’s second. Two defensive calamities, two ruthless finishes.

Inter eventually responded. Carlos Augusto pulled one back to drag the Italians into the contest and the game opened up into chaos.

Chances flew at both ends. Mourinho, back in his favourite theatre, watched a match he summed up perfectly to Movistar: “A game that finished 2-1 could have finished 7-6 without any problems.”

Real didn’t find a third. They didn’t need it. On night one of the new era, the result was the thing.

Haaland the “animal” as City roll in Porto

Over in Portugal, Erling Haaland reminded Europe that nothing about his relationship with this competition has changed.

Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City, champions of Europe in 2023, collected a controlled 2-0 win away to Porto, both goals coming from their No 9.

Two minutes after half-time, Haaland shrugged off his marker and buried a header from Enzo Fernandez’s cross. Same movement, same menace, same outcome.

Porto pushed, but City never really lost their grip. Deep into stoppage time, Haaland struck again to seal it, pushing his record to an extraordinary 59 goals in 59 Champions League appearances.

“Erling Haaland is an animal. He is a beast, so every time he is on the pitch, I'm going to look for him, and hopefully give him many more assists,” Fernandez told Amazon Prime.

It’s now four straight wins in all competitions for City. Next up in Europe: a home date with title-holders Paris Saint-Germain. That one already feels like a measuring stick.

Villa finally find their spark

Aston Villa arrived in Belgium with their domestic form in pieces and their confidence frayed. They left with a 3-2 win at Club Brugge and something resembling their old swagger.

Unai Emery’s side, Europa League winners last season but goalless in three Premier League games so far, struck first. John McGinn bent a measured finish into the far corner to open the scoring and briefly silence the home crowd.

Brugge hit back through Hugo Vetlesen, only for Villa to answer almost immediately. Emiliano Buendia restored the lead, and suddenly the visitors were flowing.

Two minutes before the break, Nicolas Jackson made it 3-1. The summer signing sprinted through after goalkeeper Yann Sommer charged out of his area and misjudged the ball, rolling in his first Villa goal and underlining Brugge’s defensive disarray.

The hosts refused to fold. Nicolo Tresoldi converted after a handball by Aaron Wan-Bissaka just past the hour, then smacked the post soon after. Villa bent, but held.

“We took one step forward today and it was very, very important for our confidence and stability,” Emery said. After the start they’ve had, it felt like more than one.

Guirassy everywhere as Dortmund edge five-goal thriller

At Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund launched another European campaign in typically dramatic fashion, beating Villarreal 3-2 with Serhou Guirassy at the heart of everything – for better and worse.

Last season’s runners-up went ahead early in the second half when Renato Veiga turned the ball into his own net, but the lead didn’t last. Santiago Mourino climbed to head Villarreal level and tilt the momentum.

Dortmund found a response when they needed it. With 10 minutes left, Guirassy struck to restore the advantage, then held his nerve from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 and seemingly kill the contest.

He wasn’t done.

A Gregor Kobel save cannoned back off Guirassy’s face and into his own net, a freakish own goal that summed up the chaos of the night. Dortmund survived the late scare and took the points, but their new talisman left with one of the strangest personal stat lines of the round.

Parrott punishes Lille, AEK strike late

In Lille, Real Betis marked their first Champions League appearance in 21 years with a 3-2 comeback win that turned Troy Parrott into an instant cult figure.

Ayase Ueda had already made his mark, scoring for Lille, and Alexsandro added another for Davide Ancelotti’s side. Each time, Betis found the same answer: Marc Bartra. The defender twice dragged the Spaniards level, refusing to let the occasion slip away.

Then Parrott took over.

The Irish striker, who had hit the winner against Real Madrid at the weekend, struck again on 53 minutes, driving in what proved to be the decisive goal. Betis, back on this stage after more than two decades, had their statement victory.

Lille’s night worsened when Ethan Mbappe, younger brother of Kylian, was sent off late on, capping a bruising evening for the French club.

The final word belonged to Greece. AEK Athens edged LASK 1-0, thanks to a stunning Razvan Marin free-kick that curled and dipped its way into the headlines.

On the first night of this stretched three-day opening matchday, the old names – Mourinho, Real, City – did what they usually do. The question now is who can keep pace as the weeks, and the pressure, begin to bite.