Arsenal on Tuesday won 2-0 away to Athletic Bilbao as the league phase of this season’s UEFA Champions League kicked off, with two Kylian Mbappe penalties giving Real Madrid a narrow win over Olympique de Marseille, while Juventus and Borussia Dortmund drew an eight-goal thriller.
Tottenham Hotspur also won on the tournament’s opening night, which saw outsiders Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag claim first ever victories in the Champions League proper.
Arsenal are eager to make a big impression again in Europe’s elite club competition, following their defeat by eventual champions Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals last season.
Photo: AP
They got off to an ideal start in the Basque Country, with Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard scoring late goals to settle the game.
The Brazilian had only just come on when he ran through to open the scoring in the 72nd minute at San Mames. Arsenal then went on to seal the victory late on as Trossard — another substitute — scored with the aid of a deflection.
Real Madrid came from behind to beat Marseille 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, despite playing the closing stages of the game down to 10 men.
Marseille, winners of the inaugural Champions League in 1993, stunned the home crowd by taking the lead through Timothy Weah midway through the first half.
The record 15-time European champions grabbed an equalizer before the interval, when Mbappe converted from the spot for the first time after Rodrygo was fouled in the area.
Xabi Alonso’s side lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to injury early on and were reduced to 10 men in the second half when his replacement, Dani Carvajal, was sent off following a video-assistant referee check for a headbutt on Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.
The home side still snatched all three points thanks to another Mbappe penalty late on after Facundo Medina was harshly penalized for handball.
“For me it’s a penalty, but I understand there are people who don’t [think so]; we’re all lost with this rule,” Mbappe, who reached 50 goals for the club, told broadcaster Movistar.
His 50 goals have come in 64 matches with the Spanish powerhouse.
“I’m feeling really good,” Mbappe said after what was his sixth goal in five matches with Madrid to start the season. “I want us to move forward together in the same direction to win trophies.”
Mbappe said he needs “to feel the pressure in situations” like the penalty kicks on Tuesday.
“I need that to produce my very best,” he said. “So, I’m very pleased to have scored them and contributed to Madrid winning our first Champions League match of the new season.”
Thomas Frank’s Spurs, who qualified for the Champions League after winning last season’s Europa League, edged Villarreal 1-0 in North London.
Juventus against Dortmund in Turin was a repeat of the 1997 final won by the Germans, and the fixture more than lived up to its billing, finishing in a spectacular 4-4 draw.
There was similar drama in Lisbon, where SL Benfica seemed to be cruising at home to Qarabag with two early goals, before the Azerbaijan club equalized and Oleksiy Kashchuk scored the winning goal four minutes from time to make it 3-2.
It is the first time Qarabag have ever won a match in the Champions League proper.
Union Saint-Gilloise qualified after winning a first Belgian title in 90 years, and they recorded a 3-1 victory away to PSV Eindhoven.
Additional reporting by AP
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