The Champions League begins with victories for Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Tottenham; Juventus and Dortmund engage in an exciting eight-goal draw
Champions League Roundup: Dramatic Draws, Debut Wins, and Mbappe's Milestone
The Champions League returned with a bang, as some of Europe's top clubs battled it out in the opening matches of the season. Here's a roundup of the key events from the first round of fixtures.
Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Marseille, with Kylian Mbappe reaching a significant milestone by scoring his 50th goal for the club. However, the win was marred by a penalty awarded against Facundo Medina for handball.
Arsenal picked up where they left off last season, defeating Athletic Bilbao 2-0. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the 72nd minute, and Leandro Trossard added a late goal with the aid of a deflection. Mikel Arteta praised his team, stating that they grew throughout the game and dominated in the second half.
Tottenham Hotspur also claimed a win on the tournament's opening night, defeating Villarreal 1-0. The goal was an own goal by Luiz Junior, making it a memorable start for Thomas Frank's side, who qualified for the Champions League after winning last season's Europa League.
Dortmund and Juventus played out a thrilling 4-4 draw, with Kenan Yildiz equalizing for Juventus with a stunning effort high into the top corner. Ramy Bensebaini converted a penalty for Dortmund in the 86th minute, but Vlahovic scored a goal for Juventus in the 94th minute, and Lloyd Kelly scored a goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time to secure a dramatic draw.
Two teams claimed their first ever victories in the Champions League proper - Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag. Union Saint-Gilloise defeated PSV Eindhoven 3-1, with Promise David, Anouar Ait El Hadj, and Kevin Mac Allister scoring for Union Saint-Gilloise, and Ruben van Bommel scoring for PSV Eindhoven. Qarabag scored three goals against Benfica, with Leandro Andrade, Oleksiy Kashchuk, and Camilo Duran all finding the back of the net.
Elsewhere, Yan Couto and Felix Nmecha scored for Dortmund against Juventus, while Camilo Duran scored for Qarabag against Benfica. Real Madrid played the closing stages of the game against Marseille with 10 men due to Dani Carvajal's sending off.
Thomas Frank, the coach of Tottenham Hotspur, has been making waves in the Champions League after leading his team to victory in their first game of the season. Before managing Tottenham, Frank did not manage any notable top-tier clubs. However, his previous experience includes managing Brøndby IF, where he gained some European experience in Europa League qualifying matches.
The match between Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal was the first game for Tottenham in the Champions League this season, while the match between Juventus and Dortmund ended in a thrilling 4-4 draw, with the first half ending goalless. Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag claimed their first ever victories in the Champions League proper, adding to the excitement of the tournament's return.
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