UCL Roundup: Mbappe double lifts Madrid as Juve, Dortmund battle in eight-goal thriller

Kylian Mbappe scored twice from the penalty spot as Real Madrid fought back to beat Marseille 2-1 on the opening night of the Champions League on Tuesday.

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Timothy Weah gave the French side a shock lead early in the game after Mason Greenwood won the ball near midfield.

Madrid equalised before the break when Mbappé converted a penalty following a foul on Rodrygo.

The Spanish giants were reduced to 10 men when Dani Carvajal was sent off in the 72nd minute, but Mbappe struck again late on from the spot after a handball inside the box.

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The win made Madrid the first club to reach 200 victories in the competition since its rebranding in the early 1990s. It was also a successful debut for new coach Xabi Alonso.

Elsewhere, Arsenal started with a 2-0 victory away to Athletic Bilbao. Their big summer signing, Viktor Gyökeres, missed a clear header early in the second half, but the substitutes proved decisive.

Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock less than a minute after coming on, and Leandro Trossard sealed the points soon after.

Union Saint-Gilloise, one of four debutants in this season’s competition, stunned PSV Eindhoven 3-1 away.

Promise David, of Nigerian descent, opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Anouar Ait El Hadj added a brilliant solo effort.

Argentine defender Kevin Mac Allister made it three in the second half, with Ruben van Bommel scoring a late consolation for PSV.

In London, Tottenham were helped by an own goal from goalkeeper Luiz Junior to edge Villarreal 1-0.

The night’s highest-scoring match came in Turin, where Juventus and Borussia Dortmund shared an eight-goal thriller.

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Dortmund looked set for victory, but Juventus staged a dramatic stoppage-time comeback to secure a 4-4 draw, with Dušan Vlahović and Lloyd Kelly playing decisive roles off the bench.

There was also a surprise result in Lisbon as Qarabag came from two goals down to defeat Benfica 3-2.

This season marks the second year of UEFA’s new league-phase format. Instead of traditional groups, 36 teams play eight matches against different opponents on a single table.

The top eight sides will progress directly to the round of 16, while the teams ranked from ninth to 24th will contest playoff ties to claim the remaining spots.

The competition continues on Wednesday as more clubs begin their push for Europe’s biggest prize.