Record 14-time winners Real Madrid had Dani Carvajal sent off but still opened their Champions League campaign with a gritty 2-1 home victory over Olympique Marseille on Tuesday. Juventus, meanwhile, staged a dramatic rally to snatch a 4-4 draw at Borussia Dortmund.
Tottenham were gifted an early lead when Luiz Junior put through his own net in the fourth minute, sealing a 1-0 win over Villarreal. In Lisbon, Benfica squandered a two-goal cushion as Qarabag stormed back to claim a stunning 3-2 triumph.
Earlier, Arsenal eased past Athletic Bilbao 2-0, while Union Saint-Gilloise marked their first-ever appearance in the competition with an impressive 3-1 win against PSV Eindhoven.
For Madrid, dubbed the kings of Europe, it was another reminder why – when the pressure mounts – their knack for late comebacks keeps their crown shining.
In their most recent title run in 2023-24, they were on their way out in the semifinals against Bayern Munich, but Joselu scored in the 88th and stoppage time to book a spot in the final, where they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0.
On Tuesday, Madrid again needed some Champions League magic to turn the game around with 10 men.
Marseille broke the deadlock in the 22nd when Mason Greenwood dispossessed Arda Güler to set up Timothy Weah, who fired past Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid didn’t take long to equalize. Rodrygo was brought down inside the box by Geoffrey Kondogbia and Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot to make it 1-1.
Before the break, both sides had chances. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang beat Eder Militão in the 39th but sent his shot wide, while Gerónimo Rulli made a big save in the 41st to deny Mbappe.
A Madrid win looked unlikely after Carvajal was sent off in the 72nd for deliberately headbutting Rulli off the ball.
But Madrid were awarded another penalty when Facundo Medina handled in the box, and Mbappe again converted in the 81st.
Juventus, meanwhile, scored twice in stoppage time – after falling behind three times – to secure a point at home against Dortmund.
Karim Adeyemi broke the deadlock for the Germans in the 52nd, but his opener was canceled out by Kenan Yildiz in the 63rd. Dortmund regained the lead two minutes later through Felix Nmecha, only for Dusan Vlahovic to equalize again for the hosts.
Goals from Yan Couto and Ramy Bensebaini, who converted a penalty in the 86th, appeared enough for Dortmund to return home with three points.
The Bundesliga side led 4-2 until the fourth minute of stoppage time, when Vlahovic pulled one back. Two minutes later, Lloyd Kelly scored to salvage a stunning draw for Juve.
“I’m happy about the goal I scored but, when you’re two goals ahead and feel victory is in the bag, it’s disappointing to be caught like that,” Nmecha told UEFA.
Goalkeeper Gregor Kobel added: “We can’t allow ourselves to draw after playing such an awesome game and securing three important points.”
Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise made their Champions League debut in style.
Promise David converted a penalty in the ninth minute to give them the lead, and Anouar Ait El Hadj doubled it with a fine individual effort in the 39th.
Ruben van Bommel pulled one back for PSV in the 90th, but it was too late for a comeback after Kevin Mac Allister had already made it 3-1 in the 81st.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were thankful to their substitutes for a 2-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.
Gabriel Martinelli needed less than a minute after coming on to make an impact.
After a defensive clearance, fellow substitute Leandro Trossard flicked the ball forward to find Martinelli. The Brazilian surged past defenders and the goalkeeper to score in the 72nd.
Trossard then added a goal of his own in the 87th to secure all three points for Arsenal.
