Paris Saint-Germain dealt Manchester City another painful night, Real Madrid staged a stunning late comeback against Roma, and the Champions League produced a record-breaking flood of goals on Wednesday.
A total of 78 goals were scored across Matchday 2 on Tuesday and Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 71 set during Matchday 3 last season.
Six of Wednesday’s nine matches featured at least five goals, with Liverpool’s 6-3 victory over Austrian champions LASK among the most entertaining results of the night.
Defending champion PSG delivered the most emphatic statement, scoring three times in a devastating first half before holding on for a 4-2 win at City.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Roma 4-3, while Real Betis edged Porto 3-2 in a heated contest in Seville.
PSG silenced the home crowd with a ruthless first-half display, leaving City manager Pep Guardiola and the supporters watching in disbelief as the visitors raced into a three-goal lead.
Desire Doue opened the scoring in the 13th minute before turning provider less than two minutes later, delivering a superb lobbed cross for Ousmane Dembele to finish.
Vitinha added PSG’s third in the 32nd minute, prompting the visiting supporters to celebrate with their backs turned, mimicking a trademark celebration associated with City fans. The home crowd fell quiet as PSG dominated the remainder of the first half.
Erling Haaland gave City a lifeline eight minutes into the second half, heading home to spark celebrations from Guardiola and the home supporters. But Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal cushion in the 63rd minute, halting City’s attempt to build momentum.
Haaland struck again in the 75th minute, giving City renewed hope and taking his Champions League tally to 61 goals in 60 appearances.
PSG had the chance to extend their lead in stoppage time when they were awarded a penalty, but Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Ferran Torres’ poorly struck effort to preserve the 4-2 victory.
The defeat marked another difficult European night for City, whose financial conduct had come under scrutiny following Premier League charges alleging rule violations over nearly a decade.
Real Madrid produced a dramatic finish to defeat Roma 4-3, with veteran defender Antonio Rüdiger scoring the winner on his return to the Italian club.
Roma’s supporters welcomed returning coach Jose Mourinho with a tribute before watching their team take control of an increasingly tense encounter. Marten de Roon put the hosts ahead with a long-range strike in the 20th minute, but Kylian Mbappe equalized five minutes later with a deflected effort.
The goal came in Mbappe’s 100th Champions League appearance. At 27, he became the youngest player to reach the milestone.
Roma regained the advantage after halftime through Donyell Malen, who scored in the 51st minute and added another six minutes later to put the hosts firmly in command.
Madrid refused to surrender, however, and their substitutes transformed the match in the closing stages. Carlos Espi pulled one back in the 85th minute, and Endrick equalized three minutes later.
Rüdiger then completed the comeback by scoring from close range following a corner, leaving Roma stunned and Madrid celebrating a remarkable victory. The German defender kept his celebrations restrained after spending two seasons at Roma from 2015 to 2017.
Real Betis defeated Porto 3-2 in a bad-tempered match in Seville, with Isco converting a late penalty to settle the contest.
Abde Ezzalzouli gave Betis a moment to remember after halftime, curling a spectacular effort from the corner of the penalty area into the far top corner.
Porto responded through Gabriel Veiga, who scored a fine free kick in the 55th minute. His celebration sparked a confrontation between players from both teams, with three players booked during the ensuing altercation.
Substitute Samu put Porto ahead just two minutes after entering the match, but another Betis replacement, Cucho Hernandez, restored parity in the 74th minute.
Isco then converted a late penalty to secure the victory for Betis in a contest marked by goals, tension and disciplinary incidents.
Liverpool contributed nine goals to the night’s spectacle in a 6-3 victory over LASK, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat trick for his first goals since joining the English club from PSG during the offseason.
Ronald Araújo opened the scoring with a header from a corner, and Barcola doubled Liverpool’s advantage in the 24th minute after a layoff from Lewis Koumas.
Ryan Gravenberch struck the post before Barcola scored again in the 37th minute, finishing confidently after Florian Wirtz played him through.
Jeremie Frimpong extended Liverpool’s lead in the 51st minute, heading in off the right post despite being one of the smallest players on the field.
LASK responded through substitute Robert Ljubicic, who scored in the 63rd minute, but Liverpool quickly reasserted their control. Frimpong set up Barcola for a simple finish to complete the hat trick three minutes later.
Koumas added Liverpool’s sixth in the 72nd minute, scoring his first goal for the club at 21.
LASK refused to go quietly. Substitute Florian Flecker scored with a diving header in the 74th minute before adding another four minutes later to complete the scoring at 6-3.
Aston Villa recorded a commanding 6-0 victory over Fenerbahçe, with Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both scoring twice.
Johan Manzambi, a Switzerland winger, opened the scoring on his Champions League debut, which coincided with his 21st birthday. Tammy Abraham added another goal to complete Villa’s biggest European victory.
Elsewhere, Bodo/Glimt stunned Borussia Dortmund 1-0 through Fredrik Sjovold’s second-half strike.
Stuttgart secured a 3-0 away victory over Slovan Bratislava, while Shakhtar Donetsk recovered to beat AEK Athens 3-1 in a designated home match played at Chelsea’s ground in London.
Earlier, Feyenoord came from behind to defeat visiting Como 3-2, with Anis Hadj Moussa scoring twice to help the Dutch league leaders secure the victory.
