The UEFA Champions League group stage returned with fireworks on Tuesday night as Tottenham Hotspur made a winning comeback, Real Madrid fought from behind to edge Marseille, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund served up an eight-goal thriller, and debutants Union Saint-Gilloise stunned PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs marked their first Champions League appearance in two years with a narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal. The decisive moment came in the fourth minute when goalkeeper Luiz Junior fumbled Lucas Bergvall’s cross into his own net. Despite late pressure from Nicolas Pépé and Juan Foyth, Thomas Frank’s side held firm to secure victory on the Dane’s European debut as manager.
In Madrid, Kylian Mbappé stole the headlines with two penalties as Real Madrid overturned a shock opener from Timothy Weah to beat Marseille 2-1. Dani Carvajal’s dismissal for a headbutt on goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli left Los Blancos under pressure, but a late handball from Facundo Medina gifted Mbappé the chance to seal victory and extend Madrid’s perfect record against the French club.
The night’s most thrilling contest unfolded in Turin, where Juventus and Borussia Dortmund drew 4-4 in a breathless second half. Goals from Karim Adeyemi, Felix Nmecha, and Ramy Bensebaini had Dortmund on course for victory, but Juve mounted a dramatic stoppage-time fightback. Dušan Vlahović struck his second of the night in the 93rd minute before Lloyd Kelly headed home a 96th-minute equaliser to rescue the hosts.
The biggest upset came in Eindhoven as Belgian debutants Union Saint-Gilloise defeated PSV 3-1 in their first-ever Champions League group match. Promise David opened the scoring from the penalty spot, Anouar Aït El Hadj doubled the lead before half-time, and Kevin Mac Allister added a third late on. Ruben van Bommel’s strike proved only a consolation for the shell-shocked Dutch champions.
At the end of the night, Tottenham and Real Madrid topped their groups, Juventus and Dortmund shared the spoils, while Union SG announced themselves on the European stage with a stunning statement win.
