Barcelona and Real Madrid produced impressive comeback victories, while Manchester United and Manchester City endured disappointing defeats as the second round of UEFA Champions League matches delivered plenty of goals and drama on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain also enjoyed big wins, while Arsenal maintained their strong form with a convincing victory. Bayern Munich, however, were held to a draw in a high-scoring encounter.
Barcelona fight back in Istanbul
Barcelona continued their winning start to the 2026/27 Champions League campaign with a commanding 4-1 victory over Galatasaray in Istanbul on Tuesday night.
The Spanish giants fell behind to an early Aleksei Batrakov effort before João Cancelo restored parity shortly before half-time. Fermin López and Anthony Gordon then scored after the break, with Karim Adeyemi adding a fourth goal to complete the turnaround.
Lamine Yamal was instrumental in the victory, providing assists for López and Gordon as Barcelona moved to six points from their opening two matches.
Real Madrid produce dramatic comeback
Real Madrid staged one of the most remarkable comebacks of the round, recovering from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Roma 4-3 away from home on Wednesday.
Madrid faced a difficult task after falling two goals behind, but Carlos Espí and Endrick scored in quick succession to bring the visitors level before Antonio Rüdiger struck a dramatic late winner in the 90th minute.
The victory maintained Madrid’s perfect start to the competition, leaving them eighth in the league-phase standings with six points.
Manchester clubs suffer defeats
Manchester United and Manchester City endured contrasting but equally disappointing European nights.
United lost 2-0 away to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday after Pablo Barrios scored inside the opening minute. Alejandro Grimaldo also struck the woodwork, while Julián Álvarez went close before Ademola Lookman sealed the win in the 79th minute. United’s task became more difficult after Leny Yoro was sent off in the second half.
Manchester City, meanwhile, suffered a 4-2 home defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday. PSG established a commanding first-half advantage through Desire Doué, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha before City attempted to fight back.
Erling Haaland scored twice for City, but Maghnes Akliouche’s goal helped PSG maintain their two-goal cushion and secure all three points at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal maintain perfect record
Arsenal strengthened their position among the leading teams with a convincing 3-0 victory over Lille at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
The Gunners produced a disciplined performance, with Bukayo Saka making a decisive contribution off the bench through a goal and an assist.
The win followed their opening-match victory over Napoli, giving Arsenal six points from two games without conceding a goal. They occupied seventh place in the standings after the second round.
Liverpool hit six as Bayern drop points
Liverpool delivered one of Wednesday’s biggest performances, defeating LASK 6-3 away from home in a nine-goal thriller.
Bradley Barcola scored a hat-trick, while Jeremie Frimpong and other Liverpool attackers helped the English side secure its second consecutive victory. Despite conceding three goals, Liverpool moved into fifth place with six points and a goal difference of plus four.
Bayern Munich, however, were forced to settle for a 3-3 draw against Viking in Norway on Tuesday.
The German champions recovered from a two-goal deficit, with Harry Kane scoring twice before Luis Díaz put Bayern ahead. But Michael Olise’s red card left them vulnerable, and Herman Haugen’s late header earned Viking a share of the points.
Bayern have four points from their opening two matches and sit 10th in the standings.
Other notable results
Tuesday’s action also saw Club Brugge stun Inter Milan 4-3 at the San Siro, with Nicolò Tresoldi scoring a hat-trick. Villarreal beat Napoli 3-1, Sporting CP defeated Lens 2-0, while RB Leipzig edged PSV Eindhoven 1-0.
Wednesday brought further entertainment as Aston Villa thrashed Fenerbahçe 6-0, Real Betis came from behind to beat Porto 3-2, Shakhtar Donetsk defeated AEK Athens 3-1 and Stuttgart recorded a 3-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava. Bodø/Glimt also claimed a narrow 1-0 win against Borussia Dortmund, while Feyenoord beat Como 3-2.
Current Champions League standings after Matchday 2
The 36-team league phase sees the top eight teams qualify directly for the round of 16, while clubs finishing ninth to 24th enter the knockout play-offs. The bottom 12 are eliminated.
The leading standings and positions of the featured clubs after Wednesday’s matches are as follows:
Pos. Club Played GD Points
1 Paris Saint-Germain 2 +7 6
2 Barcelona 2 +7 6
3 Aston Villa 2 +7 6
4 Stuttgart 2 +5 6
5 Liverpool 2 +4 6
6 Sporting CP 2 +4 6
7 Arsenal 2 +4 6
8 Real Madrid 2 +2 6
9 Real Betis 2 +2 6
10 Bayern Munich 2 +5 4
13 Manchester United 2 +2 3
17 Manchester City 2 0 3
Source: Champions League standings published after Matchday 2. GD = goal difference.
Paris Saint-Germain lead the standings, ahead of Barcelona and Aston Villa on the tie-breakers, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Real Madrid also occupying places in the top eight. Bayern remain within the play-off positions, while Manchester United and Manchester City sit outside the automatic qualification places.
The competition resumes with Matchday 3 on October 20 and 21. One of the biggest upcoming fixtures will see PSG host Barcelona on Tuesday, October 20, while Arsenal travel to face Bayern Munich the following night.
Story By Jones Adzi
