Champions League: Barcelona and PSG make flying starts as six league-phase matches produce 25 goals

FC Barcelona and holders Paris Saint-Germain began their UEFA Champions League campaigns with emphatic victories on Wednesday, 9 September 2026, as the first round of the 36-team league phase produced six matches and 25 goals.

FC Barcelona were the biggest scorers of the night, beating Feyenoord 5-1 to make an immediate statement in Europe. Raphinha scored twice, while Karim Adeyemi, Lamine Yamal and Gabriel Jesus were also on target for the Catalan side.

The result gives FC Barcelona a strong start to the new league-phase format, with their attacking performance setting them apart on an evening when several of Europe’s leading clubs collected all three points.

Paris Saint-Germain, the defending champions, were equally impressive. They swept aside Slovan Bratislava 6-1 to underline their status as holders and begin their latest European campaign in dominant fashion.

Liverpool also had to come from behind before securing victory at Anfield. Atletico de Madrid took the lead, but Liverpool recovered to win 2-1, with Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister scoring the goals that completed the turnaround.

The victory means Liverpool joined FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and the other winners in taking three points from their opening league-phase fixture. Their response after conceding first was a key feature of the evening’s action.

VfB Stuttgart made a strong start of their own by defeating Viking 3-1. Ermedin Demirovic was the decisive figure, scoring a hat-trick to account for all three of his side’s goals.

Arsenal secured a narrow win away from home, beating Naples 1-0. The result gave the London club three points from a difficult opening fixture, while Naples were left without a reward despite playing on home soil.

Sporting CP completed the night’s list of winners with a 3-1 victory over Galatasaray. Their success ensured that five of the six matches ended with the winning side scoring at least three times.

The opening night of this phase of the UEFA Champions League therefore delivered victories for FC Barcelona, VfB Stuttgart, Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP and Arsenal. The results were:

– FC Barcelona 5-1 Feyenoord – VfB Stuttgart 3-1 Viking – Liverpool 2-1 Atletico de Madrid – Paris Saint-Germain 6-1 Slovan Bratislava – Sporting CP 3-1 Galatasaray – Naples 0-1 Arsenal

Among the early winners, FC Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain made the strongest impression, while VfB Stuttgart’s three-goal display and Liverpool’s comeback at Anfield also stood out. All six clubs now begin the new league phase with momentum after opening their campaigns with victories.