Nine matches, 32 goals, two stunning comebacks and one of the shocks of the European season: Matchday 2 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League delivered a night of drama on Tuesday that will shape the race for the knockout rounds. Barcelona and Arsenal kept their perfect starts with emphatic wins, Club Brugge stunned Inter Milan 4-3 at San Siro, Bayern Munich were held 3-3 by Norwegian side Viking, and Manchester United's troubles deepened with a 2-0 defeat at Atlético Madrid.
Barcelona come from behind to thrash Galatasaray
Barcelona survived a scare in Istanbul before turning the game into a rout, beating Galatasaray 4-1 to make it ten straight wins in all competitions this season. Aleksey Batrakov gave the Turkish hosts the lead in the 28th minute and Galatasaray briefly thought they had doubled it, only for a tight offside call to rule out a second goal. João Cancelo levelled on the stroke of half-time, and after the break the Spanish champions were unstoppable: Fermín López headed in a Lamine Yamal cross in the 50th minute, Yamal set up Anthony Gordon three minutes later, and substitute Karim Adeyemi completed the scoring in the 65th.
With six points from two games — after their 5-1 opening win over Feyenoord — Barcelona look every inch the continent's in-form side. "In the second half, we dominated the game," said coach Hansi Flick afterwards. "We have to play like this, control the game, move the ball. This is our quality. This is our strength, and we have to show our level."
Arsenal dismantle Lille in seven second-half minutes
Arsenal needed just eight minutes of the second half to sweep aside Lille 3-0 at the Emirates and maintain their perfect start to the league phase. Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock in the 64th minute, and with Mikel Arteta immediately introducing Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Kai Havertz in a triple substitution, the game was over within moments: Saka teed up Eberechi Eze for the second in the 67th minute, then scored himself four minutes later after combining with Havertz.
The numbers underlined the gulf. Arsenal enjoyed 53 per cent possession and registered 16 shots, eight of them on target, while Lille managed only four efforts — none of which tested the goalkeeper. The defending Premier League champions now sit on six points, having opened with a 1-0 victory over Napoli.
Club Brugge produce the upset of the night
The evening's headline act came at San Siro, where Club Brugge beat Inter Milan 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller. Nicolò Tresoldi struck a hat trick and Romeo Vermant added a late winner as the Belgian visitors outgunned the defending Serie A champions — who scored three times at home and still lost. It was the highest-scoring win of the night and leaves Inter without a point from their opening two matches, a genuine crisis for a club expected to challenge for the trophy.
Bayern survive a scare in Norway
Bayern Munich were given a serious fright by Viking FK, twice coming from two goals down in a 3-3 draw. The Norwegian hosts led 2-0 at half-time before Harry Kane struck twice after the break and Luis Díaz appeared to have completed the turnaround — only for a red card for Michael Olise to turn the game on its head again, with Herman Haugen netting a 90th-minute equaliser that sent the home crowd into delirium. Bayern, who thrashed Bodø/Glimt 5-0 in their opener, now have four points and an early lesson that the league phase punishes complacency.
Atlético pile more pressure on Manchester United
Manchester United's European campaign stuttered badly in Madrid, where they lost 2-0 to Atlético Madrid and finished the match with ten men. An early goal from Pablo Barrios and another from Ademola Lookman settled the contest, and the result cranks up the pressure on United coach Michael Carrick, whose side had opened with a 4-0 win over Sabah. United sit on three points after two games, suddenly looking vulnerable in the battle for the top eight.
Elsewhere across Europe
Sporting CP made it two wins from two with a 2-0 victory at Lens, following their 3-1 opening win over Galatasaray, and joined Barcelona and Arsenal on a perfect six points. Azerbaijani side Sabah celebrated their first-ever Champions League league-phase victory with a 2-0 win over Slavia Praha, RB Leipzig edged PSV Eindhoven 1-0, and Villarreal beat Napoli 3-1 — leaving Napoli, like Inter, still pointless.
