Real Madrid staged a late comeback to beat AS Roma 4-3 at the Stadio Olimpico, maximising three late set pieces to turn the game around, while defending champions Paris Saint-Germain defeated Manchester City 4-2 at the Etihad Stadium in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League action.
In Rome, Marten de Roon gave Roma the lead in the 20th minute before Kylian Mbappé equalised five minutes later for Madrid in the first half, with both sides going into the break level. The equalizer was the French man’s second in the competition.
However, Roma looked to have blown Mourinho’s men away after scoring twice in quick succession within the first ten minutes of the second half to establish a 3-1 advantage. Donyell Malen struck in the 51st and 56th minutes respectively to hand the Italian side a commanding lead.
Roma had further chances to extend their lead but were undone by poor finishing, allowing Madrid to remain within reach.
Mourinho responded with attacking changes, bringing on Brazilian forward Endrick and Carlos Espí, whose introductions proved decisive in changing the course of the game.
The comeback from set pieces began in the final ten minutes of the encounter. In the 83rd minute, Arda Güler’s corner kick delivery was met by Endrick, but Roma goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini could only parry the ball into the path of the unmarked Espí, who tapped into an empty net from close range.
The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but a VAR review overturned the decision, allowing Espí to score his first Champions League goal and reduce the deficit.
The equaliser came from another corner kick. Güler’s delivery was met by Endrick, who beat the Gollini just two minutes later to make it 3-3.
Madrid completed the turnaround in the 90th minute when Güler once again turned provider from a corner, finding Antonio Rüdiger, who connected to score the winner for Los Blancos.
The victory gave Madrid six points from their opening two league-phase matches, following their opening win against Inter Milan. It also extended their impressive record against Italian opposition in the Champions League.
The 15-time European champions have now been victorious on 49 occasions out of their 87 all-time European matches against Italian opponents (with 11 draws and 27 losses).
PSG Romp Past City, but Haaland Makes History
At the Etihad Stadium in England, Manchester City hosted their first home game since being found guilty of breaching 115 Premier League financial rules, with the case continuing to attract significant attention.
However, things did not go as expected, as defending champions PSG beat City 4-2 to end the English side’s eight-game winning run under manager Enzo Maresca.
The victory was also PSG’s first away win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, marking a significant result for Luis Enrique’s side against one of Europe’s leading clubs.
PSG took a commanding 3-0 lead inside the opening 32 minutes, with Désiré Doué opening the scoring after 13 minutes before Ousmane Dembélé doubled the advantage two minutes later.
Midfielder Vitinha then got in on the act after an impressive attacking move from the French side, leaving City with a mountain to climb before the break.
City responded with greater urgency after half-time, pulling one back through Erling Haaland in the 53rd minute. However, Maghnes Akliouche restored PSG’s three-goal advantage before Haaland scored again to reduce the deficit to 4-2.
Summer arrival Ferran Torres had the chance to add another goal from the penalty spot for the French champions, but his effort was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma as PSG secured all three points.
Haaland’s first goal was particularly significant, taking his Manchester City Champions League tally to 37 goals and surpassing Sergio Agüero’s previous record of 36 in the competition proper.
The Norwegian reached the milestone in just 41 appearances for City, compared with Agüero’s 64, underlining his remarkable scoring efficiency since joining the club in 2022.
Night of Goals Across Europe
The night was filled with goals across the various venues, with Bodø/Glimt’s 1-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund the only Wednesday fixture to produce fewer than two goals.
Match-day 2 of the 2026/27 UCL season became the highest scoring match-week in the competition’s history, with 78 goals scored.
Earlier, Liverpool travelled to face LASK Linz and secured a 6-3 victory, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick in an emphatic attacking display.
Aston Villa also welcomed Fenerbahçe to Villa Park and demolished the Turkish side 6-0. Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both scored braces, while Johan Manzambi and Tammy Abraham added their names to the scoresheet.
The result marked Villa’s biggest victory in European competition, providing another memorable night for the club on the continental stage.
Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, who are playing their Champions League home games at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, rallied from a goal down to beat Greek side AEK Athens 3-1 and secure their first win of the league phase.
Dutch side Feyenoord defeated Como 3-2, while Borussia Dortmund lost 1-0 away to Bodø/Glimt in Norway.
Real Betis also came from behind twice to beat Portuguese champions FC Porto 3-2 at home, while Stuttgart travelled to Slovakia and defeated Slovan Bratislava 3-0.
League Phase Competition Intensifies
Nine teams had won both of their opening matches entering the conclusion of the round, underlining the competitive nature of the league phase.
With Matchday 2 now concluded, attention turns to Matchday 3 next week, as clubs continue their pursuit of qualification for the knockout stages.
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