UCL 2026/27 Matchday 1 Standout Stars: 10 Players Who Lit Up the Opening Round

Kylian Mbappé

Opened the scoring in Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Inter — his 71st Champions League goal (6th on the all-time list).

Mourinho's second spell at the Bernabéu opened with a familiar plot: Mbappé punishing opposition mistakes. Inter had more of the ball (59% possession, 15 shots), but Madrid's No.10 struck in the 14th minute after a defensive lapse and never let go. At 71 UCL goals, he is closing in on the competition's all-time greats — and doing it as the focal point of a rebuilt Madrid.

Erling Haaland

A 47th-minute header and a 90+1' finish gave Manchester City a 2-0 win at Porto — his 59th Champions League goal in his 59th appearance.

Enzo Maresca's first European night in charge was a reminder of the constant. Porto's Diogo Costa made three first-half saves; Haaland simply waited. Two minutes into the second half he nodded in from Enzo Fernández, then tucked home late to seal it. 59 goals in 59 games — a ratio no one in the competition's history can match.

Jamal Musiala

Scored the opener in Bayern's 5-0 rout of Bodø/Glimt — his first start since on-field seizures disrupted his pre-season.

The most emotional goal of the round. Musiala tapped his head as he celebrated, a quiet acknowledgment of everything he had come through. Bayern were held 0-0 at the break; two minutes in he broke the deadlock and the floodgates opened. A 5-0 statement — and a star back to his best.

Ousmane Dembélé

2 goals and 2 assists in PSG's 6-1 demolition of Slovan Bratislava (17', 23' + two assists).

The reigning Ballon d'Or didn't just open the defence of the title — he dismantled Slovan single-handedly. Two goals inside the first half-hour, then two assists for Ferran Torres's hat-trick. PSG top the early table on goal difference, and Dembélé looks like a man who intends to keep the crown.

Lamine Yamal

1 goal and 2 assists in Barcelona's 5-1 win over Feyenoord — his 101st goal contribution for the club.

Still a teenager, already a nightmare for full-backs. Yamal curled in a free kick in the 77th and set up two more, taking him to 101 goal involvements for Barça — and his 12th Champions League goal, the most by a teenager, one behind Mbappé's record. The ceiling keeps rising.

Raphinha

Captain's brace (3', 57') in the 5-1 Feyenoord win — his 8th and 9th goals in Barcelona's first five games of the season.

While Yamal dazzles, Raphinha delivers. The Barça captain scored inside three minutes and again after the break, becoming the first player since at least 2000 to find the net in the club's opening five matches of a campaign. Five games, eight goals — a captain leading from the front.

Martin Ødegaard

Struck the 75th-minute winner in Arsenal's 1-0 victory at Napoli — his fifth straight match with a goal or assist.

A captain's goal in a captain's arena. At the Maradona stadium, Ødegaard collected a Tzolis lay-off and bent one in off the post to sink the Italian champions. Arsenal controlled possession (58%) and, more importantly, left Naples with three points — a statement of European intent.

Bruno Fernandes

Scored as Manchester United returned to the Champions League with a 4-0 rout of debutants Sabah.

Old Trafford hadn't heard the anthem in nearly three years. Fernandes, the conductor, made it a night to remember — scoring United's second before the break as Carrick's side ran riot. Four different scorers, a clean sheet, and a reminder of what this club looks like when Europe returns.

Benjamin Sesko

Scored United's third (45') in the 4-0 Sabah win — his first start of the season after a pre-season injury.

The striker everyone watched through pre-season is finally fit, and the finish was pure centre-forward: rounded the keeper, rolled it home. Sesko's goal capped a dominant first half and announced his arrival in United's European reboot.

Nico Pas

2 assists in Como's historic 4-1 debut win over Leipzig — youngest Argentine with 2+ UCL assists in a match since Messi (2008).

The debutants' night belonged to a 22-year-old. On Como's first-ever Champions League appearance, Pas pulled the strings with two assists — the kind of performance that makes you check the birth year. Fabregas's project announced itself with a win, and its young No.8 was the architect.