Champions League scores: Barca's Rashford goes off at Newcastle; Man City spoil Kevin De Bruyne's return

Thursday's UCL games did not disappoint with 25 goals scored in six games

The first matchday of the 2025-26 season is now done, and over the three days of action, we already saw some nice goals and unexpected results. On Thursday, the last gameday of the week, Manchester City won 2-0 against Napoli at the Etihad Stadium thanks to the goals of Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku in the second half but the team coached by Antonio Conte had to face more than 70 minutes with one man down after the red card received by team captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo. All the eyes were on Kevin De Bruyne's comeback at the Etihad, but his game only lasted 25 minutes before being subbed off by the Italian manager after the red card of his teammate. Haaland scored his 50th Champions League goal, becoming the youngest one to achieve this milestone in only 49 matches and reaching it at least 13 appearances fewer than any other player. 

Elsewhere, Barcelona won 2-1 at St. James' Park against Newcastle thanks to the first Barcelona goals scored by former Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford, who netted a brace against the Magpies including a stunning strike from outside the box, seemingly marking a fresh start after a few disappointing years.

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Matchday 1

Tuesday, Sept. 16

• Athletic Club 0, Arsenal 2
• PSV Eindhoven 1, Union Saint-Gilloise 3
• Juventus 4, Borussia Dortmund 4
• Real Madrid 2, Olympique de Marseille 1
• SL Benfica 2, Qarabağ FK 3
• Tottenham Hotspur 1, Villarreal 0

Wednesday, Sept. 17

• Olympiacos FC 0, Pafos FC 0
• SK Slavia Praha 2, FK Bodø/Glimt 2
• AFC Ajax 0, FC Internazionale Milano 2
• FC Bayern München 3, Chelsea FC 1
• Liverpool FC 3, Atlético de Madrid 2
• Paris Saint-Germain 4, Atalanta BC 0

Thursday, Sept. 18

• Club Brugge 4, AS Monaco 1
• F.C. Copenhagen 2, Bayer Leverkusen 2
• Manchester City 2, Napoli 0
• Newcastle 1, Barcelona 2
• Sporting CP 4, Kairat 1
• Eintracht 5, Galatasaray 1

How to watch Champions League

The opening round of league phase fixtures takes will be available to watch on Paramount+, with select additional coverage on CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports Golazo Network. Pre-match coverage starts at 12 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network each day before select matches air at 12:45 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET, with post-match coverage transitioning to Paramount+ and CBS Sports Golazo Network. The Golazo Show will be free on CBS Sports Golazo Network for Matchday 1, while coverage concludes on CBS Sports Golazo Network with new editions of The Champions Club, which will be simulcast on YouTube, and Scoreline.

[Sep 18, 2025 at 3:41 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

• Manchester City 2, Napoli 0
• Newcastle 1, Barcelona 2
• Sporting CP 4, Kairat 1
• Eintracht 5, Galatasaray 1

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:52 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

90' Wait, it's not over! Anthony Gordon scored the 2-1 for Newcastle right before stoppage time and there is still time here for some action... 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:34 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

70' Meanwhile, three more goals have gone in across the other matches. Sporting CP are now 4-0 up against Kairat, with Francisco Trincao netting his second of the night, followed by goals from Alisson Santos and Quenda. In Frankfurt, Eintracht are winning with a 4-1 lead over Galatasaray, as Jonathan Burkardt strikes again to claim his second of the match.

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:31 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

68' An outstanding goal of Marcus Rashford here who scored his first brace with Barcelona, after scoring the first goal of the game at St.James Park. This one was a sensational shot from outside the box. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:29 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

67' It's 2-0 now for Manchester City with the second goal scored by Jeremy Doku that probably ended Napoli hopes for this match. Antonio Conte can now probably try to defend and avoid the third one. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:21 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

58' Barcelona have taken a 1-0 lead as former Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford scores his first goal for the club with a header from a Jules Kounde assist. It hasn't been the brightest performance so far from Hansi Flick's side, but Rashford's strike could shift the direction of the match.

[Sep 18, 2025 at 4:18 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

56' Who if not him? Erling Haaland scores the opening goal of the match in Manchester as Pep Guardiola's side are now up 1-0 against Napoli. The Azzurri tried to defend as they could especially after receiving the red card in the first half but Milinkovic-Savic couldn't do much here. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 3:48 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

45' Francisco Trincao scored a stunning goal from outside the box that gave the lead to Sporting CP after they failed to score in the opening 45 minutes, despite missing a penalty as well. In Frankfurt, at the same time, Yilmaz Uzun gave the lead to Eintracht and before halftime Jonathan Burkardt's header makes it 3-1. Galatasaray are now down by two goals after scoring the opening goal of the game. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 3:45 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

40' Two big chances for Manchester City but Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic saved on both O'Reilly and Bernardo Silva and the result is still on the 0-0 despite Napoli are one man down after the red card received by team captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 3:40 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

38' It's 1-1 in Frankfurt as the own goal of Davinson Sanchez changed the result before halftime. The former Tottenham defender was really unlucky here and his deflection cost him the own goal. 

[Sep 18, 2025 at 3:28 pm ET · Francesco Porzio]

25' It only lasted 25 minutes the comeback of Kevin de Bruyne in Manchester as Antonio Conte decided to replace the former Manchester City midfielder after the red card received by Di Lorenzo. Despite the expectations and the warm welcome received, de Bruyne's comeback at the Etihad is now already over.