Matchday 1 of the UEFA Champions League was anything but straightforward, with results shaking up the early table and leaving some heavyweights already under pressure. Liverpool stole the spotlight, edging Atlético Madrid 3–2 thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s stoppage-time header. That late strike not only secured three points but also raised questions about Atlético’s defensive discipline in crunch moments.
Chelsea’s 3–1 defeat to Bayern Munich was another headline-maker. For a club that spent heavily in recent windows, being outclassed so comprehensively has sparked renewed debate about their ability to compete at Europe’s top level. Similarly, PSG’s ruthless 4–0 dismantling of Atalanta showed that Ousmane Dembele and company are still capable of blowing weaker opponents away, but critics argue the Parisians still need to prove themselves when the opposition is elite.
Elsewhere, Inter Milan cruised past Ajax 2–0, while Arsenal and Union Saint-Gilloise picked up valuable opening wins. However, the night’s biggest shock came in Dortmund’s 4–4 thriller with Juventus, a defensive disaster that will fuel controversy about both teams’ backlines.
Underdogs made noise as well. Bodø/Glimt’s 2–2 comeback against Slavia Praha proved that even debutants can dent reputations, leaving that group wide open.
The table now has clear leaders on three points: Liverpool, Bayern, PSG, Inter and others, but the reality is stark: losers like Chelsea and Atalanta are already scrambling, while draws have left big questions hanging over teams that expected more. With goal difference and head-to-head rules waiting to bite later, these early slip-ups may prove costly.
Bottom line: Matchday 1 has not just opened the campaign, it has exposed vulnerabilities, punished complacency, and left the table balanced on a knife’s edge heading into Matchday 2.