Champions League: Juventus fight back to draw thriller, Mbappe inspires Real Madrid

New Delhi: Juventus struck late to draw an eight-goal thriller against Borussia Dortmund and a Kylian Mbappe double helped Real Madrid past Marseille as the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League kicked off.

Juventus and Borussia Dortmund shared the spoils after an eight-goal thriller in Turin that equalled the record for highest-scoring Champions League draw. Khephren Thuram and Lois Openda both went close for the hosts in the first half, before Karim Adeyemi’s 52nd-minute finish sparked the encounter into life.

Kenan Yıldız, Felix Nmecha and Dušan Vlahović all scored in a four-minute flurry, before Yan Couto’s powerful finish made it 3-2 to Dortmund. The visitors looked to have sealed victory through Ramy Bensebaini’s 85th-minute penalty, but Juventus rescued a draw in added time thanks to Dušan Vlahović’s finish and a Lloyd Kelly header.

Meanwhile, a pair of penalties from Kylian Mbappe helped Real Madrid turn a deficit into victory in Xabi Alonso’s first Champions League game at the helm. After withstanding early pressure from the hosts, Marseille struck first through Timothy Weah’s emphatic finish, but Alonso’s side were quickly level when Mbappe converted from the spot following a foul by Geoffrey Kondogbia on Rodrygo.

Although Madrid had Dani Carvajal sent off in the 72nd minute, Mbappé struck again with nine minutes left after Facundo Medina was penalised for handball.

Elsewhere, substitutes Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard struck to give Arsenal a winning start in a tight contest in Bilbao, with Athletic Club making their first Champions League appearance since 2014/15.

Neither goalkeeper was unduly troubled until Martinelli scored within seconds of his introduction, collecting a Trossard flick from inside the visitors’ half and charging through to slot in. Another blistering Martinelli run created the second goal, teeing up Trossard to seal victory with a deflected finish.

Mikel Arteta’s substitutions paid off brilliantly as Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score and get Arsenal’s Champions League campaign off the perfect start with 2-0 win over Athletic Club.

Neither goalkeeper was unduly troubled until Martinelli scored within seconds of his introduction, collecting a Trossard flick from inside the visitors’ half and charging through to slot in. Another blistering Martinelli run created the second goal, teeing up Trossard to seal victory with a deflected finish.

UEFA Europa League holders Tottenham returned to the Champions League with a narrow 1-0 win over Villarreal. The hosts needed less than five minutes to score what proved to be the winner, Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Júnior inadvertently directing Lucas Bergvall’s cross into his own net.

Tajon Buchanan and Nicolas Pépé had chances to draw the visitors level, but Tottenham were relatively comfortable as they held on to mark Thomas Frank’s managerial debut in the Champions League with a victory.

IANS