Eintracht Frankfurt began their Champions League journey with a commanding 5-1 victory over Galatasaray. Despite falling behind early when Leroy Sane set up Yunus Akgun to score, Eintracht responded decisively. Davinson Sanchez's own goal equalised the score after Ritsu Doan exploited a defensive lapse. Two more goals in first-half stoppage time put them firmly in control.
Sporting CP also enjoyed success, defeating Kairat 4-1. Francisco Trincao scored twice, while Alisson Santos and Geovany Quenda added to the tally. Kairat's Edmilson Santos made history by scoring their first Champions League group stage goal with a powerful volley. Meanwhile, Club Brugge triumphed over Monaco with a 4-1 win at Jan Breydel Stadium.
In Brugge's match, Simon Mignolet
initially conceded a penalty but redeemed himself by saving Maghnes Akliouche's attempt. Nicolo Tresoldi and Raphael Onyedika scored to give Brugge a comfortable lead. Hans Vanaken's volley extended their advantage before Mamadou Diakhon sealed the victory, rendering Ansu Fati's late goal for Monaco inconsequential.
Galatasaray's defensive woes were evident as they contributed two own goals against Eintracht Frankfurt. This marked the second time they have scored multiple own goals in a single Champions League match, having done so previously against Astana in 2015. The Turkish club has now recorded nine own goals in the competition.
Eintracht continued to capitalise on Galatasaray's mistakes, adding two more goals in the second half. Jonathan Burkardt's header was deflected by Sanchez into his own net, and Ansgar Knauff completed the scoring after Gabriel Sara lost possession carelessly.
Notable Performances and Records
Simon Mignolet became the sixth-oldest goalkeeper to save a Champions League penalty at 37 years and 196 days old. Unfortunately, he had to leave the field due to injury shortly after his heroic save. He joined Oliver Kahn as one of only two goalkeepers to save a penalty and then be substituted in the same match.
Kairat faced an arduous journey of 4,292 miles from Kazakhstan to Lisbon for their match against Sporting CP. This distance is the longest between two teams meeting in UEFA Champions League history.
The opening matches of this season’s Champions League have already provided thrilling moments and unexpected outcomes. Teams like Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP have set high standards with their impressive performances, while others will need to regroup quickly for upcoming challenges.
