Recap the action around Europe as the 2026-27 Champions League resumed.The Athletic Live TeamSeptember 8, 2026 at 6:59 PM EDTErling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City beat Porto as the Champions League resumed. Getty ImagesChampions League league phase — reactionThe league phase of the 2026-27 Champions League got underway in entertaining fashion today.Real Madrid got past Inter 2-1 and Manchester City won 2-0 at Porto thanks to Erling Haaland's double.Aston Villa edged past Club Brugge 3-2; AEK Athens beat LASK 1-0 after Razvan Marin's stunner.Real Betis beat 10-man Lille 3-2 and Borussia Dortmund beat Villarreal 3-2 in five-goal thrillers.Join the discussion or email us your reaction: live@theathletic.comSKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementChampions League briefingMbappe, Haaland: Scoring records, whistles and tusslesMixed night for The Other Mbappe (Ethan) of LilleWho’d be a goalkeeper after several costly mistakes?Have we already seen the best Champions League free-kick goal this season?Below, The Athletic rounds up the best of the action in the Champions League today.A reminder of tomorrow's games Getty ImagesIn case you need a memory job, here's a look at the football still to come in the Champions League tomorrow:Barcelona vs FeyenoordStuttgart vs VikingNapoli vs ArsenalLiverpool vs Atletico MadridParis Saint-Germain vs Slovan BratislavaSporting CP vs GalatasarayAll of those matches will be covered live here at The Athletic.And what next for Real Madrid? Getty Images Real have three more La Liga fixtures before the season breaks for international football at the end of September.They host Rayo Vallecano on Saturday at 8pm BST (3pm ET) before traveling to Elche on September 15 and heading for cross-city rivals Atletico Madrid on September 20.Tonight's opponents Inter, meanwhile, are at home to Udinese on Saturday before traveling to Roma on September 19, both in Serie A.What next for Manchester City? Getty Images After starting his Champions League story at Manchester City with a win, Enzo Maresca next faces his biggest game yet since taking over from Pep Guardiola.His side head for Old Trafford on Sunday for a derby clash with Manchester United in the Premier League at 4.30pm BST (11.30am ET).Then they face Norwich City at home in the EFL Cup on September 17 and Sunderland at home in the Premier League on September 20 before the first international break of the season.An early look at the table The AthleticMost teams are still yet to play, of course, with matches to follow tomorrow and on Thursday night, all live on The Athletic.But after today's games we have six winning teams who are inside the magic top eight places — for now.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementThe Champions League lives up to the hype Getty ImagesOne night of Champions League action down, six matches and a very impressive 21 goals scored across them!We had three 3-2 scorelines today and only one match settled by more than a single goal.Competitive. Getty ImagesLille are probably wondering how their night unravelled so fast — Olivier Giroud made his frustration felt here! Getty ImagesIt was that kind of night for Inter — undone by Real Madrid, shirt letters peeling off, all-round frustration.Betis celebrate Getty ImagesA very hard-earned with for Real Betis tonight, who showed great fight to come from behind twice and then take the lead.Defender Marc Bartra with a rare goal — and an even rarer double.Maresca: ‘We deserved to win the game’ Getty Images Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has spoken to TNT Sports to assess his team's performance in their win against Porto.💬 “We could have scored more goals, especially first half, but overall we deserved to win the game. We created enough chances to win the game.“We didn't concede a lot. It's normal to come here and concede some chances so overall I am happy with the performance.“If you think you can come here in this stadium and just play and concede nothing, that’s not real. It's not reality.”SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisement Getty ImagesThere's nothing like a good reverse angle shot of a goal — here's Carlos Augusto's consolation goal for Inter hitting the back of the net against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.Haaland frustrated but coming up trumps Getty ImagesErling Haaland cut a frustrated figure in a fiesty match against Porto but got rewarded for his efforts with a second goal in the end tonight.Yet another match this season with the Norway international finding the back of the net.Haaland: ‘We have to deliver on the big stage’ Getty Images Manchester City's two-goal hero Erling Haaland has spoken to Prime Video about his side's performance and the importance of early wins in the Champions League.💬 “It was an amazing game against the champions of Portugal. We knew it was going to be a difficult fight, man against man and they are a top team.“With all the pressure, we have to deliver on the big stage and that's what we did today. Honestly, we've controlled the whole first half.“I could have easily had a few more goals but in the second half we scored and then they managed to push us for a good 25 minutes. But again, we managed to hold through and then we finished the game.“These are the games we have to win and we've got a great start to the season. In the Champions League you have to win games because, if not, suddenly you get all the pressure and then you never know what's going to happen.”Valverde: ‘We have to be self-critical’ Getty Images Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde spoke to Spanish TV channel Movistar after his side’s 2-1 win against Inter.And he admitted some unhappiness about how they managed the second half as he collected the player-of-the-match award.💬 “We played a good first half. Thibaut (Courtois) really deserved this prize too, he made some tremendous saves. We had chances to score, while playing our own style. When we did not play our way, in the second half, we suffered a lot. “That should not happen, especially at home. We were too rushed in attack, did not have patience with the ball to play and rest a bit. That meant the game got a bit crazy.“That's what Jose Mourinho told us very clearly at half-time, to play more football, above all in their half, and be patient. In the end you have to be self-critical. “We have won the game, which is important, but we know we played a bad second half. We got drawn into their game, and they did play a great game.”Over to Real Madrid's Federico Valverde for his thoughts now.SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAdvertisementDortmund’s Karetsas taken to hospital after ‘circulatory problems’ Getty Images Borussia Dortmund’s Konstantinos Karetsas has been taken to hospital after experiencing “circulatory problems” during his side’s Champions League game against Villarreal.The 18-year-old went down with no-one around him shortly after passing the ball, immediately signalling to the Dortmund bench that he needed assistance. He was treated for several minutes, before leaving the Signal Iduna Park pitch on a stretcher in the 27th minute. A statement from Dortmund during the second half said Karetsas was on his way to hospital.💬 “Konstantinos Karetsas had to leave the field due to circulatory problems. Kosta is doing well under the circumstances and is on his way to the hospital for further tests.”Madrid scoring at home in Europe. Inevitable.Today, Real Madrid equalled their own record, scoring for the 44th consecutive home game in European competition.And both those runs are, nearly, back to back.Since September 27, 2011, Madrid have scored in 88 of their 89 European home games.Their only blank was a 0-3 loss against Russian side CSKA Moscow in December 2018.An all-round impressive display from City Getty ImagesThat was an increasingly ill-tempered affair, sparked by the alleged elbow by Marc Guehi that I didn't see live and haven't been able to see since due to a lack of screens in the press area! It was kicking off in the tunnel at the break and there were several flashpoints throughout the second half, with Erling Haaland and Pablo Rosario both booked for a clash a couple of minutes before the final whistle. Even Porto's coach was booked in the latter stages but, ultimately, City come away with a very accomplished victory, polished off by Haaland's second of the night, which he stroked home in injury time. Porto carried a threat about them but City generally dealt with it well, and got a bit of luck when they needed it. There were times in both halves when City needed to get a grip of an increasingly open game and to their credit they were able to manage it, either through their players on the pitch stepping up, or head coach Enzo Maresca making some timely changes. That makes it four wins from their last four games for City and this was a wholly impressive display.Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Villarreal (FT)So Dortmund hold on.There was a bit of a nervy end after that late own goal allowed Villarreal back within touching distance but in the end the hosts get their campaign off to a winning start. A hectic one in Germany this evening.