In a compelling midweek slate across Europe, the Champions League delivered a night of stark contrasts—giants flexing their muscles, emerging sides gasping for breath, and a handful of statement victories that will reverberate across the group stage.
Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Inter, Marseille and Bayern Munich each secured resounding wins, while their opponents struggled to keep pace with relentless attacking and clinical finishing.
At the Central Stadium in Almaty, Real Madrid dismantled debutants Kairat Almaty with a ruthless 5–0 victory. The Kazakh side, making waves by reaching the group stage for the first time, entered with high hopes and local enthusiasm swelling in the stands. But it was Madrid’s stars who would steal the show.
Kylian Mbappé was the architect of the mauling—converting a first-half penalty, driving home a second from open play early in the second half, and punctuating his hat trick with a powerful long-range strike in the 73rd minute.
Madrid’s dominance went beyond Mbappé; Eduardo Camavinga got on the scoresheet via a Rodrygo assist, and Brahim Díaz capped the night in injury time with a composed finish. Their collective performance underlined the gulf in quality, while a penalty initially awarded to Kairat was overturned after a VAR check—one of the few small reprieves for the home side.
For Real, the win is a statement after a turbulent derby loss domestically, a reminder that their European ambitions are undimmed.
Meanwhile, in Madrid’s other stadium, Atlético hosted Eintracht Frankfurt and sent a message of their own, routing the visitors 5–1. Antoine Griezmann lifted himself into the folklore of the club by scoring his 200th goal for Atlético, while Giacomo Raspadori, Robin Le Normand, Julián Álvarez and Giuliano Simeone all contributed to the avalanche of goals.
Raspadori struck early, Le Normand doubled the lead, and Griezmann delivered around halftime. Frankfurt briefly threatened with a deflected strike from Jonathan Burkhardt, but Atlético’s onslaught returned—Álvarez converted a penalty, and another corner routine resulted in a goal to seal the emphatic win.
The metropolis of Milan hosted Inter as they faced Slavia Prague at the San Siro. Lautaro Martínez proved again why he’s one of Europe’s most complete attackers: seizing on a defensive error to open the scoring just before the half-hour mark, then later tapping in a cross in the 65th minute after a clever assist from Marcus Thuram.
In between, Denzel Dumfries added a goal with a finish from close range, assisted by Thuram’s clever drive to the byline. Inter kept up the pressure without adding more, but the result was never in doubt—3–0 was more than enough to maintain their momentum in the group.
On the Mediterranean coast, Marseille welcomed Ajax, and delivered perhaps the night’s most stunning performance. Within 12 minutes, Igor Paixão had already struck twice, leaving Ajax shell-shocked and scrambling for composure. Mason Greenwood then added a third just before halftime, and in the second half Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, assisted by Paixão, sealed a commanding 4–0 win.
Marseille had taken zero points from their opener, but this was a return to form in spectacular fashion. Ajax, by contrast, now confront a mounting crisis: two humiliating defeats to start their campaign.
Out on the periphery of Europe, another heavyweight flexed its muscles. Bayern Munich made the long trip to Cyprus to face Pafos, who had earlier stunned Red Star to reach the group stage. But the Cypriot side could not withstand Bayern’s firepower.
Harry Kane bagged a brace, and Bayern ultimately routed their hosts 5–1 in clinical fashion. Though Pafos will cherish the experience—this was their first season in the Champions League—they were overwhelmed by a team wired for European competition.
The verdict is clear: the established powers reasserted their dominance. Real Madrid’s drilling of Kairat, Atlético’s goal-fest, Inter’s composed control, Marseille’s statement, and Bayern’s rampage all suggest these squads are in full stride. The group stage, once more, may reflect the hierarchy rather than upstart surprises.
Kairat, for all their historic qualification and regional passion, now face a trial by fire. Their defense was picked apart, their hopes of shock points dashed by tactical naivety and a lack of European experience. The overturned penalty was as close as they came to reprieve. Real, meanwhile, restored their aura, and Mbappé insists on being the fulcrum of this squad’s ambitions.
Atlético’s night was electric—no Diego Simeone in the dugout, yet his legacy loomed as the team attacked with balance and ruthlessness. Griezmann’s milestone added poetry to the destruction of Frankfurt; the latter’s brief glimmer was snuffed out by precision set pieces and ruthless transitions.
Inter’s methodical destruction suggests they are not just here to compete, but to dominate. They blended solidity with sharp attacking transitions, and Martínez continues to stake his claim among Europe’s elite forwards.
Marseille’s rout of Ajax may be the upset of the night in terms of expectations—few foresaw such a dismantling—but they were merciless in execution. Paixão’s double salvo early on unsettled Ajax, who never fully recovered. That kind of start can define a campaign.
And Bayern’s destruction of Pafos reminds everyone: even in unfamiliar settings, their machine works. Kane’s double capped a performance that leaves no doubt as to their aspirations.